"Jannik Sinner would be the champion, I'd be chasing the balls" - Roger Federer on potentially facing Italian after 'incredible' Australian Open win
Roger Federer recently talked about how he would fare in a hypothetical match-up against Jannik Sinner. The former World No. 1 also praised the Italian for his 2024 Australian Open triumph earlier this year.
Sinner was the fourth seed in Melbourne and reached the semifinals after defeating Botic van de Zandschulp, Jesper de Jong, Sebastian Baez, Karen Khachanov, and Andrey Rublev without dropping a set. In the last four, the Italian faced top seed Novak Djokovic.
An unusually out-of-sorts Djokovic was thoroughly outclassed by Sinner 1-6, 2-6, 7-6(6), 3-6. The Italian faced Daniil Medvedev in the final, who looked on course for the title after he clinched the first two sets.
However, from the third set, the momentum began to swing in Sinner's favor. Medvedev looked exhausted at this point, and the Italian took full advantage. Ultimately, it was Sinner who won 3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 to lift his first Grand Slam title.
Roger Federer briefly spoke about Sinner's performances in Australia as he attended the 96th edition of the Oscars. The 20-time Grand Slam winner, now 42 years old, was asked how he would feel if he had to play against Sinner.
"Well right now it would be not fair. He would be the big champion, you know. Me, I would be chasing the balls. He's doing amazing, and I'm very very happy for him. What he did in Australia was incredible," Federer responded.
Jannik Sinner grew up idolizing Roger Federer
Roger Federer was one of Jannik Sinner's childhood tennis idols. During the official Australian Open champion's photocall, a young and aspiring tennis player approached Sinner and asked the Italian about who inspired him the most during his childhood years.
The Australian Open champion took Federer's name. Sinner said that the Swiss inspired him through his exemplary behavior on and off the court.
"When I was younger, I think the biggest inspiration was always Roger Federer because of the way he behaves on the courts, the way he treats people off the court," Sinner said (via Eurosport IT on X; 0:36)
At the 2023 Terra Wortmann Open in Halle, Sinner had expressed sadness at never getting an opportunity to play against Federer. The Swiss called time on his tennis career at the 2022 Laver Cup after struggling with his right knee for years.
"I would have liked to meet Roger in an official match and I am said that I didn't get to do that," Sinner had said during a press conference in Halle in June last year.