There is something that Jannik Sinner does differently that puts him a cut above the rest. Well, it was quite evident at the recently concluded Wimbledon Championships. The Italian star put on a stunning display and defeated Carlos Alcaraz in the finals to win his first Wimbledon title. It was a well-deserved victory for Sinner, who refused to stop even after suffering an injury scare earlier in the tournament. With Sinner having the time of his career, tennis legend Mats Wilander had a special compliment about him.
Given his domination in men’s tennis, Sinner’s technique has been widely discussed. One of his most special strengths is that he plays an aggressive brand of tennis without making a lot of unforced errors. This has been a rare sight in the tennis world, and Sinner has taken advantage of this quality to win titles regularly.
During an interview with L’Equipe, Mats Wilander, a seven-time major champion, talked about this special quality of Jannik Sinner, which made him a force to reckon with on the ATP Tour. He said, “I’ve never seen anyone play tennis as aggressively as Sinner. It’s not that he hits everything that moves like a madman; it’s that he’s always looking to get the ball early. Some people hit it harder than him, but no one gets to the ball as quickly to play it on the rise, never waiting for it to come back down.”
Further, he went on to add, “I think his tennis is five or ten years ahead of what I imagined the evolution of the game would be. A bit like when, in football, for the first time, there was quick one-touch passes: the speed of the game was turned upside down. He’s leading the way and will quickly serve as a role model, because not everyone can play tennis like Alcaraz. That requires extremely rare talent. On the other hand, everyone can try to play like Sinner, which doesn’t require exceptional talent in itself, but total dedication.”
Despite the duo of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz dominating the men’s circuit, there are numerous young stars who are slowly rising up the ranks. Recently, American star John Isner picked out a player who can challenge the likes of Sinner and Alcaraz in the future.
Beyond Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, there remains another player to watch out for!
At just 18, a Brazilian sensation has created big waves on the tennis circuit. He is in the top 50 of the ATP rankings and won his first title this year in Buenos Aires. Additionally, he has been putting on some consistent performances across the tournaments this year, which is a sign of great maturity at such a young age. Although Joao Fonseca is yet to face Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, John Isner feels that he stands a good chance against the duo in the future.
Isner revealed, “He’s 18. I remember Sinner at 18 or 19; I think I played him when he was 19. He was not nearly as good as he is now. He has improved so much from then, four years ago, to where he is now. I know we pump up Fonseca a lot, but for the sake of the health of our sport and I actually do believe this—I am going to say yes, he can catch up to these guys and get to the conversation.”
However, for now, Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz continue to rule the men’s circuit. Meanwhile, both these stars have pulled out of the Canadian Open and will look to come back rejuvenated in the latter part of the American Swing.
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