Jannik Sinner, three matches after his three-month ban, hasn’t lost his confidence in the clutch

Roger Federer said he would inevitably end up trying more drop shots than usual in Rome, in part, he admitted, because the fans there love that artful finesse play so much.

Judging from Jannik Sinner’s 7-6 (2), 6-3 win over Francisco Cerundolo on Tuesday, that’s still true today. Even—or especially—when the player in question is their home-country hero.

The crowd inside Campo Centrale, which had waited through an afternoon-long rain delay to see their No. 1, cheered his very move. But there was one moment that drove them over the edge.

Early in the second set, Sinner ran forward, slowed down long enough to poke a Cerundolo drop shot back with a better drop shot of his own, and started walking toward his chair for the changeover, all in one casual motion. By the time he was halfway across the court, he had raised his hand to call for more noise. The fans obliged by erupting in joyous, football-style song, and didn’t stop. If there were a roof on the joint, it might have blown off.

“The crowd really helped me,” said Sinner, who needed whatever boost he could get against a guy who had beaten him here two years ago, and who didn’t quit on this night, either.

This was Sinner’s third match since his return, but his first against a top-tier talent—Cerundolo was seeded 17th, while his first two opponents were ranked 99th and 93rd, respectively.

Sinner wasn’t perfect. He was minus-12 in winner-vs-error ratio (17 to 29), and it took him two service games, and an extra 20 or so minutes, to close out Cerundolo from 5-1 up in the second. By the end, he was huffing and putting a bit, too. But he pronounced himself satisfied with the effort, and thankful for the resistance.

“I need this,” Sinner said, with extra emphasis. “He’s a very tough competitor, obviously a great challenge for me, especially now in this moment [when I’m] trying to get used to so many difficult situations on the court.”

One situation that helped him in this match was his No. 1 ranking, and the reputation that comes with it. There will surely be opponents of his who come in with chips on their shoulders, but Cerundolo, a nice guy in general, wasn’t one of the them today.

Instead, he was nervous with a lead, the way everyone is when they’re trying to pull off an upset. With Sinner serving at 2-3 in the first, Cerundolo reached break point five times, and made five errors, including a wide-open volley miss, before finally breaking through.

Later, in the tiebreaker, Cerundolo threatened again when he pushed Sinner to 2-2. Now the crowd was quiet and the atmosphere tense. But again the Argentine’s game went south; this time he made four mistakes in the next five points to lose the set. Cerundolo’s error count—53 of them, versus 30 winners—may have been the most telling stat of the night.

Sinner seemed pleased with the way he kept his concentration through a series of long, back-and-forth games in the first set, something you can’t replicate in practice.

“I tried to stay there mentally, tried to play every point,” he said. “Today I felt that I raised my level. Game-wise I felt a little bit better.”

If there was any negative to his performance, it may have had to do with the surface, and his prospects for the rest of the clay swing. Cerundolo was able to move Sinner and rush him with his heavy topspin forehand. On hard courts, Sinner has a distinct edge over just about everyone from the baseline, but clay levels the playing field a bit when he faces natural-dirt-ballers like Cerundolo.

The crowd really helped me. Jannik Sinner

Sinner will get his share of dirt-ball in his next match as well, when he faces either Jaume Munar or Casper Ruud. For now, he’s grateful to be playing tennis again, and getting the chance to make his fans sing.

“I’m happy to be back,” Sinner said. “I was three months out, I feel very fortunate to be here."