Jannik Sinner getting the better of Novak Djokovic
Jannik Sinner ended Novak Djokovic’s reign at the Australian Open and he may soon be eyeing up the world No 1 ranking.
Sinner announced himself as a grand slam force in stunning fashion by becoming the first player in six years to defeat Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open.
The 22-year-old Italian was seen as the most likely rival to stop Djokovic from claiming an 11th title in Melbourne ahead of the tournament after beating him twice in two weeks at the end of last season at the ATP Finals and Davis Cup.
But no one would have predicted the manner of the first two sets of this semi-final, with an error-strewn Djokovic winning just three games.
He saved a match point in the third-set tie-break to give himself hope but there was no dramatic comeback, with Sinner regrouping impressively and going on to clinch a 6-1 6-2 6-7 (6) 6-3 victory after three hours and 22 minutes.
The Italian has made huge leaps up the ATP Rankings list over the last couple of years, as he was ranked at No 78 at the start of 2019 and leapt up to No 37 at the start of 2020.
Now 22, he made a break into the top five of the ATP Rankings last year as he won his first ATP 1000 title and reached the final of the ATP Finals in Turin.
Now he has climbed the biggest mountain of them all by beating Djokovic at the Australian Open, as he became the first player to achieve that feat since 2018.
His run in Melbourne means he is now a little over 2,000 ranking points behind world No 1 Djokovic and that gap will shrink to 1,545 if he wins the Australian Open final against Daniil Medvedev.
Sinner could take over as world No 1 if he shines in the upcoming Indian Wells and Miami Masters events, but it is more likely that he could overtake Djokovic if the Serbian fails to defend his French Open title in Paris in June.
“The sound of the ball when he hits it, it’s pretty amazing, isn’t it? That was the one thing that I noticed because I have seen him play from a distance a long time, for years now,” said Sinner’s respected coach Darren Cahill, who went on to compare Sinner’s ball striker to some of the game’s all-time greats.
“He gets that from his timing and his hand speed. He’s worked hard to be able to do that.
“One of the toughest things we have as coaches is to stop him from practicing. He will play non-stop on the court. We have to try to balance what we’re trying to do, are we doing it for long enough, and then getting him off the court.
“Because if we don’t get him off the court, he will stay out there four or five hours and keep doing the same thing over and over. That’s one of the juggling acts we have as his coaches.
“(Andre) Agassi hits the ball like that. When he hits the ball, it just sounds like it’s hit harder than everybody else. A lot of the great champions.
“Rafa was the exactly the same. Roger, when he hit a forehand, you could just hear the sound of it. And Novak, when he hits a forehand and backhand, it’s like a thud.
“It’s not just a normal person striking the ball. All those players have a different sound when they hit the ball and Jannik certainly has that, as well.”
Medvedev may be a more immediate threat to Djokovic at the top of the ATP Rankings, as he will be just 390 points behind the Serbian if he wins the final against Sinner on Sunday.
The former world No 1 is looking to win his second Grand Slam title and he will leap above Carlos Alcaraz into second place in the new ATP Rankings on Monday if he takes the first major of 2024.