Jannik Sinner’s victory at the Shanghai Masters marked his seventh title of the season and secured the year-end world number one ranking — an unprecedented achievement for an Italian player. This impressive feat has earned him high praise from Italian legend Adriano Panatta, who couldn’t help but compare Sinner to the ‘Big Three.’
The 1976 French Open winner referred to Sinner as one of the best players in the world at the moment. He also mentioned that no player currently matches the level at which Sinner is playing tennis.
This prompted him to draw comparisons between the two-time Grand Slam champion and the three tennis legends — Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic — while speaking with the Italian website Corriere Dello Sport.
The 74-year-old acknowledged that, for now, Sinner is not on the same level, but remains confident that one day he will get there.
“Everyone asks me if he is at the level of the big three, Djokovic, Nadal and Federer. No, they have won 66 Slams together, more than 20 each, he only has two. I think he will win many. And that day he will be like them, not now,” said the first Italian Grand Slam men’s champion in the Open Era.
Panatta’s interesting take on Djokovic’s Shanghai Masters loss
The former player then shifted the focus to the recently concluded Shanghai Masters final, when Sinner defeated Djokovic in straight sets. After the first set went to a tiebreaker, the Italian sealed the title with a comfortable 6-3 win in the second set. On the back of that defeat, Panatta did not go easy on Djokovic.
“After the first set there was no more match, so I think that Djokovic also resigns himself to giving up. I think that a player like him who was probably the best of all time in terms of results, is not a player who can allow himself to leave the court, I don’t say humiliated, but with a good beating from Sinner,” he said.
However, Panatta quickly expressed his admiration for Djokovic, admitting he felt ‘sorry’ for him. He confessed that his previous statements about not loving the Serb were untrue, and that he simply loved Federer more. “I always say that I didn’t love Djokovic, but that’s not true. I loved Federer more,” the Italian added.
Even though it has been a challenging season in many aspects for Djokovic, he still emerged out of it with a Paris Olympics gold medal – the only item missing from his ever-expanding trophy cabinet. Despite injuries hampering his progress, the Serbian still performed at the highest level in some tournaments like Wimbledon and Shanghai Masters.
At the age of 37, winning an Olympic gold medal and reaching the finals of a Grand Slam while battling injuries deserves special appreciation. Hence, it’s clear that Djokovic’s ability hasn’t completely declined. However, given his age and physical challenges, it is evident that his prime years are behind him.
