Following their Davis Cup match, former tennis legend Adriano Panatta claimed that Novak Djokovic was afraid of Jannik Sinner and thought the Italian was just a millimeter away from being the world’s top player.
The former French Open champion called Sinner’s victory over Djokovic, where he saved three match points, a feat within a feat, and he thinks his countryman will have the upper hand when they play again.
In Italy’s Davis Cup semifinal victory over Serbia, Sinner overcame three straight match points at 4-5, 0-40 in the last set of his singles rubber with Djokovic. Sinner went on to win 6-2, 2-6, 7-5.
In the Davis Cup final on Sunday against Australia, Sinner sealed Italy’s victory with a 6-3, 6-0 elimination of Alex De Minaur. The 22-year-old finished his fantastic 2023 season in the best possible way by leading his country to their second Davis Cup title and first since 1976.
Earlier this month, in the group stage of the ATP Finals, Sinner defeated the 36-year-old Serbian for the first time in their four meetings. In a rematch in the Turin final, the 24-time Grand Slam champion then exacted revenge for the defeat.
Italy’s former Davis Cup-winning team member Panatta praised Sinner and implied that he is now a formidable opponent for Djokovic.
He expressed his thoughts in a recent interview and said: “All that’s missing is Rome and Paris; then we’re done! I’m happy; I don’t know the word envy. I’m dying and Sinner is being born. He is an example; he is a millimetre from Djokovic, and they play on equal terms. Saving three match points is a feat within a feat. Next time, Jannik will start with an advantage. Nole fears him. With Jannik, we are good for ten years; he is square and mature.”
Jannik Sinner in 2023
WWWWWWWWWW Currently ranked no.4 (career-high), the Italian played his last match on the 26th of November when he beat world no.12 Alex De Minaur 6-3 6-0 in the Rubber 2 of the Davis Cup (draw).
This year Sinner has achieved a compiled 64-15 match record. The Italian has won 4 titles in 2023 in Montpellier, Toronto, Beijing and Vienna. The Italian was the runner-up in Rotterdam, Miami and the Nitto ATP Finals.
Novak Djokovic in 2023
LWWWWWWLWW Ranked world no.1, the Serbian played his last match on the 25th of November when he lost to world no.4 Jannik Sinner 6-2 2-6 7-5 in the Rubber 2 of the Davis Cup (draw).
Currently, during this year Djokovic achieved an overall 56-7 match record. The Serbian conquered 7 titles in 2023 in Adelaide, Australian Open, French Open, Cincinnati, U.S. Open, Paris and the Nitto ATP Finals. The Serbian was the finalist in Wimbledon.
Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic fought against each other 6 times. Their actual head to head record is 4-2 for Djokovic. The last time they squared off, Jannik Sinner won 6-2 2-6 7-5 in the Rubber 2 in 1 (Davis Cup, World Group, SF, ITA) on the 25th of November 2023.
Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic |
| Embed from Getty Images |
