Mats Wilander has noticed what Jannik Sinner does which is very different from Novak Djokovic on clay

Follow us on Google Discover

Mats Wilander explained how Jannik Sinner’s game is different from Novak Djokovic.

The Italian is having his best year on tour so far, which includes 30 wins and just two defeats.

After claiming the Australian Open in January the Italian is on a mission to conquer the Parisian clay and win Roland Garros for the first time.

The dirt has not always been the easiest surface for Sinner in his young career and he has not played as many matches on the surface this year due to injury.

But he has reached the third round in Paris without dropping a set and is on course for a meeting with Novak Djokovic in the final.

Mats Wilander compares Jannik Sinner’s clay court game to Novak Djokovic

Wilander, who won Roland Garros three times as a player, closely watched Sinner’s straight sets victory over Richard Gasquet in the second round.

The Swede analysed how the World number two plays on clay and proceeded to compare his game to arguably his two biggest rivals for the French Open title, Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz.

“He’s getting free points on the serve and his forehand is absolutely massive at times,” the 59-year-old said on Eurosport.

“He moves incredibly well on a clay court, even though it’s slippery at night, somehow it looks like he’s kept his skis on. His movement is absolutely scary when you watch him here.

“The funny thing is, no one has moved or skated as much as he does. Djokovic and Alcaraz both move differently, and Sinner is as much on the side of his foot as on the bottom, and he is so much fun to watch live.”

What is Jannik Sinner’s head to head record against Novak Djokovic?

Sinner will continue his 2024 Roland Garros campaign against Pavel Kotov. The Russian took out Stan Wawrinka in a compelling four-set match on Wednesday evening.

Should he and Djokovic reach the final, it would be their eighth match against one another.

After losing his first three battles against the 24-time Grand Slam champion, including a five-set epic at Wimbledon, Sinner hit back to win three of the next four contests.

Their last meeting came at the Australian Open semi-finals when he beat the Serbian in four sets to reach his first major final. Sinner can level their rivalry at four wins each if he were to play Djokovic in the Roland Garros final on June 9.