Jannik Sinner broke out as a player a few years ago, but it wasn't until this year that he truly made the step to become one of the best players in the world.
His progress was less meteoric than the ones of Carlos Alcaraz and Holger Rune and more slow. Neither way is better than the other because while a sudden rise is great, things taking time allowed Sinner to mature both physically and mentally.
When he finally made the step, there was no fear and no doubt and he kept rolling. Much of that came in the second part of the year, where he won multiple trophies, including his maiden ATP 1000 trophy as well as a few others.
A win over Djokovic at the ATP Finals was another major win, even though he would lose against the same player in the final of that event a few days later.
He'd beat Djokovic at the Davis Cup Finals as well, leading his Italy to the trophy, and it was basically confirmation that his rise is real. It's not a fluke, and it's here to stay. For former world number two, Alex Corretja, it's a big deal. He's doing everything right and improving consistently.
I think Sinner is doing the right steps. He's been improving his game very much. It was very important to add different things, like his serve is huge, his forehand, his backhand, but also he's slicing from time to time. He's coming more often to the net. He's doing some drop shots. This is a variation that he needed in order to be ready to win majors.
Working on your game is a core principle of tennis because everybody else is doing it as well. The game progresses every day, and if you can't keep up, you will be left behind. Sinner is a hard worker and well on his way to winning a Grand Slam, according to Corretja.
You need something special to win majors. And I think Jannik, he's been working on that and it's paying off. He's ready and I think he will be ready to win a major. [In] ‘24, why not? If not, ’25, but I think he's going to be definitely 100% ready.