Jannik Sinner celebrates his first, historic semi-final at the Internazionali BNL d'Italia, after defeating Casper Ruud 2-0 in the quarterfinals. "I raised my level game after game", the Italian stated at the end of the match. "I played a tactically perfect match. I felt good on the court. Thank you all, you give me so much, so much energy. It’s very important for me to play in Rome. Let’s see what happens". Italy’s number one also spoke about the golden moment of Italian tennis: "Musetti? I believe we are extremely lucky to be Italian because playing here is absolutely special. There's me, Lorenzo, and Jas (Paolini, en). It's amazing; we're overjoyed, and we'll do our best". In the press conference, he analyzed his performance with clarity: "Today, I couldn't have done any better; everything was fine. I served with a good percentage, I returned every ball, the shots were aggressive, and I was able to control the play. Usually, you carry over the previous match with your opponent into the new one, and I played quite well today. There isn't much to say; tomorrow brings another player and new challenges". Upon being asked as to whether the decisive victory was the outcome of an emotional response, he responded, "I don’t know—I’m here to understand myself, what I’m capable of. I know we worked hard, but I don't pay much attention to the results. Of course, I would’ve signed for a comeback with a semifinal to play. Tomorrow will be my fifth match here and that feels good. The outcome is pretty relative; we are always focused on performance, which is exactly what I need to go to Paris with a positive attitude. We are in a terrific mood; today was a fantastic day; tomorrow, I will confront another with the same attitude". On his personal success, he added: "My secret?" There are no secrets. All you need is hard work and confidence. That is all. There's nothing else". Finally, Sinner described the emotion of his meeting with Pope Francis: "I had never had such an experience. I felt extremely honored. I wasn't sure what to say. It was a highly emotional experience, even with my parents present. It was a wonderful experience that I will never forget. It's impossible to describe what it was like because I've never experienced a moment like this. I’ve met important people in my youth. This was simply a different kind of experience. I was truly honored".