Is Jannik Sinner’s brand of tennis boring? German star gives her verdict
Jannik Sinner is the undisputed world No 1 and he confirmed his status as the king of the men’s game with his US Open win, but some have suggested the Italian star lacks star appeal on and off the court.
As tennis emerges from the glorious era dominated by Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, tennis fans are waiting to see who will fill the void in the men’s game.
Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz look well-placed to be the stars for the next generation, but the Italian lacks some of the star power of his Italian rival.
His brilliant efficiency may not be quite as aesthetically appealing as Federer’s brilliance, while his calm composure might lack some of the compelling appeal of Djokovic.
Being too good can be a problem for an athlete in the popularity stakes, yet former top 10 player Andrea Petkovic has insisted watching Sinner courtside is a very different experience to viewing him on TV.
“For anybody who finds his tennis boring, I would urge you to try and see him live if you can,” said Petkovic.
“The way he moves, always in perfect balance, the way his body is leaned slightly forward as if going down a slope on skis, is a thing of beauty.
“No matter how hard you hit at him, he never falls out of his equilibrium. The same could be said for his demeanour off-court. He just moves on.
“Something you can’t really see on TV is the astonishing fact that Jannik hits the ball even harder, even more decisively, when the biggest moment of the match comes around.
“Even Novak Djokovic or Rafael Nadal would sometimes take some of the pace off to make more balls when crunch time is on. Not so Jannik Sinner, he goes for bigger shots, he goes for more and somehow counterintuitively they seem to become safer the harder he hits. Truly stunning to watch.
“One of the more important things to figure out in anybody’s tennis game is how to find the right balance between relaxation and focus. Between tension and looseness.
“Jannik Sinner seems to have the secret recipe. Which one of you is willing to try and extricate it from him?”
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Sinner is only starting his tennis story and that may explain why his fanbase is limited compared to Federer, Nadal and Djokovic, who built their global fanbase up over a couple of decades.
Yet there is no doubt that Alcaraz is ahead of Sinner in the popularity stakes, with the Spaniard appealing to to young fans with his expressive tennis.
Sinner may not be too worried about his perceived lack of popularity, as he has signed a host of lucrative sponsorship deals that will be reaping big bonus payments after a year that has seen him win his first two Grand Slam titles.
He has also broken through the $10 million prize money barrier for 2024 and as he progresses in his career, sports fans around the world will grow to admire this polite star.
When asked whether the absence of Federer, Nadal and Djokovic on the Grand Slam winners’ list for the first time since 2002 is evidence that a new era of the sport is underway, he offered up this response.
“It is a bit different, for sure,” he said. “It’s something new, but it’s also nice to see – nice to see new champions, nice to see new rivalries.
“I feel it’s good for the sport to have some new champions.
“I always have players and I will always have players who are going to make me a better player because there are going to be times where they beat me,” he said.
“Then you have to try to find a way how to win against certain players.
“This makes me realise that the work never stops.
“It’s always a continuous work which, in the end of the day, if you want to be a better player, you always have to work and you have to have these daily routines – accept difficult times on court.”
