"Even Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal would take pace off, not so Jannik Sinner": Andrea Petkovic rebuts 'boring' label for Italian after US Open glory
German former tennis player Andrea Petkovic praised Jannik Sinner's hard-hitting tennis after the Italian triumphed at the 2024 US Open. Petkovic compared Sinner's approach on the court to that of Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal.
Sinner defeated Taylor Fritz 6-3, 6-4, 7-5 in the final held in Flushing Meadows on Sunday, September 8. With the outcome, he became the first Italian player on the ATP circuit to win the US Open.
Notably, some sections of the tennis community, including the fans who didn't find the Italian's tennis exciting. Andrea Petkovic recently rebutted those narratives, claiming Sinner's shape on the court is 'a thing of beauty.'
"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).
Petkovic, the former World No. 9, backed her viewpoint, claiming the likes of 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic and 22-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal saved energy for crunch moments whereas Sinner maintains his tempo.
"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
In the same blog, Andrea Petkovic noted that the accuracy of Jannik Sinner's shots is directly proportional to the speed he puts behind the ball.
"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.
The German then concluded that the 23-year-old had figured out a way to keep his mechanics in check.
"One of the more important things to figure out in anybody’s tennis game is how to find the right balance between relaxation and focus. Between tension and looseness. Jannik Sinner seems to have the secret recipe," she added.
Sinner's recent exploits at the US Open notably earned him his second Grand Slam glory as he clinched glory at the 2024 Australian Open.