Jannik Sinner showed his class with a heartfelt gesture immediately after winning the ATP Finals.
The world No. 1 beat Taylor Fritz in straight sets to win the season-ending tournmament with a perfect 5-0 record for the week, bagging £3.9m ($4.9m) as an undefeated champion.
And he immediately paid tribute to retiring umpire Carlos Bernardes, hanging back to shake hands and share some parting words with the chair official.
Sinner captured his first official tour title on home soil, winning the ATP Finals without dropping a set. The 23-year-old needed just an hour and 25 minutes to beat Fritz for the second time this week.
The Italian met his opponent at the net before heading to the umpire’s chair for the usual handshake. Bernardes was given the honour of officiating the men’s singles final ahead of his retirement.
And Sinner was well aware that it was the Brazilian official’s last match on the ATP Tour. The top seed stayed at the chair to chat to the umpire, wishing him well with a warm handshake.
The 60-year-old looked delighted, smiling and thanking the newly-crowned champion before Sinner headed off to celebrate with his team and family.
“Lovely that he has time for the retiring Carlos Bernardes in the umpire’s chair,” commentator Jonathan Overend said.
Bernardes will retire at the end of this season after spending 40 years officiating tennis matches. The gold badge umpire has one tournament left – next week’s Davis Cup Finals – but the championships in Turin was his last ATP event.
He was also honoured during the on-court trophy ceremony. ATP chairman Andrea Gaudenzi presented the emotional umpire with a special photo frame.
And Sinner paid tribute to the renowned chair official again, giving him a shoutout during his victory speech. “Just a quick word to Carlos. I don’t see him. Ah, here he is,” he started, looking for Bernardes in the crowd.
“Carlos, 40 years of umpiring. Amazing, amazing career. I think you might be still in Davis Cup, I heard. But me and Taylor, we felt very privileged to be part of your last ATP journey so thank you so much, thank you.”
Sinner wasn’t the only one to show their appreciation to the umpire. After their semi-final win on Saturday night, world No. 1 doubles team Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic also thanked Bernardes during their handshake.
“Carlos, it was a pleasure having you. I’m going to miss you,” Arevalo said before Pavic wished him well for the future.
Just like Bernardes, Sinner will also head straight to Malaga for the Davis Cup. The world No. 1 helped Italy lift the trophy last year and will be back in action next week as they attempt to retain their crown.
For now, he will be focused on celebrating his maiden ATP Finals win after adding 1,500 extra points to his ranking and taking home £3.9m.
