Jannik Sinner gives ‘impossible’ verdict on comparison with Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal & Roger Federer

Ewan West 12 Oct 2024 9:03 AM

Jannik Sinner has discussed Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer

Jannik Sinner has spoken about the achievements of the Big Three following Rafael Nadal’s retirement announcement.

The world No 1 believes it is “impossible” to compare his generation of players with Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer.

Sinner has played both Nadal and Djokovic on multiple occasions, while he did not face Federer before the Swiss legend retired in 2022. The Italian holds a 0-3 record against Nadal and a 3-4 record against Djokovic.

Nadal announced on Thursday that he will make the final appearance of his professional career at the 2024 Davis Cup Finals in Malaga next month.

In a video shared on social media, Nadal said: “Hello everyone, I’m here to let you know that I am retiring from professional tennis.

“The reality is that it has been some difficult years, these last two years especially. I don’t think I have been able to play without limitations. It is obviously a difficult decision, one that has taken me some time to make.

“But in this life, everything has a beginning and an end. And I think it’s the appropriate time to put an end to a career that has been long and much more successful than I could have ever imagined.”

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Nadal’s retirement will leave Djokovic as the last man standing from the Big Three. Between them, the legendary trio led a golden tennis generation and dominated for much of the last 20 years.

In a press conference after his quarter-final win against Daniil Medvedev at the Shanghai Masters, Sinner was asked about the Big Three.

“No, I mean, what they have done in the last years has been amazing,” Sinner said. “There are not so many things to say about pressure, the pressure is always going to be there.

“But, you know, talking from my side, I think about myself, what I have to do on the court, what I have to improve, and that hopefully makes it better as a player, and also a consistent player.

“They have been very consistent throughout the years and years and years. There’s not only been one season or two seasons, they made it for 15 years.

“So, it’s amazing what they have achieved, what they have done. There are a lot of things what we can take from them. We cannot compare us with them, you know, that’s impossible, especially in this moment now.

“I think we all were very lucky to see the Big Three, you know, playing tennis. And I consider myself very lucky to get to know them also as A person and, you know, to learn from them, and, yeah, I think that’s it.”

Sinner will face Tomas Machac in the semi-finals of the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Shanghai today.