"Sinner played a Belgrade tournament by mistake!" The player he beat tells Sportal: We all wondered - who is this skinny, red-headed kid who came alone?
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A photo of a young Jannik Sinner holding a trophy has been circulating online for the past two days.
The picture, taken in Zvezdara, Belgrade, shows Sinner after winning an under-16 tournament.
This has prompted headlines such as "From Olympus to the top of the world" and "Belgrade – the city of champions: Not just Djokovic, Sinner also took his first steps in Serbia."
Alongside Sinner in the photo is the young man he defeated in the final, Aleksandar Ljubojević, who spoke with Sportal, recalling details of the match.
"The first thing I remember is everyone asking, 'Who is this skinny, red-headed kid who came to the tournament alone?'" Ljubojević recalls. "He appeared out of nowhere; we thought he was a beginner, haha. I remember in the first round he played against one of our seeded players, and we thought he'd be out quickly. But he won easily, progressing through the rounds, and beat me in the final 6-1, 6-4. Honestly, it was a good match to play and watch. He was clearly much better than me; even then, you could see he'd be a great player. He was a cut above the rest of us. He was a full 16 years old, and I was 15, a bit older than me."
It turned out Sinner's participation in the tournament was accidental.
"As we later learned, he was supposed to play only in the ITF tournament in Pančevo, scheduled a week after the Olympus tournament, but he arrived seven days early, completely alone, without a coach or any team member. One of our coaches talked to him and entered him in the Zvezdara tournament. He won that, and then lost in the first or second round of the main draw in Pančevo." When asked if he spoke to Sinner after the match, Ljubojević said,
"No, we just took a photo. I remember he was very reserved, didn't talk much to anyone."
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After that tournament, Sinner quickly began his ascent to the top of the world rankings.
"Yes, he turned pro quickly, and early in his career, he even beat Monfils. My friends and family always joke that I won more games off him than Monfils did." Ljubojević laughs.
"Later, Sinner won the Next Gen ATP Finals, and now he's one of the best in the world, winning Grand Slams. It's interesting that he remembers his triumph at Olympus."
"My first coach, Stefan Solunac, was coaching a junior at the Australian Open last year and met Sinner in Melbourne. He showed him the photo, and Jannik said he remembered the final and his time in Serbia," Ljubojević shared.
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Ljubojević ended his professional career last year. He managed to reach a career-high ATP ranking of 1600 in singles and 1100 in doubles.
"Finances played a role in my early retirement," Ljubojević explained. "I managed to play a few tournaments after that final, then the pandemic hit, followed by lockdowns. I decided last fall to officially end my professional career and focus on coaching. I'm now coaching at the Pro Sport club in Ada Ciganlija. I'm happy with how it's going so far, and I'm excited to pass on my knowledge to younger generations."
Video: Decision Day, Sinner or Alcaraz? Until then, watch how the women's competition unfolded in just a few minutes.
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