Nick Kyrgios throws theory about Jannik Sinner’s huge celebration vs Alexander Zverev

Nick Kyrgios suspects there may have been “something a lil deeper” in Jannik Sinner’s celebration against Alexander Zverev following their Cincinnati Masters semifinal clash.

On Sunday, top-seeded Sinner edged out Zverev in an absolute thriller 7-6 (9) 5-7 7-6 (4) after three hours and seven minutes of play. By beating third-seeded Zverev, the 23-year-old Italian reached his maiden Cincinnati final but also collected his first win over the German two-time Grand Slam finalist in four years.

After beating Zverev in their first meeting at the 2020 French Open, Sinner went on to lose to the German four consecutive times. And some of those defeats were certainly painful since two of those four defeats to the German came at the US Open. 

But in Cincinnati, the 23-year-old Italian managed to end his losing streak against Zverev and afterward celebrated very passionately by letting out a huge roar. The 2024 Australian Open champion’s celebration drew attention and it also caught the eye of Kyrgios.

“Something a lil deeper in that celebration (side eye emoji),” Kyrgios wrote on X.

Something a lil deeper in that celebration 👀🫣

— Nicholas Kyrgios (@NickKyrgios) August 19, 2024

In the past, there wasn’t any known bad blood between Sinner and Zverev. With that being said, the logical explanation for Sinner’s celebration was probably his desire to end his losing streak against the world No. 4.

What Sinner said after beating Zverev?

After losing his serve very early in the match and finding himself 3-5 down, Sinner managed to get the break back when Zverev was serving for the first set and eventually force a tie-break. In the tie-break, the top-seeded Italian was again close to losing the opener but managed to save two set points – and later convert his third set point – to bag a very tight first set.

Just like the first set started, the second started as well after Zverev broke Sinner early but the Italian got the break back. However, this time, the third-seeded German didn’t allow Sinner to steal the second set from him after breaking the Italian in the 12th game when the world No. 1 was serving to stay in the set.

After a total of five breaks through the opening two sets, not a single break point was seen in the third set. But in the third-set tie-break, Sinner stepped up to open a 5-2 before earning and converting his second match point to get the job done in over three hours of play. 

“Sometimes you have to play a bit with the gut feeling. And I think this today was, my strength. [There were] some up and downs, which can happen, especially when you play [for] more than three hours. It was a good match, I think for both of us. He served very, very well, so I can be very proud,” Sinner said on the court after his win.

Why this win meant so much to Sinner?

After coming out on top against Zverev in an extremely dramatic match and finish, Sinner was happy to see that he was able to endure such a physical clash ahead of the US Open because it can help him reach his goal for the final Grand Slam of the season. 

“It means a lot to me. It’s a very different moment, what I’m going through, so I’m very happy about this result. The physical aspect, of course, I have to improve, because if I want to win Grand Slams or a bigger title, I have to be, for sure, more in shape. But I just tried to stay there mentally, which I’m very proud [of], and let’s see what’s coming tomorrow,” Sinner said.

“[It was] a tough match, an exciting match. [The] atmosphere has been amazing throughout the whole match. Many, many different conditions. We started off with [it] sunny, then after came the rain. Now [it] was night session, so we had a lot of tension for both of us. I’m very happy about this performance, and obviously very happy to be in the final.”

Meanwhile, Sinner is set to take on home favorite Frances Tiafoe in the Cincinnati final. And going into his first Masters final, world No. 20 Tiafoe admitted there is no doubt who is the favorite to win.

“For sure (Sinner) is (the favorite), right? He’s lost like [five] matches all year? He’s the favorite in every match he plays, no question about it. You’ve got to tip your hat to a guy like him,” Tiafoe said of facing Sinner in the final.