Jannik Sinner dumped Novak Djokovic out of the Australian Open in emphatic style – and then shared the advice that the Serb gave him when he was younger.
The Italian – through to the final – was speaking to Eurosport.
So, what did Sinner reveal that Djokovic told him when he was a youngster? Let’s take a closer look…
Jannik Sinner explains what Novak Djokovic told him as a teenager
Well, it would appear as though the advice that Djokovic gave to Sinner has now come back to haunt him.
Djokovic will have to wait for Australian Open title number 11, with Sinner now in his first Grand Slam final.
After beating the Serbian icon in straight sets, Sinner explained what Djokovic told him when he was 17.
He told Eurosport: “I had the chance when I was 16, 17 to practice with him and I think already the process of trying to learn from the best players in the world started.
“Then he told me after the match to try and move the ball a little bit more, to try and be a little bit more unpredictable. So we are trying to do that.
“That serve has improved a lot but I still have the feeling I can improve a lot, that’s why I have a great team behind me.”
Sinner can now go all the way at Australian Open
The 22-year-old will now recover and prepare for a final against either Alexander Zverev or Daniel Medvedev on Sunday.
Prior to reaching the final earlier today, Sinner’s best performance at a Grand Slam came when he reached the last four at Wimbledon last year.
Now, he will hold a genuine belief that he can go all the way in Melbourne after thrashing Djokovic.
His 6-1, 6-2, 6-7, 6-3 victory was extremely unexpected but it’s intriguing that he called upon previous conversations with Djokovic afterwards.
Sinner hadn’t lost a set until he came up against the 10-time winner today and he will hope to peak in the final on Sunday.
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