Jannik Sinner ‘will go to Australia with real hope’ claims Roger Federer’s former coach
Jannik Sinner has been heaped with praise from former world No.3 and Roger Federer’s former coach Ivan Ljubicic, who has backed the Italian to be a real threat at next year’s Grand Slams.
Sinner finished the season in impressive fashion, winning 27 of his last 31 matches, winning his first Masters 1000 title in Toronto, reaching the ATP Finals and leading Italy to its first Davis Cup title in 37 years.
Jannik’s world 🤲
The moment Italy became World Champions from the side of the field! #DavisCupFinals | @federtennis pic.twitter.com/TLJBdVm9W1
— Davis Cup (@DavisCup) November 26, 2023
The 22-year-old also won ATP 500 titles in Vienna and Beijing during that run, allowing him to climb to a career-high ranking of No.4.
And Ljubicic has compared Sinner’s progress to his rival Carlos Alcaraz, “Jannik is not like Alcaraz, who went from 40 to 1, he needs his steps. I think what he has done in the last couple of months, the confirmation of the non-stop work, has brought him closer to the goal.
“He needed certain experiences to feel comfortable on the trail. At the end of 2022 I had said that I was sorry that Jannik had not played important matches with the big boys. Now he has nothing more to learn. He has perfect behavior on and off the court, in interviews he is not afraid to talk about his limitations and more.”
World No.1 Novak Djokovic has lost just seven matches throughout 2023, with Sinner the only player to beat the Serb more than once.
This breakthrough gave Ljubicic faith in Sinner in next year’s major tournaments, “Having won the Davis Cup allows him to go to Australia with real hope. And he has beaten all the top 10.”
The Croatian continued, “We’ll see him in Slam management: when you have a day, if you feel the pressure, if you think too much – and he’s too thoughtful – you might have some more problems.
“But he is surrounded by a staff of very capable people. His strength is character. He never goes off the deep end and is never satisfied. When I got to No. 3, I thought I had reached the top and started my downward trajectory.”
Sinner is not scheduled to play any official ATP tournaments before the Australian Open, but has registered for the exhibition Kooyong Classic event.
Inside the baseline…
It’s been a great last few months for Jannik Sinner, who was probably the second best player in the world for the second half of the season. The Italian’s best Grand Slam result came earlier this year at Wimbledon when he reached the semi-finals, and if he continues his current form it seems likely that he could go one better in 2024.
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