‘Grandissimo’: Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni Welcomes Home Australian Open Champion Jannik Sinner – News18

ROME: Australian Open champion Jannik Sinner returned to Italy on Tuesday amid nice fanfare and headed straight to a non-public assembly with Premier Giorgia Meloni.

“Grandissimo,” Meloni stated when Sinner walked into her workplace within the Chigi Palace.

“I want to show you something,” Meloni then stated, earlier than turning on a replay of match level from Sinner’s 5-set victory over Daniil Medvedev in Sunday’s last, throughout which the Italian rallied from two units down.

“It’s nice to experience it after the fact,” Sinner stated.

Sinner and Meloni posed for pictures as they held aloft collectively first the Australian Open trophy after which the Italian flag. Sinner then gave Meloni a heat embrace to finish the assembly.

“The Italy we like: capable of believing in itself and reacting to difficult challenges. And to win,” Meloni stated afterward X, the social media platform beforehand referred to as Twitter. “Thank you, Jannik, for the example you gave us, to sports lovers, to our young people and to all of Italy.”

Sports Minister Andrea Abodi accompanied Sinner to the premier’s workplace.

“It was an informal meeting,” Abodi advised reporters. “They talked as if they were friends.”

Abodi added that Meloni “knows tennis” and that they “joked about padel and maybe seeing each other again during the Italian Open.

“Jannik was very courteous with everyone, as there were a lot of people applauding him inside the palace,” Abodi stated. “The trip in the car with the trophy was thrilling. It’s the first time this trophy has arrived in Italy.”

RAI state TV broadcasted Sinner’s arrival on the airport in Rome, the place he was carrying a black hooded sweatshirt together with his orange racket bag strapped onto his shoulders. Sinner was additionally holding a inexperienced bag with gold-coloured straps that appeared to include his trophy.

Sinner grew to become the primary Italian man to win a Grand Slam singles title in practically a half century — since Adriano Panatta received the French Open in 1976.

In November, Sinner additionally led Italy to its first Davis Cup title since 1976.

Sinner will maintain a information convention with Italian Tennis and Padel Federation president Angelo Binaghi on Wednesday. Then he and his Davis Cup teammates are scheduled to be honored by Italian President Sergio Mattarella on Thursday.

On Monday, Pope Francis congratulated Italy for Sinner’s victory.

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AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

(This story has not been edited by News18 employees and is printed from a syndicated information company feed – Associated Press)