Jannik Sinner has been compared to Novak Djokovic by Sky Sports pundits Adam Fielder and Barry Cowan.
The World number one has established himself as a force in the men’s game following a stellar 2024 season which includes two grand Slam titles.
Sinner’s success began with three important victories over Djokovic, starting at the 2023 ATP Finals, the Davis Cup which soon followed, and the 2024 Australian Open.
In January Sinner handed Novak Djokovic his first loss at Melbourne Park since 2018 and has shown a level of consistency this season very similar to what the Serbian often produced throughout his career.
How was Jannik Sinner compared to Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz?
Jannik Sinner made great progress in his game this year as his consistency from the baseline has proved to be the foundation to his success.
More often than not he will go for the higher-percentage shot and it is very difficult to throw him off balance. The US Open champion has become very strong mentally and these are all qualities associated with Djokovic.
During Sinner’s victory over Taro Daniel at the Shanghai Masters, Sky Sports commentator Adam Fielder explained the underrated quality in Sinner’s game that Djokovic also possesses, which is very different from Carlos Alcaraz’s more explosive game.
“I feel like Jannik Sinner is a bit like Novak Djokovic in a sense that over years you’ve watched so many Novak Djokovic matches, you’ve seen the scoreline 6-1 and think after the set ‘did he play that well? Did he do anything particularly special?’, the commentator said.
“But actually, he’s playing so well but he’s the complete opposite to someone like Carlos Alcaraz where there’s so many hotshots and there’s so many moments that you think back on. But Sinner and Djokovic, their base level is so good without actually, to the naked eye, appearing to be particularly special.”
Co-commentator Barry Cowan added to Fielder’s comments and claimed this ability is something that goes unnoticed with Djokovic by some fans. “That’s almost where the casual tennis fan doesn’t really appreciate how good Djokovic is,” he said.
“Because you can watch a match with Djokovic for two hours and you walk away and there aren’t that many memorable shots. But his ability to just do it over and over again, is very much like Sinner.”
Jannik Sinner is up and running at the Shanghai Masters
Like Alcaraz, Sinner was due to commence his Shanghai Masters campaign on Friday, but due to their epic three-hour China Open final on Wednesday, they were given an extra day to rest and acclimatise to the conditions.
But Sinner looked sharp delivered a professional performance against Daniel in the opening round and took just one hour and 17 minutes to claim a 6-1, 6-4 win.
Sinner did not allow Daniel to win any points on his second serve and cruised through the opening set in just 22 minutes.
Daniel put up more resistance in set two, but Sinner just needed the one break of serve to wrap up proceedings and sail into the next round, where he will play Tomás Martín Etcheverry from Argentina.
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