Sinner Reacts To Zverev Comparing Him To Djokovic After Australian Open Final
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Alexander Zverev was impressed enough by Jannik Sinner's level in the Australian Open final to say he reminded him of Novak Djokovic at his best. The ATP world No. 1 responded to that comparison.
Sinner defended his Australian Open title and secured a third Grand Slam by comfortably beating Zverev 6-3, 7-6, 6-3. Being pushed to a tiebreak in the second set made the contest look more competitive than it really was.
The Italian dropped just two sets throughout the tournament. His only significant struggles were internal, with an illness in the fourth round against Holger Rune and cramps in the third set of his semifinal triumph against Ben Shelton.
Sinner's relentless baseline consistency, athleticism, and focus throughout matches have been incredible in the last 12 months. That style has led some, including Zverev after the final, to compare him to Djokovic.
In a press conference after winning the Australian Open, Sinner was told that Zverev compared him to Djokovic twice during his press conference. The 23-year-old admitted it was a great compliment and that he looked up to Djokovic.
"Well, it's an amazing compliment, no, from Sascha. I think everyone is different in a way. Obviously I have some similarities with Novak's game style. I still believe when Novak plays at his best, it's very, very, very tough to beat him."
"But game style-wise, I looked up to him, trying to understand what he's doing, how he handles the pressure moments and important moments. I still believe we are different as players because everyone is different, but for sure, we have similarities."
"The similarities are having a quite clean ball striking from the baseline, having a good movement, understanding a little bit where your opponent plays the ball."
Despite the similarities he acknowledges, Sinner does not think he and Djokovic are identical players. The 23-year-old is more focused on improving his game than comparing himself to Djokovic.
"I still believe we are different as players because everyone is different, but for sure we have similarities. The similarities are having a quite clean ball striking from the baseline, having a good movement, understanding a little bit where your opponent plays the ball. Yeah, obviously I aim to improve as a player because I feel like I still can improve in certain areas, and that's where we are going to work on. That's it."
Sinner might be viewed as a slightly superior version to Djokovic right now because of the Serbian's age of 37. The world No. 1 has won three Grand Slams since Djokovic's last major title at the 2023 US Open, the 24th of his career.
Zverev's comparison is understandable and not unreasonable, but Sinner probably needs to improve more before he reaches Djokovic's level in his prime. The 2011 and 2015 seasons are broadly considered the best of the tennis legend's career, dominating the sport in both years.
While Sinner's athleticism and relentless baseline hitting are reminiscent of Djokovic, the ten-time Australian Open champion's variety is a difference. He is more comfortable using the slice and coming forward than Sinner is.
