Having hired two of his former teammates, Jannik Sinner appears to be trying his hardest to imitate Novak Djokovic. Ulises Badio is a physiotherapist, and Marco Panichi is an athletic trainer that Sinner has hired.
While Panichi only left the Serb in April of this year, Badio and Djokovic called it quits at the end of the 2022 campaign. When he found himself without a trainer or physiotherapist, Sinner was quick to seize them both.
It’s common to compare the Italian’s style of play to Djokovic’s. Additionally, some people have noted that they have similar body shapes. When asked if that affected his decision to hire Panichi and Badio, Sinner revealed his reasoning.
The 23-year-old said at the Shanghai Masters: “For sure they have a lot of experience, you know, in working with the world No. 1 for so, so many years. Also together, you know, Marco and Ulises, you know, working together, it’s already a big help, because they know each other very well, which is for me very good and very important also.”
Sinner was more intrigued by the experience that Djokovic’s former teammates could offer, even though he could recognize his similarities to the Serb.
Sinner added: “For sure, they can help me, you know, especially a little bit off the court, trying to see new things and trying where we can improve as a player. They have a lot of experience. We have some similarities, me and Novak, but in the end, we are still different, so, you know, we have to try to adapt our, you know, whatever is best for me, and trying to understand. But this, it takes time, but I’m very happy to have them on my team.”
Sinner in Shanghai, ranking, and results in 2024
Now the world no.1, Jannik has a composed 62-6 win-loss record in 2024. The Italian is playing in Shanghai where he managed to beat Unknown Player bye, the world no.93 Taro Daniel 6-1 6-4, the world no.37 Tomas Martin Etcheverry 6-7(3) 6-4 6-2 and the world no.16 Ben Shelton 6-4 7-6(1).
Jannik Sinner will compete against the world no.5 Daniil Medvedev in the quarter on Thursday at 3:00 pm on STADIUM COURT. Their actual head to head record is 7-6
for Medvedev.Jannik has won 6 titles in 2024 at the Australian Open, Rotterdam, Miami, Halle, Cincinnati and U.S. Open. Sinner got to the final in Beijing (China Open).
The Italian won 17 titles in his career: 8 on hard courts, 1 on clay courts, 7 on indoor courts and 1 on grass courts. (See the list of his titles)
Sinner will play next in Paris (Rolex Paris Masters). He will start the tournament from the main draw that will commence on the 28th of October.
Djokovic in Shanghai, ranking, and results in 2024
Currently the world no.4, the Serbian has achieved an overall 35-8 record in 2024. Djokovic is playing at the moment in Shanghai where he overcame the world no.43 Alex Michelsen 7-6(3) 7-6(9), the world no.30 Flavio Cobolli 6-1 6-2 and the world no.61 Roman Safiullin 6-3 6-2.
Novak Djokovic will play the world no.65 Jakub Mensik in the quarter. In the past, they have never competed against each other so far on the main tour.
Novak conquered 1 title in 2024 in Paris. Novak was the runner-up in Wimbledon.
The Serbian won 99 titles in his career: 52 on hard courts, 20 on clay courts, 19 on indoor courts and 8 on grass courts. (See the list of his titles)
Djokovic is scheduled to play next in Paris (Rolex Paris Masters). He will start from the main draw that will commence on the 28th of October.
Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic fought against each other 7 times. Their actual record is 4-3 for Djokovic. Before, the last time they played each other, Jannik Sinner won 6-1 6-2 6-7(6) 6-3 in the semifinal in Melbourne (Australian Open) on the 26th of January 2024.
Here the video highlights.
Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic |
| Embed from Getty Images |