Jannik Sinner’s coach Simone Vagnozzi thinks Novak Djokovic is still the best in the game. In 2022, Djokovic was denied participation in two Grand Slams and four Masters tournaments. Still, Djokovic was able to win Wimbledon, the Rome Masters and the ATP Finals in a limited number of tournaments he was allowed to play.
En route to winning Wimbledon, Djokovic created a big comeback to beat Sinner in the quarterfinal 5-7 2-6 6-3 6-2 6-2. “Novak Djokovic is still the strongest. When he gets a chance to play, he more often than not wins,” Vagnozzi told Alessandro Nizegorodcew and Luca Fiorino of Corriere dello Sport.
Sinner tipped by Djokovic’s coach to do big things
Sinner was playing outstanding against Djokovic in the first two sets of their Wimbledon quarterfinal. But Sinner didn’t have the strength to close out the match and Djokovic ended up creating a big comeback.
Sinner was visibly disappointed after the match as he knew how close he came to reaching his first Grand Slam semifinal. In August, Djokovic’s coach Goran Ivanisevic spoke extremely highly of Sinner and tipped the Italian to win a Grand Slam in the final.
“I have been a big fan of Sinner since he was a kid. He is humble, he has immense talent and he is growing very well. He is the future of tennis and he will be able to win any Grand Slam. Even against Nole in London [during the quarter-final at Wimbledon] he played in an extraordinary way in the first two sets,” Ivanisevic told La Repubblica in August.
In 2022, Sinner made three Grand Slam quarterfinals. In 2023, Sinner will be aiming to go a step further on the Grand Slam level and potentially become a Major champion. At the start of this season, Sinner made the Australian Open quarterfinal before losing to Stefanos Tsitsipas. It remains to be seen if Sinner can win his first Grand Slam at the 2023 Australian Open.
