Novak Djokovic heaps praise on Jannik Sinner as he compares him to himself
Novak Djokovic’s hunt for a 25th Grand Slam title has largely been nipped in the bud by the emergence of Jannik Sinner on the ATP Tour.
The Serbian star has been dumped out of the latter stages of four Grand Slams by sinner since their meeting at the Australian Open back in 2024.
In that time, Djokovic has only been able to beat Sinner once at a Grand Slam, which came in stunning circumstances.
Djokovic pulled off one of the most impressive victories of his career to topple Sinner in five sets in the semi finals of the Australian Open earlier this year.
Djokovic has always been full of praise for Sinner and his abilities and he has once again compared the Italian’s game style to his ahead of their appearances at the US Open.
Speaking to Corriere Della Sera, Djokovic heaped praise on Sinner for his domination of the ATP Tour throughout the past two seasons.
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“He has a constant and total dedication to tennis. I observe his and I completely identify with it: the desire to improve, grow, evolve in every aspect,” he said.
“Jannik, like me, is never satisfied. He has the mentality of a champion, he always had it. He’s a dominant force, yet he wakes up every morning with the desire to be better than the day before.
“And, believe me, no victory can satisfy that hunger, not even 24 Grand Slam titles. Tennis aside, it’s the aspect of his character that brings me closest to Sinner.”
Sinner’s victory at Wimbledon earlier this summer was the fifth Grand Slam title of his career by the age of 24-years-old.
That is coincidentally the amount Djokovic had at the same age, so there is every chance the Italian can go on to break the Serbian’s incredible Grand Slam record.
However, Djokovic was able to win three Grand Slams a year in three season after he turned 25, which is a feat Sinner has not been able to achieve yet in his career.
Carlos Alcaraz challenging him every step of the way, and his worrying health issues, are realistically the only things stopping Sinner from landing as many Grand Slam titles at Djokovic.
But, of course, anything can happen in the next 10-15 years and nothing is certain when it comes to dominating at the very top of elite tennis.
Another set of major stars could emerge very quickly, or Sinner could lose form and confidence, which is just testament to Djokovic’s incredible longevity in the sport.
Djokovic and Sinner’s next potential meeting could be as soon as the US Open.
