Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic are similar in many ways. © ANSA / stf
Jannik Sinner has a season for eternity behind him, the tennis world is at the South Tyrolean’s feet. A star coach now described him as the second Novak Djokovic and explained what makes Sinner even better than the Serbian superstar.
26. November 2024
From: never
Triumphant at the Australian Open and the US Open, defending his title at the Davis Cup and the phenomenal march through the ATP Finals – Jannik Sinner regularly amazed the world in the past season.
Compared to last year, the man from Sexten went a step further in the crucial aspects of his game and developed into an unshakable mentality monster on the court. This certainly brings back memories of a certain Novak Djokovic.
“I think it makes sense to call him Djokovic 2.0,” said French star coach Patrick Mouratoglou, drawing a parallel between the Serbian record Grand Slam champion and Sinner. “The movement, the counter-pressing, it’s just incredible.”
According to Mouratouglou, the current world number one has the same qualities as Djokovic – with a few improvements. “I think he is version 2.0 because he plays faster and receives the ball earlier.”
Sinner: Error-free at the highest speed
A special feature of Sinner is its extremely low error rate. A circumstance that currently makes a victory over the shooting star almost impossible.
In addition, his aggressive style of play means he hardly gives his opponents any time to catch their breath. “If you attack him, he counterattacks. He has the qualities of Novak in that respect,” said Mouratoglou. “If you are very aggressive, get the ball early, don’t give your opponent any time and make extremely few unforced errors, how are you supposed to play against a guy like that?”
“No matter what ball you hit, you are in danger. All the time.”
Patrick Mouratoglou
There is simply no cure for Sinner at the moment. “He can handle any type of ball. Whether with spin, top spin or slice, he is never in trouble. No matter what ball you hit, you are in danger. All the time.”
Mouratoglou has worked with numerous big names in the tennis world throughout his career. The 54-year-old trained with Grigor Dimitrov, Serena Williams, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Simona Halep, Holger Rune and Naomi Osaka, among others.
