What Roger Federer noticed Jannik Sinner was doing at the 2020 Australian Open that he thought was ‘not realistic’

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Jannik Sinner has been a class above at the Australian Open over the past few years, dominating his competition.

For years, Melbourne Park was conquered by the likes of Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer, but with one nearing the end of his career, and the other retired, there may well be a new king in town.

Sinner won the 2025 Australian Open, defending the title he won a year earlier, dropping just five sets in the two tournaments.

The Italian world number one has now won the last three hard-court Grand Slam titles, as Sinner also won the US Open last September.

Sinner looks to be the dominant force in men’s tennis, especially when the sport heads down under, but that wasn’t always the case.

When the now 23-year-old made his Australian Open debut back in 2020, one ATP Tour legend noticed something about the Italian’s game that needed improvement.

Roger Federer said Jannik Sinner’s game was ‘not realistic’ at the 2020 Australian Open

After his first-round win over Steve Johnson, 20-time Major champion Roger Federer was asked for his thoughts on Sinner.

“What I like about him is that he’s almost got the same speed of off-shot on the forehand, backhand, similar to Felix [Auger-Aliassime] and some other guys,” he said.

“Back in the day, you know, you had one like Steve Johnson today, you go to the backhand, you know it’s going to come slower and you go to the forehand and you know it’s going to come back faster.

“With Jannik [Sinner] I don’t feel there is such a thing, which obviously he needs to manage when to pull the trigger and how big you can go.

“Because it’s not quite realistic to just keep on whacking the ball full speed.

“He has great footwork for a big guy because we forget how tall he is, as well.”

Sinner won his opening round match at the 2020 Australian Open, securing his first Grand Slam main draw victory.

The Swiss star was impressed by Sinner’s game and predicted that he would go on to achieve big things in the sport.

“He can play, again, like most of the best movers in the game right now, he can also play open stance and closed stance, which I think is a huge advantage for movement for the future,” said Federer.

“So I think we’ll see so much more from him.

“He’s an exciting guy and a super sweet kid, which I always love to see.”

Sinner was asked if he’d heard Federer’s comments following his first-round win in Melbourne five years ago.

“Yeah, I heard about it, that he said that,” he said.

“Yes, we are working on every shot, because I’m young, forehand and backhand are quite solid, the shot is getting better and better, which is our goal.”

The Italian admitted that he still had some work to do and that Federer’s assessment of his game was fair.

“Of course there will be matches where maybe you cannot feel the shot so you have to maybe slow down a little bit, trying to find another solution,” he said.

“You cannot play the whole match with the same speed. 

“You have to change a little bit the ball some heights, which I have to learn, I have to learn everything.

“But what he said is, I mean, it’s nice for me, but, you know, we still have to work.”

Was Roger Federer better than Jannik Sinner at 23 years old?

Sinner is certainly on track to enjoy a stellar career on the ATP Tour, perhaps in part thanks to the advice Federer gave him in Melbourne five years ago.

But at 23 years old, how does Sinner compare to Federer at the same age?

The Swiss star turned 24 during the latter stages of his dominant 2005 campaign, as he established himself as the best player in men’s tennis.

Federer looks to have the edge over Sinner although the Italian does still have a few months until he turns 24.

During that time, the world number one could still match Federer in several categories as he gets set to play in some of tennis’ biggest tournaments.

• 2025 Indian Wells (Masters 1000)
• 2025 Miami Open (Masters 1000)
• 2025 Monte-Carlo (Masters 1000)
• 2025 Madrid Open (Masters 1000)
• 2025 Italian Open (Masters 1000)
• 2025 French Open (Grand Slam)
• 2025 Wimbledon (Grand Slam)
• 2025 Canadian Open (Masters 1000)

Sinner could yet add two Major titles and six Masters 1000 trophies to his collection before he turns 24, which would see him match up against the legendary Swiss star pretty well.

The 23-year-old won the Miami Open last year for the first time, as he picked up his second Masters 1000 title.

He will no doubt be hoping to pick up both titles at the ‘Sunshine Double’ this year, as he heads to California for the Indian Wells tournament, which begins on March 3.