Five big reasons why Jannik Sinner could be hailed as the new world No 1

Kevin Palmer
Post-match hug between Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic
Jannik Sinner, left, of Italy is congratulated by Novak Djokovic of Serbia

As Jannik Sinner has turned on his afterburners in impressive fashion at the Indian Wells Masters, it was hard not to believe we were watching the best player in the world.

Sinner is up to world No 2 in the live ATP rankings, but Novak Djokovic’s early demise in California will fuel the belief that his days at the top are coming to an end.

The race to succeed Djokovic as the new king of men’s tennis is now on and Sinner is emerging as the favourite to take his crown.

Carlos Alcaraz’s impressive performance in the defence of his Indian Wells title and he looks likely to be Sinner’s most prominent rival, but

Here are five big reasons why Sinner is emerging from the pack as the new

UNBEATEN RECORD

Sinner’s win over Struff stretched his unbeaten record to 17 matches, with his breakthrough victory at the Australian Open included in a run that also saw him with the ATP 500 title in Rotterdam.

Sinner has now set a new record for the longest winning streak at ATP level of any Italian in the open era, yet it is the manner of his victories that is fuelling the belief that he is playing the best tennis in the world right now.

DJOKOVIC’S DECLINE

Sinner has won three of his last four matches against Djokovic and they have all come in high-profile contests.

Djokovic is playing a reduced schedule at this stage of his career, yet he was fully committed in his three defeats against Sinner that came in the ATP Finals, the Davis Cup semi-finals and the last four clash at the Australian Open.

Sinner’s big hitting from the back of the court has rocked Djokovic onto the back foot in those contests and suggests he could be the man to end the Serbian’s reign at the top of the game.

It also seems clear that Djokovic is struggling to maintain his levels of excellence and that is entirely predictable in a year when he will toast his 37th birthday.

We may not have reached the end of Djokovic’s era of winning major tournaments, but it seems his decade of dominance may not be over.

READ MORE: Novak Djokovic admits current plight is ‘not something I’m used to’ as he looks to break ‘negative cycle’

SERVE IMPROVEMENTS

Sinner’s coaching team, led by the hugely respected Darren Cahill, deserve so much credit for turning his serve into a huge weapon.

They have made big technical changes to the position of his arm prior to serving and also his foot position has changed prior to delivering the serve.

Sinner started to use a new service motion midway through the season and it has proved to be highly effective, with former British No 1 Greg Rusedski impressed by the modifications.

“He retooled the serve with Darren [Cahill] and that’s something very, very difficult to do,” Rusedski told ATPTour.com.

“I’ve been super impressed; the whole team has done a fantastic job with him. And it all started with making a change to the serve, the body, transitioning, adding slice and other elements.

“They’re still not 100 per cent natural, but they’re only going to get better with time because he’s one of those guys who is going to put in the work.

“He got himself in better shape because he’s gotten a little bit leaner. He’s willing to add in a slice once in a while, transition forward. It’s just a mindset.

“There’s no real weakness on each side. And I think the more comfortable he gets with transitioning forward with the firepower he has from the back his shot selection has improved.”

CONFIDENCE SHIFT

Winning breeds confidence and we are seeing that magical commodity every time Sinner takes to the court.

His Davis Cup win over Djokovic last November may have been the moment when this brilliant young player believed he could beat the best with his remodelled serve and increasingly powerful forehand.

There were moments in his match against Struff when he could have felt some pressure, but he blasted his way out of trouble with big serves and sledgehammer forehands that appeared to be too much for the opposition to repel.

“I’m playing with confidence at the moment, but in the other way, I’m very careful because the match can change very fast,” said Sinner. “If he breaks me second set on 4-3, going 4-4, then it starts again from zero. So I have to be careful. So yeah, I think that’s it.”

FEAR FACTOR

The rest of the ATP Tour are now fearful of Sinner.

He doesn’t have the aura Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Djokovic had when they were at their best just yet, but there is a sense that he is playing at a level that is a few steps ahead of the rest right now, including Djokovic.

Knocking Sinner out of his stride appears to be a tough task right now as he doesn’t appear to have a weak spot in his make-up.

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