“Did Jannik Sinner’s success at the Australian Open surprise you?
I told myself that if there was anyone capable of creating a little surprise – because it is one after all – it was him. Given his level in 2023 and given his progress, we could see that he was no longer in the same category. At the end of the year, he clearly entered the clan of four, with Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev. When I saw his end-of-season results, his success in the Davis Cup, his two victories over Djoko, I said: fire! Fire for Sinner.
Does this completely redistribute the notion of top 10?
There is a top 4 and it is well above the rest of the world. But it makes sense when you see the progress and the tennis being practiced. I will take the example of Andrey Rublev, who is 5th in the world. We know how strong he is on his baseline, but his tennis has undergone absolutely no evolution. He still has the same shortcomings: his serve, the fact that he almost never comes to the net, where he can be clumsy… Nothing to do with Sinner.
What are Sinner’s strong points?
His ball strikes from both ends. Facing him, you can’t choose to go forehand or backhand. At a certain speed, you get smashed. But, to beat the best, you have to be complete. But it is much more so than before. A year ago, you saw that he could progress in the second ball. He did it. He modified this shot, which is more compact.
Before, he could “pull” physically in tough matches. Today, he goes the distance and the intensity. We also saw, especially at the Masters, that he wanted to come to the net more. I no longer put Stefanos Tsitsipas, Alexander Zverev or Rublev in the same category as him. These guys, I don’t see them lifting a Grand Slam trophy yet.
“What’s great is that there’s also an Alcaraz-Sinner rivalry. And for a long time! »
Coupled with the rise of Alcaraz, what does this progression of Sinner imply for the future of tennis? And for Djokovic, in particular?
It’s a game changer. We always wondered who could beat Djokovic on hard and grass. There, a player has just beaten him three times on hard court. The vision we have of Djokovic is a little called into question. For the first time, in Melbourne, we said to ourselves that he still looked a little older than his age (36 years).
It’s clear that two or three guys can stand in his way at Grand Slam tournaments. Because they are able to hold it in important moments. Of course Djoko is capable of setting things straight. But, if we take a picture at the end of 2023-beginning of 2024, Sinner beat him in matches that really matter, whether in the Davis Cup or in Melbourne. Now that he beat him in the five-set format, he knows he can do it again.
With Alcaraz and Sinner, Djokovic is therefore faced with a double threat?
Be careful, we must not forget Medvedev! We don’t talk about it but it’s still there. A year ago, we only saw the Djokovic-Alcaraz rivalry. Not anymore. What’s great is that there’s also an Alcaraz-Sinner rivalry. And for a long time! It’s lovely. »