Jannik Sinner has been the dominant player on the ATP Tour in 2024, enabling him to finish the season as World No.1 for the first time.
Sinner collected a tour-leading eight titles this year, including Grand Slam titles at the Australian Open and the US Open.
The 23-year-old has also added three Masters 1000 titles to his resume, coming at the Miami Open, Cincinnati Open and the China Open.
Young American Alex Michelsen was one of the Italian’s losing opponents en route to the Cincinnati title, and has supported the idea of Sinner being voted as ‘ATP Fan Favourite’ for a second successive season when looking back on that encounter.
Alex Michelsen told ‘not to say sorry’ by Jannik Sinner in Cincinnati
Michelsen has been beaten by Sinner en route to two titles on North American hard courts this year, both in straight sets.
In Cincinnati, Michelsen was beaten in the second round but stayed at the tournament until the final day after reaching the doubles final with compatriot Mackenzie McDonald.
This gave the Californian opportunities to speak to Sinner in the locker room, with Michelsen telling the ATP Tour that he was asked not to apologise for his strategy in their match earlier in the week.
“I have played Sinner twice now. I went close to him in Cincy, and at the US Open, he absolutely waxed me,” said Michelsen.
“But I remember we talked a lot in Cincinnati, because obviously he won that tournament. And I was actually there for doubles and I made the final. So I was seeing him every day in the locker room. And we chatted up.”
Michelsen added, “He actually told me I was saying sorry too much, because I tried to keg him. He knew I was going after him. And he’s like, ‘It’s a good play, don’t say sorry’. He is actually a super nice guy. Unfortunately, I am 0-2 against him. But I guess that’s okay because he is the No. 1 player in the world.”
How did Alex Michelsen qualify for the ATP Next Gen Finals?
Although Michelsen was on the wrong end of the result in both of his meetings with Sinner, the 20-year-old has enjoyed another impressive season after climbing from World No.92 to a career-high ranking of No.41.
Highlights from Michelsen’s season include reaching ATP finals in Newport and Winston-Salem, and playing all four major tournaments for the first time in his career.
This has enabled Michelsen to qualify for the ATP Next Gen Finals for a second consecutive year, as one of the top eight players who are aged 20-and-under.
Michelsen failed to advance from the round-robin stage in Jeddah last year, but will be hoping for a better outcome later this month as the second seed behind Arthur Fils.
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