Novak Djokovic reached another milestone as he secured his 100th career win at Wimbledon.
After the incredible feat, the 24-time Grand Slam champion took a moment to reflect on the next generation especially the top players like Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz. He spoke at length about his admiration for World No.1 Jannik Sinner and the striking similarities between their games.
When asked whether he sees shades of himself in the 23-year-old Italian, Djokovic replied.
“I do. It’s obvious in terms of the style of play that we both have,” he said. “We have quite a bit of similarities. We try to be aggressive. Take the ball early. Dominate the exchanges from the baseline.”
With that being said, there is no denying that the parallels are easy to draw. Both are known for their exceptional timing, clean hitting, and competitive spirit. However, interestingly enough, the connection runs deeper, well dating back nearly a decade.
“I remember him as a really young kid, 13 or 14 years old, when I met him and hit some balls with him,” Djokovic recalled. “He was skinny and tall — kind of like myself. He’s taller than me now. I was always quite skinny when I was younger. He was just ripping the ball. You could see he’s got really good timing and speed on his strokes.”
Sinner, who recently said he’s taken more from Djokovic’s game than any other player, is seen as one of the top players in the up-and-rising tennis generation. When asked about the same, the World No. 6 made his thoughts clear.
“I’m glad I was able to, in a sense, influence him in a positive way,” Novak Djokovic said. “He was working for quite a few years with Riccardo Piatti, who used to be my coach. I have a great relationship with him. That’s how I met Jannik. Riccardo would ask me to give advice and some guidance. We would talk quite a bit. I was always happy to share.”
While Sinner’s powerful shots often grabs headlines, Djokovic pointed to a more subtle strength.
“As much as everyone talks about the speed of his shots, the timing is incredible,” he said. “But I think what’s most impressive is how he’s decreased the number of unforced errors. Now he’s just super accurate and constantly puts pressure on the opponent because he plays so fast.”
Djokovic, now a 100-match winner at Wimbledon, remains as competitive as ever. However, one thing is for sure, he takes genuine satisfaction in watching the next wave rise now that 2 (Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer) of the Big 3 has already retired.
