Jannik Sinner is probably the most interesting teenager on tour. Jannik has just reached the semifinal in Cologne, coming out from a rough quarter against Gilles Simon when the Frenchman snatched 8 consecutive games. The Italian ace impresses with his easy-to-watch tennis and his maturity to win in straight sets.
It was very clear that Jannik had a bright future already a few months ago. Roger Federer was asked to give his opinion about the Italian’s potential during the previous Australian Open.
Roger was obviously impressed by the teenager. The Swiss sensation stressed that one of the most interesting characteristics of Sinner’s game is that the speed of his backhand is practically the same as his forehand. Therefore, it is difficult to find a weakness from the baseline.
“What I like about him is he’s almost got the same speed of shot on forehand and backhand,” Federer commented
“Similar to Felix (Auger-Aliassime) and some other guys. Back in the day you go to the backhand, you know it’s going to come back slower, go to the forehand and it will come back faster. With Jannik I don’t feel there’s such a thing.”
Then Roger added that Jannik has to fine-tune his way to interpreter tennis, especially when he needs to go for the big shots. Federer added:
“Obviously, he needs to manage when to pull the trigger and how big to go because it’s not quite realistic to keep on whacking the ball full speed.”
Federer has always been a fan and a champion of having great footwork and he noticed that Jannik could move pretty well when they practiced together. Roger added:
“He has great footwork for a big guy and then he can play again like most of the best movers in the world right now, he can play open stance and close stance, which I think is a huge advantage for movement in the future.
I think we’ll see so much more from him. He’s an exciting guy and a super sweet kid.”
Roger Federer in 2020
Now the world no.4, the Swiss played his last match on the 30th of January when he lost to Novak Djokovic 7-61 6-4 6-3 in the semifinal of the Australian Open.
Roger Federer’s best accomplishment of this year was getting to the semi-finals at the Australian Open.
Sinner in Cologne, ranking, and results in 2020
At the moment ranked no.46 (career-high), Jannik has a composed 14-12 win-loss record in 2020. The Italian is now having a run in Cologne where he defeated James Duckworth 6-1 6-2, Pierre-Hugues Herbert 6-3 6-1 and Gilles Simon 6-3 0-6 6-4.
Jannik Sinner will compete against Zverev in the semifinal. The head to head is 1-0 for Sinner.
Roger Federer and Jannik Sinner have never played each other.