Boris Becker has outlined his admiration for Jannik Sinner’s game, after having watched a lot of his matches more closely.
The world number one Jannik Sinner has been in supreme form over the past two months, picking up three titles and losing just a single match.
Defeat in the Beijing final to Carlos Alcaraz temporarily stopped Sinner’s unbeaten streak at 16 in a thrilling three sets.
However, picking up where he left off, Sinner stormed to his first Shanghai Masters title, defeating Daniil Medvedev and Tomas Machac on the way to the final.
A mesmerizing final against Novak Djokovic saw Sinner win his seventh title of the year and move to 65 wins since January.
Boris Becker compares Jannik Sinner to Novak Djokovic
In arguably just the latest instalment of ‘the changing of the guard’, Sinner dominated Djokovic in Shanghai.
The Italian effectively did to Djokovic what the Serb has been doing on the tour for 15 years.
An impressed Boris Becker told Italian outlet Gazzetta: “I’ve seen a lot of Jannik’s matches lately, he’s really in shape. Since the US Open, he’s clearly been playing his best tennis.
“As for ‘Nole’ [Novak Djokovic], he’s similar. His style is very similar, especially in terms of consistency. Jannik never goes under par, he always plays at a very high level and brings top-quality tennis to the court.”
“He puts great speed into his shots and pushes his opponents away from the baseline. When Nole was a little younger, up until a couple of years ago, he was able to dominate baseline rallies thanks to his fundamentals, footwork and speed.
“We can define Sinner and Alcaraz as the Djokovic and Federer of the future,” Becker continued. “Although we need to make due proportions. Roger and Nole have made the history of this sport, as has Rafa Nadal.”
“Alcaraz’s style of play, in terms of beauty, is more similar to the Swiss even if his idol has always been Rafa. From a purely stylistic point of view, you can compare the Spaniard to Federer and the Italian to Djokovic.”
All three of Sinner, Djokovic, and Carlos Alcaraz are gearing up to perform at the Six Kings Slam in Saudi Arabia – a lucrative three day exhibition event.
READ MORE: Six Kings Slam 2024: How to watch, prize money, rules, dates and everything you need to know
What is Jannik Sinner’s record against Novak Djokovic?
While Sinner’s first three meetings with the Serb went the wrong way, the Italian has levelled their overall series at four wins each.
Winning four out of the next five, Sinner notably saved three consecutive match points in the semi-finals of the Davis Cup.
Beating the 10-time Australian Open champion in the semi-final earlier this year, Sinner’s four-set win helped him to his first major title of his career.
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