Jannik Sinner fans didn’t hold back in their responses to Roger Federer after the Swiss legend suggested he may have had a formula to beat their hero, but the reaction was entirely misguided.
Federer was asked about Sinner and his great rival Carlos Alcaraz as he faced the media at the Australian Open and he suggested he saw a way to challenge the dominance of the Italian as he watched him struggle against Grigor Dimitrov at Wimbledon last July.
Dimitrov was on the brink of beating Sinner until he was struck down by injury, with Federer watching on from the Royal Box and clearly visualising himself taking on the reigning Australian Open champion.
“At Wimbledon, when Grigor was playing against Jannik and I was sitting there, that made it easy to think how it could’ve been because Grigor plays very similar to how I played,” said Federer.
“I think it was one of the first times I thought how would it have been to play Jannik.
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“I put myself more in Carlos’s mindset and skin when I watch him. Now with Sinner at one time, I thought ‘Okay, now I understand how I would probably play against Jannik.’”
Federer’s comments were merely those of a former player reflecting on how his tactics would evolve if he was playing Sinner, but fans of the Italian were quick to hit back at what they saw as a suggestion from the 20-time Grand Slam-winning legend that there is blueprint to beat the player who is currently ranked at No 2 on the ATP list.
The backlash on social media towards Federer brought back memories of how Novak Djokovic fans used to react when they felt their player was being disrespected, but that was never Federer’s intention.
He was merely suggesting Dimitrov had found a way to successfully nullify the threat of Sinner on a grass court at Wimbledon and as Federer played a very similar style of game to the Bulgarian, it was natural for him to reach the conclusion he came to.
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Sinner didn’t seem to be troubled by Federer’s comments, as he was asked about what had been said when he faced the media in Melbourne.
“I would have loved to face him, I consider him the most magical tennis player of all time. Unfortunately, I was late,” said Sinner.
“That day at Wimbledon, Grigor played well and knew how to see my weaknesses, changing the pace continuously. In the off-season, I have worked hard to be a more unpredictable player and to respond to that type of game.”
Sinner fans have tended to be a little more sensitive to criticism of their hero since he came under fire after two positive doping tests at Indian Wells in March 2024.
He came under fire for the way his case was handled and the perception in Italy was that Sinner was not given fair media coverage by a media pack keen to find him guilty.
Sinner served a three-month suspension from tennis last year after agreeing a deal to ensure he avoided the threat of a longer ban.
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