Jannik Sinner has been the star of the season so far. The Italian won his first-ever Grand Slam title by defeating Daniil Medvedev in the Australian Open 2024 final. The 22-year-old has since been celebrated in his native, Italy and hailed as the next big thing in tennis. The Italian is often compared to Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer, but amongst the duo, who is he more similar to? Each of the legends get 1 point in their favor as we try to decode the answer.
1. Jannik Sinner is passionate about skiing. The Italian has often posted pictures on his official social media accounts about his love for skiing. Also, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic both love skiing as well. So the Italian shares a similar hobby as both these tennis legends. Both Federer and Djokovic get 1 point each in this department.
2. Jannik Sinner won his first Grand Slam, the Australian Open, at the age of 22. Interestingly, Novak Djokovic won his first title at the age of 21, which was also the Australian Open in 2008. Hence, Djokovic gets 1 point for the same, as he too started out as a hard court specialist.
3. It has taken Sinner, 6 years to win his first Grand Slam title. The Italian star turned pro at 16 but it was not until 22 that he claimed his first title. Similarly, it took Roger Federer 5 years since he turned pro on the ATP Tour to win the title. Sinner is closer to Federer in this aspect, hence, the Swiss maestro gets another point to his name.
4. Jannik Sinner has sponsorship deals with Nike, Wilson and Rolex. He shares all these sponsors with Roger Federer, who has enjoyed a long-standing partnership with these brands. While Sinner is still young, he is sure to attract more brands in the future. His similarities with brands makes him more similar to Roger Federer. So far, Federer leads 3-2.
5. Jannik Sinner’s parents worked in the food industry. The Italian comes from a humble background and heaped praise on his parents during his victory speech at the Australian Open. Remarkably, Novak Djokovic too comes from a similar background as his parents are from the food industry as well. So Djokovic wins 1 point.
6. Jannik Sinner won his first Grand Slam title by defeating a top-5 Russian player in Daniil Medvedev. In what is a stunning co-incidence, Roger Federer’s first Grand Slam win came against Marat Safin in the Australian Open 2004 final. Safin too was amongst the top seeds, hailing from Russia. Another point goes to Federer.
7. Although the Italian has similarities with Federer, his playing style is different to the Swiss star. Jannik Sinner prefers a power hitting, baseline-based game. The Italian even admitted that his game is very similar to Novak Djokovic who enjoys playing from the baseline too. This point goes to Novak Djokovic.
8. Jannik Sinner joined an illusive group of tennis stars after his win over Novak Djokovic in the Grand Slam. The Italian joined Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer to defeat the Serbian in Davis Cup, ATP Finals and Grand Slams. This achievement is similar to Federer, so the Swiss star gets this point.
9. Also, Jannik Sinner seems to be very graceful off-court and has a sense of humor with a touch of diplomacy too on occasions. The Italian impressed the crowd with his mic skills after matches, something Federer often did. The 22-year-old is similar to Roger Federer in this aspect as well.
With the above evidence, Roger Federer has beaten Novak Djokovic, 6-4. Jannik Sinner is more similar to Roger Federer but uniquely, has elements of Novak Djokovic’s game and mentality too. The Italian will be thrilled if he can emulate the legendary status of either one of these greats of the sport.
