A few days ago, Jannik Sinner spoke about his similarities with Djokovic, although he separated styles and marked his ‘own path’. Now it was Novak who has spoken about the Italian, current world number one. “I think it’s obvious that, in terms of playing style, we both have quite a few similarities,” said the Serb.
“When you watch him play, do you see a version of yourself in him or hints of your game?”, Djokovic was asked after his third-round win over Kecmanovic.
I think it’s obvious that, in terms of playing style, we both have quite a few similarities
And he replied:
“I think it’s obvious, in terms of the style of play that we both have, that we have quite a few similarities. We try to take the ball early, be aggressive and dominate the exchange from the baseline. I remember him from a very young age, I think I was 13 or 14 years old when I met him and we played. Even then he was thin and tall, like me. He is taller than me, but I was always quite thin as a child. He was hitting the ball hard. You could tell he had very good pace and good speed in his strokes. He uses the same Head Speed racket as me. There are quite a few similarities,” said Nole.
However, as Sinner did, he made a difference: “He is unique in his own way. The work he has done with his team over the last two years is tremendous in terms of his improvement. Seriously, in the serve, the movement, the accuracy… I mean, as much as everyone talks about the speed of his shots, his pace is incredible. I think he decreased the amount of unforced errors he had maybe in the early years of his career, and now he’s super accurate and constantly puts pressure on the opponent because he plays so fast”.
The work he has done with his team over the last two years is tremendous in terms of his improvement. Seriously, in the serve, the movement, the precision…
“So yes, I’m glad I was able to have a positive influence on him, hopefully as someone he looked up to in terms of the game. He worked for several years with Riccardo Piatti, who was also my coach and with whom I have an excellent relationship. That’s how I met Jannik. Riccardo would ask me for advice and guidance for Jannik. We talked quite a bit. I always loved to share. It’s amazing to see his trajectory, to see how good he has become and his dominant strength in men’s tennis,” said the Belgrade native in his analysis of the current world number one.
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