“Even Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal would take pace off, not so Jannik Sinner”: Andrea Petkovic rebuts ‘boring’ label for Italian after US Open glory
Andrea Petkovic praised Jannik Sinner’s powerful and aggressive playing style following his victory at the 2024 US Open. She highlighted similarities between Sinner’s approach and the playing styles of Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, noting the intensity and precision with which Sinner hits the ball.
Jannik Sinner defeated Taylor Fritz 6-3, 6-4, 7-5 in the final of the 2024 US Open held on Sunday, September 8. With this victory, Sinner made history as the first Italian player to win the US Open on the ATP circuit.
Andrea Petkovic recently addressed criticism from some tennis fans who found Jannik Sinner’s style less exciting. She countered these views by describing Sinner’s performance as “a thing of beauty,” praising the elegance and effectiveness of his play on the court.
“For anybody who finds his [Sinner’s] tennis boring, I would urge you to try and see him live if you can. The way he moves, always in perfect balance, the way his body is leaned slightly forward as if going down a slope on skis, is a thing of beauty. No matter how hard you hit at him, he never falls out of his equilibrium,” Petkovic wrote in her blog Finite Jest
(via Substack).
Andrea Petkovic, the former World No. 9, supported her praise of Jannik Sinner by comparing him to Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal. She noted that while Djokovic and Nadal often conserved energy for crucial moments, Sinner consistently maintains a high tempo throughout his matches, which she finds impressive and beautiful.
“Something you can’t really see on TV is the astonishing fact that Jannik hits the ball even harder, even more decisively, when the biggest moment of the match comes around. Even Novak Djokovic or Rafael Nadal would sometimes take some of the pace off to make more balls when crunch time is on. Not so Jannik Sinner,”
she added.
“Jannik Sinner seems to have the secret recipe” – Andrea Petkovic
Jannik Sinner (Getty)
In her blog, Andrea Petkovic remarked that Jannik Sinner’s shot accuracy is closely related to the speed he generates. She highlighted how Sinner’s ability to combine power with precision contributes to the effectiveness of his game.
“He goes for bigger shots, he goes for more and somehow counterintuitively they seem to become safer the harder he hits. Truly stunning to watch,”
Petkovic wrote.
Andrea Petkovic concluded that Jannik Sinner, at just 23 years old, has effectively mastered his mechanics. She emphasized that maintaining control over his mechanics is crucial, allowing him to harness his power and precision consistently on the court.
