"Have been a big fan of Jannik Sinner since he was a kid; against Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon, he made a mistake in retreating in the third set" - Goran Ivanisevic
Jannik Sinner's rise to the top of the men's game over the last couple of years has been one of the most talked-about developments in tennis' inner circles.
The youngster, who broke into the top -0 of the ATP world rankings earlier this year, has managed to impress everyone with his brilliant all-court game. And former World No. 2 and Grand Slam champion Goran Ivanisevic is no exception.
Speaking to Italian portal la Republica in a recent interview, Ivanisevic said he had been a fan of Sinner ever since the Italian was young, before lauding his "immense talent" and "humble" demeanor.
Ivanisevic, who coaches World No. 1 Novak Djokovic, went on to say that the Italian played two "extraordinary" sets against the Serb at Wimbledon, but made a mistake by letting up the offense later in the contest.
"I have been a really big fan of his since he was a kid," Ivanisevic said. "He is humble, immense talent and growing beautifully. He is the future of tennis and will be able to win any Grand Slam."
"Even against Nole in London: he played the top two in an extraordinary way," he continued. "Then he made a mistake in giving in and retreating in the third set. You can't let Nole breathe. You have to finish him immediately. "
Later on, on being asked to pick between Sinner and Matteo Berrettini — the two top-ranked Italians — Ivanisevic chose Sinner for his "exceptional" baseline game.
"Sinner or Berrettini ? As a tennis fan, I prefer Jannik," Ivanesvic said. "Without a doubt. Because I like his tennis better. Matteo is great, he has an excellent serve, his slices are effective, it's nice to see. But in my opinion Sinner it will be even better."
"Jannik has an exceptional response, forehand and backhand exceptional from the baseline," he added. "If he goes more to the net and improves his volleys, he is at the top. He missed that against Djokovic. "
Jannik Sinner edges closer to top 10 in the ATP Race
Jannik Sinner recently lifted a sixth career title after edging out fellow Next Gen star Carlos Alcaraz in the finals of the Croatia Open. The Italian beat Alacaraz 6-7(5), 6-1, 6-1 — making it the second straight tournament after Wimbledon where he triumphed over the Spaniard.
The win saw Jannik Sinner edge closer to the top 10 in the Race rankings. He is currently ranked No. 13 with 1680 points on the list, which is led by Rafael Nadal with 5620 points.