Jannik Sinner critics told to ‘take a deep breath’ as Serena Williams’ ex-coach backs resurgence
Acclaimed coach Rick Macci has come to the defence of Jannik Sinner after the Italian faced criticism from some quarters for his start to 2026.
World No 2 Sinner has proven to be one of the most successful tennis players of his era to date, winning four Grand Slam singles titles and spending 66 weeks atop the ATP Rankings.
The 24-year-old is the reigning Wimbledon champion and has reached at least the semi-final in all of his last six Grand Slam appearances, though he has faced some question marks at the start of 2026.
Sinner’s reign as the two-time defending Australian Open champion was ended by Novak Djokovic last month, with the Serbian snapping a five-match losing streak against the Italian in a thrilling five-set semi-final.
Prior to that loss, Sinner had won his last 19 Australian Open matches and his last 20 matches in total, having won his last three tournaments of 2025.
The Italian returned to court at the Qatar Open last week and was backed by many to face leading rival Carlos Alcaraz in the final, though he was beaten at the quarter-final stage by Jakub Mensik in three sets.
Many have pondered if there is anything significant about Sinner’s two early defeats this year, though he has now found a welcome form of defence in the form of Macci.
Taking to Twitter/X, the former coach of Serena and Venus Williams, Maria Sharapova, and Jennifer Capriati — among others — claimed that Sinner’s critics were overreacting.
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Macci wrote: “Many people throwing splinters at Sinner. Everybody has to take a deep breath.
“To say he will not win one more Slam they are right and wrong. The Italian Flamethrower will win more than 12 more. The Red Rocket has fuel in the pocket and many titles are on the docket.”
Macci’s post came just days after he had shared a similar message on the social media site claiming Sinner was capable of becoming a ‘double digits’ Grand Slam champion.
He posted: “Sinner is just fine. He lost to the Joker and Mensik. This is tennis. Nobody goes undefeated.
“When he wins a next event or a Slam everybody will flip the script that he is back. He never left. Double digits majors baking in the Italian oven with extra parmesan.”
After his defeat to Mensik in Doha, Sinner is set to return to action next week in Indian Wells — the opening Masters 1000 event of the season.
The Italian is set to be seeded second at the event, with world No 1 and two-time former champion Alcaraz set to be the top seed.
Sinner has never lifted the title in Indian Wells, having lost to Alcaraz at the semi-final stage in 2023 and 2024.
He was not able to play the event in 2025, with the 24-year-old serving a three-month suspension when the tournament took place twelve months ago.
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