Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic have a similar style of playing, but the Italian is “a more evolved version” of the 24-time Grand Slam winner with a former world No 19 saying he is also one key advantage over the Serbian.
World No 1 Sinner won his fifth Grand Slam on Sunday with a four-set win over Alexander Zverev in the Wimbledon final with that win taking him to 30 top-level trophies, all of that success coming before his 25th birthday on 16 August.
Djokovic was also on 30 titles with five Grand Slams when he was 25 years old and both have the same number of ATP 500 titles (7) and ATP 250 trophies (6) while Sinner has won one more ATP Finals title than the Serbian, who in turn had one more Masters title.
Besides their achievements being similar, there are also similarities in the way they play, although Renzo Furlan – who is currently the coach of Luca Nardi – believes the Italian has an extra weapon in his locker.
“Sinner is a Djokovic 2.0. I see Jannik as an evolved version of Nole: they play in a similar style, keep the ball moving a lot, and both have improved their serve over the course of their careers,” he told Corriere dello Sport.
“Sinner, however, is more powerful; his shots are faster. Sinner has two formidable qualities: a now very extensive technical repertoire that allows him to produce exceptional tennis, and his work ethic.
“Jannik never shies away from a challenge: he takes to the court, tries new things and, above all, picks them up straight away.”
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The Italian was under pressure early on against Zverev as he lost the opening, but the world No 1 held his nerve and bounced back to secure a 6-7 (7-9), 7-6 (7-2), 6-3, 6-4 win to secure his 10th win in a row against the German.
French Open champion Zverev’s run to the final helped him to overtake Alcaraz at No 2 in the ATP Rankings, but Furlan says the Italian and Spaniard remain well clear of the chasing pack on the ATP Tour.
“Right up until the tie-break in the second set, I had my doubts. Zverev was playing at a very high level and, had he gone 2-0 up, it wouldn’t have been easy to come back,” he said.
“Then Sinner simply raised his game, always finding a way to respond. Once he’d got over the hump in the second set, the clear feeling was that it would end in four sets in favour of the Italian. At that point, Jannik began to chip away at his opponent’s confidence, and the German’s decline was inevitable.
“Despite Zverev’s improvement, and the confidence gained from his success at Roland Garros, I believe that Wimbledon demonstrates just how far above the rest Sinner and Alcaraz are.
“They can play at a high level for hours on end without letting up. In fact, they’re capable of raising their game at the decisive moments. They’re the only two who can do that.”
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