Jannik Sinner picks Maria Sharapova as his dream mixed doubles partner, Naomi Osaka chooses Andre Agassi
Jannik Sinner picked former World No. 1 Maria Sharapova as his dream mixed doubles partner, while Naomi Osaka chose Andre Agassi.
The Italian, along with a few other tennis players, were asked to name their dream mixed doubles partner during a segment for the Tennis Channel. Sinner picked Sharapova and called her one of the greatest champions of the sport.
"I never thought about that. I am not a great doubles player. I got to know Maria Sharapova and I think she is one of the greatest champions," Sinner said.
🤔Who are the dream mixed doubles partners for these four stars 👀🤔
@NaomiOsaka | @PaulaBadosa | @Taylor_Fritz97 | @JannikSin https://t.co/mUHDxU1nCx
While Sharapova's doubles career was not as illustrious as her singles career, she won three titles and reached one final, all of them during her teenage years.
Naomi Osaka picked Andre Agassi as her doubles partner and said he could teach her how to return well. The American won a lone doubles title in Cincinnati in 1993, partnering with Petr Korda to defeat Stefan Edberg and Henrik Holm in straight sets.
"If I could play mixed doubles with any tennis player, it would definitely be... I would say Andre Agassi. Hopefully he can teach me how to return as well. We'd just be looking unstoppable," Osaka said.
Paula Badosa also picked Agassi for his return game.
"I think Andre Agassi. I think how he returns will make everything easier," Badosa said.
Taylor Fritz picked his mother Kathy May, a former top-10 player back in her day. She won four doubles titles and seven singles titles during her career, and the mother-son duo frequently played tennis together when Fritz was a young kid.
"It has to be a retired player, then I'll probably pick my mom. She'd be better in that, my mom would be better in that for sure. We played mother-son like way back in the day. She was probably better than me because I was like 10. "
Who are the dream mixed doubles partners for these four stars 👀🤔
@NaomiOsaka | @PaulaBadosa | @Taylor_Fritz97 | @JannikSin https://t.co/mUHDxU1nCx
Jannik Sinner is currently competing at the French Open
Sinner, who is seeded 11th at the French Open, reached the second round of the competition by beating Bjorn Fratangelo in straight sets and will take on Spain's Roberto Carballes Baena next.
A win over the Spaniard will set up a clash with either Nikoloz Basilashvili or Mackenzie McDonald in the third round. Jannik Sinner could also potentially face Andrey Rublev for a spot in the quarterfinals.
Job done for Sinner ✅
Jannik starts his 3rd @rolandgarros by a dominant 3-sets win over Bjorn Fratangelo 6-3 6-2 6-3 https://t.co/jMmLJU433P
The Italian has had a pretty decent claycourt season so far, reaching the quarterfinals of the Monte-Carlo Masters and the Madrid Masters. A former quarterfinalist at the French Open, Sinner will fancy his chances of making the last eight once again in Paris.