Jannik Sinner is a great tennis player, according to Nikolay Davydenko, but he's missing something to challenge Novak Djokovic truly.
If we looked at the most recent matches between Sinner and Djokovic, you could argue that the Italian proved that he can challenge the Serbian regularly. Former player Panatta thinks so, but Nikolay Davydenko isn't quite sold on that. To be fair, Sinner did beat Djokovic twice in two weeks, which not many players could do.
Still, the most important match between them was won by Djokovic and that's the point. When the Serbians need to step up and deliver his best he does which is not the case with Sinner Alcaraz or any of these other players.
They can do it, and they do it occasionally, but it's still not consistent enough. Nikolay Davydenko used to be a pretty competitive player during his day, capable of complicated matches against some of these big players. He knows what it takes, and according to him, Sinner still misses something.
He often pushes himself to the limit, he still lacks something and it is difficult to endure an entire season relying only on willpower. He can make a Great tournament, great match, but to last the whole season like Djokovic he must be able to do something else. Maybe psychology.
Davydenko got a chance to observe Sinner in person, and he was impressed with his work ethic. That's hugely important for any player as motivation and drive can take you far. With every year, he'll become better and better, but will it be enough to challenge Djokovic regularly in 2024? That's tough to say.
I saw live how he plays and trains, he is really a great worker. He is also trying to change his game. He slides, he moves well, he is physically strong and stable. He is fantastic at this and I think that if he continues like this he will surely improve his results.
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