World No. 1 Jannik Sinner demonstrated his admirable character with his reaction to opponent Jesper De Jong`s painful fall during their Italian Open round of 32 match.
The 24-year-old Dutchman suffered the injury while attempting to return a shot near the net, landing hard on the clay court. He was seen in evident pain, holding his wrist and rolling on the ground, his clothes covered in dirt as medical assistance arrived.
Notably, his opponent, Sinner, was the first to react, immediately leaping over the net to check on De Jong. Sinner knelt by him, inquired about his condition, and even carried De Jong`s racket off the court as he was escorted to his seat. The 23-year-old Italian also thoughtfully wiped the clay off the racket`s handle and offered De Jong a towel to clean himself on the bench.
Despite the pain, De Jong managed a lighthearted moment, asking Sinner, “Do you have a new shirt as well?” referring to the clay marks.
Fans online widely praised Sinner`s display of sportsmanship. Comments included “Sinner is total genuine class,” “Sportsmanship at its best,” “He’s a class act, always has been,” and “This kind of kindness is not something you can fake.” Many appreciated his gesture of cleaning De Jong`s racket.
De Jong was able to continue the match after a medical timeout, with his wrist heavily strapped. Sinner went on to win the match in straight sets, 6-4, 6-2.
Sinner`s next opponent in the round of 16 will be the 17th seed, Francisco Cerundolo, who defeated Sinner at the same stage of the Italian Open in 2023. Looking ahead to the match, Sinner commented, “He`s an amazing player, he has an amazing season until now. It`s going to be tough. For sure I have to raise my level. It`s going to be a good challenge, a good test for me and we`ll see how it goes.”
