Andy Roddick has provided intriguing tactical insight into how Jannik Sinner is able to counter the “superpower” of Novak Djokovic after the pair’s Australian Open clash.
The 2003 US Open winner believes Sinner’s firepower and ability to change directions on both his forehand and backhand sides have made him a “difficult matchup” for Djokovic.
Sinner downed Djokovic in a surprisingly decisive four-set semi-final contest at the 2024 Australian Open to end the great Serb’s 33-match winning streak at the event.
The world No 4 went on to win his maiden Grand Slam title by coming back from two sets down to defeat Daniil Medvedev in Sunday’s final.
World No 1 Djokovic has now lost three of his last four matches against the 22-year-old Italian, who also overcame him at the ATP Finals and the Davis Cup Finals in November.
Remarkably, his loss to Sinner in Melbourne was the first time where Djokovic did not have a single break point in a completed Grand Slam match in his career.
Roddick was speaking on the first episode of the Served with Andy Roddick podcast, where he reviewed the Australian Open with journalist John Wertheim. The former world No 1 broke down why Sinner has become such a tough opponent for the 24-time Grand Slam champion.
“Beating the best of all time in two out of three sets versus three out of five is just a different mental animal, and so credit to Sinner,” the American said.
“He’s one of the rare guys that has enough firepower – and you have to have the firepower in both hands, on both sides of your body, forehand and backhand – in order to effect Novak in the way that he did.
“I played Novak, I played Rafa, I played Roger. I couldn’t make a dent off of one side of my body (backhand) and had to pay the price for it. You have to be supremely talented on both sides and be able to hit it both directions.
“We’ve talked about Novak’s superpower before, it is getting the matchup inside of the points that he wants by being able to switch directions comfortably. Now he has someone who probably hits the ball harder who can also switch directions.
“Probably not the consistency that Novak has, but Sinner now has two punches that Novak has to respect when they get in the ring. And so Novak knows that, all of those things play into Novak not playing well.
“The match against Sinner was the first time in a long time I saw him kind of searching for an energy source or a motivation source – on top of a matchup that has very quickly become a difficult one for him.”
The 32-time ATP titlist also expressed that he was pleased to see Sinner rewarded for his work and the way he has improved with his triumph ‘Down Under.’
“Sinner was the second name on most people’s lips when talking about favourites for the event behind Novak Djokovic. I join the rest of the tennis world in celebrating his success because you feel like he’s really earned it piece by piece,” he told Betway.
“I appreciate how everything has gotten a little bit better every year. He was a little too skinny and would get bullied around sometimes, so he built up his body where he can play five sets without looking winded.
“His serve has gotten 3-4 per cent better each season and his defensive ability is amazing now. He’s also one of the few guys that has knock-out power on both sides – he can take you out on the forehand or the backhand.
“It feels like he’s been a professional since he was 18 years old. You never see him whimper and you never see him complain.
“Credit to his team and coach [Darren] Cahill, and also to him for committing to the process because he’s lost some heartbreakers in Slams but you wouldn’t know it by the way he goes about his business.
“He showed such awareness of the match scenario in his first major final, knowing that Daniil Medvedev had played so many hours of tennis and that one body can only take so much. He looked so composed in the third set even though he had been blown out of the first two. It was very impressive.”