Jannik Sinner has been turning heads on the ATP Tour, but few compliments carry as much weight as the one he recently received from tennis legend Mats Wilander.
The seven-time Grand Slam champion didn’t hold back in his praise, describing Sinner’s playing style as something that feels like the future.
“I think his tennis is five or ten years ahead of what I imagined the evolution of the game would be,” Wilander said in a recent interview. “A bit like when, in football, for the first time, there was quick one-touch passes: the speed of the game was turned upside down.”
It’s a bold comparison, but one that makes sense to anyone who has watched the 22-year-old Italian in action. Sinner’s game is fast, clean, and built around relentless aggression — but not the wild, hit-everything-as-hard-as-you-can kind. It’s controlled, calculated, and always looking for that early strike.
“I’ve never seen anyone play tennis as aggressively as Sinner,” Wilander explained. “It’s not that he hits everything that moves like a madman, it’s that he’s always looking to get the ball early. Some people hit it harder than him, but no one gets to the ball as quickly to play it on the rise, never waiting for it to come back down.”
What stands out in Wilander’s praise is the idea that Sinner’s style is more accessible than others. “Not everyone can play tennis like Alcaraz,” Wilander said. “That requires extremely rare talent. On the other hand, everyone can try to play like Sinner, which doesn’t require exceptional talent in itself, but total dedication.”
It’s high praise — not just for what Sinner is doing now, but for how he might shape the future of the sport. And as the next generation continues to rise, one thing is clear: Jannik Sinner isn’t just keeping up with the pace of the game.