Jannik Sinner dominated the ATP Tour in 2024, as he became world number one for the first time in his career.
Sinner established himself as the premier player in men’s tennis this year, as he won his first two Grand Slam titles and reached world number one.
Sinner won the Australian Open earlier this year, coming back from two sets to love down to beat Daniil Medvedev in the final.
The Italian then went on to add three Masters 1000 titles to his collection, with Sinner’s win over Novak Djokovic in Shanghai, a clear highlight.
He doubled his major tally at the end of the year as Sinner beat Taylor Fritz to win the US Open title, his first in New York.
A sensational season, that still wasn’t finished as Sinner picked up the ATP Finals title, before capping a breath-taking year by helping Italy defend the Davis Cup that they won in 2023.
It was a fantastic year for Sinner in 2024, but one of his biggest rivals has now warned him that things could get tough for him in the coming months.
Novak Djokovic warns Jannik Sinner that it will be tough for him to remain as world number one
Ahead of the 2025 season, Djokovic spoke to Sportweek about how he has followed Sinner’s career, and that his success this year didn’t surprise him.
“Thanks to my former coach Riccardo Piatti who also followed Jannik when he was a boy, I remember [Jannik] Sinner from when he was 14 or 15 years old,” he said.
“Even then, we spoke well of him, you could see that he would have a great career because he already had the right mentality and the right concentration.
“I’m not surprised to see him at this level today, having followed him carefully in all these years, observing his way of playing and structuring himself.”
Djokovic was full of praise for the Italian but warned Sinner that there are some tough challenges that await him.
“I like Jannik because he always wants to improve, it seems to me that he is doing well even without my advice,” he said.
“However, it is one thing to win the first two [Grand] Slams and become number one, it is another to remain at this level for many years.
“To do that, you first need to surround yourself with a competent team that you can trust.
“Then you need the right balance between your professional and personal life.”
The 24-time Grand Slam winner did however admit that Sinner seems to have things in check, and suggested what his next goal should be.
“It seems to me that Jannik has understood what he needs,” he said.
“The next goal will be to find the right formula to best invest in his body, to prevent injuries, stay healthy, motivated and above all passionate about tennis.”
Can Jannik Sinner defend his Australian Open title in 2025?
Sinner will be looking to become one of very few ATP stars to defend the Australian Open title in January next year.
In fact, other than Djokovic and Roger Federer, no male player has defended the title since Andre Agassi, 23 years ago.
If the Italian can buck the trend in 2025, he will see himself become the second most successful active player in Melbourne.
| Name | Aus Open W | Aus Open F | Aus Open SF | Aus Open QF |
| Novak Djokovic | 10 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Stan Wawrinka | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Jannik Sinner | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Daniil Medvedev | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Stefanos Tsitsipas | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| Marin Cilic | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Understandably still a long way behind Djokovic, Sinner could leapfrog Stan Wawrinka with a second title down under.
He’ll face some tough opposition however, not only from Djokovic but from Medvedev, who will be looking to finally get his hands on the trophy after finishing as runner-up three times.
The 2025 Australian Open is set to begin on January 12.
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