In her latest visit to Miami, Williams met with not only Sinner, but his opponent in Sunday’s final, Grigor Dimitrov.
Serena Williams certainly knows what it’s like to win it all at the Miami Open. Will a blessing by the former world No. 1 this week help Jannik Sinner do the same?
After visiting the tournament to watch her sister, Venus Williams, play earlier in the first week, the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion was back to take in the men’s semifinals on Friday, and was full of praise for the Australian Open champion after his 6-1, 6-2 blitzing of Daniil Medvedev in a rematch of their grueling five-set final at the year’s first major.
“I wish I hit my forehand like that,” Williams told Sinner, per the ATP website. “Seriously, the racquet speed, the power, I was like, ‘Wow, night and day.’ You’re unbelievable. Congrats on Australia.”
Williams had a particularly dominant record at the MiamI Open, where she won a tournament record eight titles in 18 appearances at the tournament’s old location in Key Biscayne.
Sinner, meanwhile, hopes that his third visit to championship Sunday in Miami will be a lucky one, having finished as runner-up in both 2021 and 2023.
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But the Italian isn’t the only participant in Sunday’s men’s singles final who’ll be hoping a brush with greatness brings him a little extra luck.
His opponent, Grigor Dimitrov, also got to reconnect with Williams during her visit, as the pair were captured by cameras sharing a chat, smiles and a big hug behind the scenes in Hard Rock Stadium.
The two are longtime friends, and the Bulgarian dubbed Williams “amazing” in his post-match press conference after beating Alexander Zverev in the semifinals.
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“We stay in touch. We nearly speak on a daily basis. She said, I’m gonna come watch,'” Dimitrov said. “It’s always very humbling to have such a supporter in your corner, and I think just before the match she came, we had a little chat.
“Actually, I remember she was even here when I had my first Top 10 win. It was a very nice moment. I think we both remember that.
“It’s friendship, man. I think this is the best part. Tennis is tennis, but, you know, we are all living our dream right now. I think the real life begins after, and I think we have managed to be such good and close friends after so many years.
“And again, to be able to lean on, to share thoughts, ideas, and sometimes to even vent, someone that actually played tennis, right? It helps a lot.”
