Jannik Sinner believes going the distance against Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz and Stefanos Tsitsipas is the proof that he has the level to contend for Grand Slam titles. At Wimbledon, Sinner made his first Grand Slam quarterfinal – in which he blew a two-set lead against Djokovic.
Two months later at the US Open, Sinner missed out on a match point before suffering a five-set defeat to Alcaraz in the quarterfinal. At this year’s Australian Open, Sinner made the round-of-16 before losing to Tsitsipas in five sets.
“I lost to Djokovic, Alcaraz and Tsitsipas in five sets, so it proves that the level is there, right? I can play very good tennis, that’s for sure. Maybe I lack a little more experience at times in those games.
But I feel like I’m getting closer to the best and that’s the most important thing. And then little by little, I’m going to try to catch up with them, because I feel like I’m not that far away,” Sinner said, per Tennis Majors.
Sinner focused on achieving his own goals
Throughout history, Italian tennis has had lots of talents. But in men’s tennis, Italy hasn’t had a male Grand Slam champion since 1976. Sinner, who is regarded as one of the most promising young players in the game, is someone who has been tipped to win Grand Slams and become the world No 1 one day.
“The biggest pressure is what I put on myself, not the people talking around me. I also want to show myself and prove to myself that maybe I’m even a better player than I think. So I take every game with the right mentality, with the right spirit, and then we’ll take stock at the end of my career.
But I’m still very young, I have time,” Sinner said. It remains to be seen if Sinner can make a big Grand Slam breakthrough in 2023.
