Two ATP stars highlight couple of similarities between Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic

09/12/2024 07:40 PM

Lorenzo Sonego and Lorenzo Musetti both see a similarity between Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic and think that the current world No. 1 has definitely matched the Serb in some areas. 

After becoming a Grand Slam champion at the Australian Open in an impressive fashion - the Italian dismantled the Serb in the semifinal at Melbourne Park - he also won his second Major at this past US Open. Also, the 23-year-old has been the top-ranked player in the game since reaching the position for the first time on June 10th and he owns an outstanding 55/5 record this year.

But before getting to where he is today, Sinner struggled with injuries in the past and he also lost a couple of Slam matches where the lack of mental strength appeared to be the biggest issue. However, all of that has changed this year.

"Only Djokovic can stand alongside him now: in response, in the ability to manage the most important points and in the overall solidity of the game they are at the same level, Nole is better at the net but Jannik has more sudden accelerations from the baseline. And above all he is 14 years younger... I believe that due to the technical completeness he has achieved this year, Jannik can also win on clay," Sonego told La Gazzetta dello Sport.

For many years now, the record 24-time Grand Slam champion's movement has been used as an example of what a perfect preparation for the shot looks like. And Musetti - who has clashed against the Serb eight times and definitely knows extremely well how it feels to play against the former 37-year-old - says Sinner is on that level now.

"On the ball, he always arrives with his feet in the right place, a quality of the greats that is very reminiscent of Djokovic. He has improved a lot on serve, but in my opinion the most important maturation has been on a physical level," Musetti said.

After losing to Carlos Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final, the 37-year-old Serb admitted that the Spaniard and the 23-year-old Italian were ahead of him. 

While Djokovic managed to win the Paris Olympics, his Slam drought continued at the US Open after he lost in the third round to Alexei Popyrin while the Italian's great year continued after he made it all the way at Flushing Meadows.