Jack Sock says if he thinks Jannik Sinner can become the best hard-court player of all time and overtake Novak Djokovic

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Jannik Sinner fell just short of another hard-court success at the Cincinnati Open, but he did prove his ability on the surface once more.

Sinner apologised after retiring early from his Cincinnati Open final with Carlos Alcaraz, having played for only 23 minutes.

The ATP number one called for the doctor in the Cincinnati heat before calling time on the match, with Sinner now looking to recover for the US Open.

There, the Italian will be aiming to defend his crown from 2024 and clinch a fifth Grand Slam title in the process.

Djokovic is also in the draw for the US Open, with his four titles at the hard-court Grand Slam more than any other active player.

Jack Sock says if he thinks Jannik Sinner can overtake Novak Djokovic on hard courts

Sinner is well behind on one, with former player Jack Sock now sharing his verdict on whether the Italian can become the best hard-court player ever and overtake the Serbian.

He said of the current world number one on the Nothing Major Show: “I don’t think we would be surprised, honestly.

READ MORE: Carlos Alcaraz makes prediction about Jannik Sinner after he retires in the Cincinnati Open final, ‘I am pretty sure’

“I think it shows how good he is that the stats are getting lost in all the results because he is literally in every final and is winning and playing for every title and tournament that he plays in.

“The fact that it’s like he’s now accumulated 26 hard-court wins in a row, it wouldn’t surprise me at all. It’s gotten to the point that if it’s not Sinner and Alcaraz in the final then it’s a surprising tournament. It’s getting to that.

“And I think Sinner is the better player at the moment. I don’t know about 16 hard-court majors, but I think he is going to dominate for a long time.”

Jannik Sinner among longest men’s hard-court win streaks of 21st century

With 10 Australian Open titles having also gone his way, Djokovic boasts 14 hard-court Grand Slam successes.

Sinner, in contrast, has three so far, having also lifted the Australian Open trophy in Melbourne on two occasions.

He did, of course, just lose out to Alcaraz at another hard-court event, although it was through retirement.

The Italian was enjoying a stunning 26-win run on hard courts before the loss, having secured his 200th on the surface on his 24th birthday with his semifinal victory over Terence Atmane.

Still, he has some way to go until he can truly match Djokovic on the surface, on which they have met five times thus far.

The Italian has impressively claimed four wins from those five meetings, and boasts a 6-4 win-loss record over the Serbian on all surfaces.