Pundit tips Sinner for Slam success ahead of season opener
Italian Jannik Sinner’s climb towards the top of men’s tennis could hardly be described as sluggish unless of course a direct comparison is made with Spanish phenomenon Carlos Alcaraz.
While 20-year-old Alcaraz has exploded onto the scene in astonishing fashion and already has two Grand Slam titles under his belt, Sinner’s progress has been less spectacular.
In the 16 Grand Slams the 22-yearold Sinner has contested, his best run was at last year’s Wimbledon, where he reached the semifinals and was defeated by Novak Djokovic.
Alcaraz then defeated Djokovic in the final -- a result that offered further proof that the Spaniard could reign supreme over the next generation for years.
Sinner is now making people question that assumption.
The back end of 2023 appears to have been a turning point for Sinner, whose game has been elevated to a new level. A title run in Beijing in September included wins over Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev. He beat the Russian again to win the Vienna title.
He then beat Djokovic in the round-robin stage of the ATP Finals in Turin and again, a week later, as he led Italy to the Davis Cup title in Malaga.
The clean-hitting Sinner was, without doubt, the hottest player on Tour in the final weeks of 2023, ending the year with a career-high ranking of fourth in the world, and something in his demeanor suggests he is now ready to take Melbourne by storm when the Australian Open begins next week.
While Sinner’s ferocious baseline ball-striking has never been in doubt, his serve is now a much more potent weapon and his willingness to mix up rallies and volleys has added another dynamic to his game.
“There are some players that you won’t beat if you don’t have something different,” Eurosport analyst Alex Corretja said in the build-up to the Australian Open.
“You need something special to win majors. And I think Jannik, he’s been working on that and it’s paying off. He’s ready, and I think he will be ready to win a major in 2024.”
Sinner opted against playing a warm-up tournament ahead of the year’s opening Grand Slam, but spent a chunk of the offseason training with close friend Alcaraz in Spain.
However, he will now be hoping to step out of the Spaniard’s shadow.
Notes:
Latest ATP Tour singles rankings 1 Novak Djokovic (SRB) 11,055; 2 Carlos Alcaraz (ESP) 8,855; 3 Daniil Medvedev (RUS) 7,555; 4 Jannik Sinner (ITA) 6,490; 5 Andrey Rublev (RUS) 5,010; 6 Alexander Zverev (DEU) 4,275; 7 Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRC) 4,025; 8 Holger Rune (DNK) 3,815; 9 Hubert Hurkacz (POL) 3,320; 10 Alex De Minaur (AUS) 2,950