How Sinner Went From 'Too Skinny & Bullied Around' To Grand Slam Champion

| by Zachary Wimer

Andy Roddick heavily praised Jannik Sinner for his slow but noticeable improvement over several years, which was necessary for him to win a Grand Slam.

Sinner emerged as a talented teenager who clearly wasn't strong enough to compete for the biggest trophies back then but had an incredible amount of talent, which was evident within minutes of watching him play.

No teenager in recent years came out with the same amount of pure-hitting talent as Sinner, and it gave quite a few big names some trouble. He lacked the physical stamina early to really go deep at Grand Slams and got injured often, but it's been improving slowly.

Everything in his game has been improving slowly, and it's something Andy Roddick singled out in his Betway column as the most impressive. It wasn't a quick process, but he never went backward.

"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."

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Some would argue that this is the preferred way for a tennis player because when we look at the player who many consider the greatest of all time, Novak Djokovic, his career was exactly like that.

He didn't storm out as the dominant player, but he slowly improved everything in his game to a level that was good enough to beat everybody consistently.

When you combine that with Sinner's natural ability to be devastating from both sides, then you have a winning combination, which he proved recently by winning the 2024 Australian Open.

"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."

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