‘Jannik Sinner reminds me of Roger Federer as he does not do stupid things off court’

Jannik Sinner is currently one of the biggest superstars in tennis, but he still has some way to take over from Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in terms of superstardom.
That is the view of Federer’s long-term agent Tony Godsick, who is also the president and CEO of TEAM8 player agency.
Sinner has risen to the top of the game and appears to be in no mood to relinquish his title as the man to beat on the ATP Tour. Last year he won the Australian Open, US Open and ATP Finals while he also became the first Italian to climb to No 1 in the ATP Rankings.
So far in 2025 he has continued where he left off in 2024 as he successfully defended his title at Melbourne Park to become the first Italian to win three Grand Slams.
The three-time Grand Slam winner and fellow young star Carlos Alcaraz have been tipped to become the new Big Two in men’s tennis and while the latter appears to be more popular than the reigning world No 1, Sinner is starting to move closer, both in terms of on-court performances and off-court popularity.
With Sinner dominating the sport for the past 12 months, he has shot up in terms of marketability and it is likely to only increase from here on in.
But can he reach Federer, Nadal or even Novak Djokovic levels?
In an interview with La Stampa – and picked up by Ubitennis.com – Godsick said: “At the moment as a global star he cannot replace Federer or Nadal. But he is loved by the people, he plays a [type of] tennis that I like a lot and he knows how to give his best in the moments that matter.
“I don’t know if he can become a legend like Roger or Rafa, but he is on the right path; he is serious, very professional, he behaves well on the court and does not do stupid things off it: in this he reminds me of Roger.”
But there are players who are ready to challenge Sinner and Alcaraz in the near future with the businessman adding: “For now they are the best, but soon they will have good competition.
[Joao] Fonseca, [Alex] Michelsen, [Learner] Tien, [Jakub] Mensik, Tommy Paul are all strong. After 20 years dominated by three players, there will be more balance.
“Tennis always produces champions and today it is in excellent health. And the Italian one is in splendid shape.”
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Godsick and Federer and their TEAM8 as well as Brazilian businessman Jorge Paulo Lemann and Tennis Australia have created the successful Laver Cup, which sees Team Europe take on Team World at alternating venues every year.
This year’s tournament will take place in San Franscico, but it is unlikely that Sinner will make his debut.
“I don’t think so this year in San Francisco,” Godsick said. “We have always invited him, but unfortunately he doesn’t play many special events, he is very careful about the schedule and he does well because it took him where he wanted to get to, to No 1.”