"Let's see" - Jannik Sinner on replicating Novak Djokovic in achieving bigger goals after Davis Cup win
Following Italy's 2-0 win against Australia in the final of the 2023 Davis Cup, Jannik Sinner was coy about the comparisons drawn with Novak Djokovic's Davis Cup win in 2010.
On Sunday (26 November), Italy faced off against Australia in the final of the Davis Cup in Malaga, Spain. 22-year-old Matteo Arnaldi put Italy on the scoresheet as he defeated Australia's Alexei Popyrin in a thrilling three-setter, 7-5, 2-6, 6-4.
Jannik Sinner then clinched the first title for Italy in 47 years after he convincingly beat World No.12 Alex de Minaur in straight sets, 6-3, 6-0. During the post-match press conference, Sinner was asked if he could emulate the success of Novak Djokovic, as the Serb's career propelled after he won the Davis Cup in 2010.
In response, the World No. 4 said:
"Let's see [if he could replicate Djokovic's career]. I mean, this is something different, something really special, because you don't play for yourself but you play for the whole team."
Although Sinner beat Djokovic in their most recent meeting in the semifinals of the Davis Cup Finals, the 24-time Grand Slam winner leads the head-to-head 4-2 against the Italian.
They also met in the final of the ATP Finals earlier this month, where the Serb won in straight sets. Sinner (22), meanwhile, has already won 10 ATP singles titles but is yet to reach a Grand Slam final.
"We have a lot of potential" - Jannik Sinner on the young Italy team
In the press conference following Italy's Davis Cup Finals triumph, Jannik Sinner acknowledged the huge potential of the young Italian team.
"We know that we have a lot of potential in each of our players, also the captain and everyone. I think we are all really young, except... Simone [Bolelli]," Sinner said.
The 2023 ATP Finals runner-up further stated that Simone Bolelli's experience is useful for the team before praising Matteo Arnaldi's efforts. He said:
"He [Bolelli] has played this for 15 years. So he gave us a lot of experience in one way, and I think the player who is playing the match sees this kind of thing. Matteo, who came for us, was really important."
Jannik Sinner concluded by expressing his and his team's desire to win the Davis Cup for Italy at least one more time.
"Let's see. We are all very young. We are really hungry to trying to win it one more time for our life, but another way, you know, having this feeling at least once, it is a really special feeling," Sinner said.
Sinner ended the year at World No. 4 with four ATP titles in his closet. In addition to winning his maiden Masters 1000 title at the Montreal Masters, the Italian also clinched two ATP 500 titles in Beijing and Vienna, beating World No. 3 Daniil Medvedev in the final on both occasions.