"Polite of Jannik Sinner to employ everyone who lost jobs because of him" - Fans amused as Italian hires Novak Djokovic's ex-fitness coach and physio

Tennis fans recently reacted to the news of Jannik Sinner enlisting the services of Novak Djokovic's former fitness coach, Marco Panichi and physiotherapist, Ulises Badio. Djokovic worked with Panichi from 2017 until May 2024, while he worked with Badio for over five years before parting ways at the end of 2022.

Sinner recently wrapped up his North American hard court swing, achieving a quarterfinal finish at the 2024 Canadian Open and then clinching the Cincinnati Open title by defeating Frances Tiafoe in the final.

The World No.1 then claimed the 2024 US Open by defeating Taylor Fritz in the final. This was Sinner's second Grand Slam title of his career and the season.

On Monday, September 16, Jannik Sinner took to social media to announce that he has started working with Marco Panichi and Ulises Badio ahead of the Asian swing.

"Welcome to the team Marco and Ulises 💪🏼 ," Sinner captioned his Instagram post.

Tennis fans took to social media to react to this news, with one fan humorously referencing a video of Djokovic, where he is seen seemingly telling his team that he will fire them after losing a point to Sinner in a match.

The fan jokingly commended Jannik Sinner for hiring the fitness coach and physiotherapist who allegedly lost their jobs because of him.

"So polite of jannik to employ everyone who lost their jobs because of him ❤️ ," a fan posted.

Several fans stated that hiring Novak Djokovic's ex-team members was a smart move on the World No.1's part.

"He got Djoko’s guys! Those other two made grave mistakes that cost them dearly, but if the price is Marco and Uli in Sinner’s box - maybe it was all worth it?? Very cool to see this 😎 ," a fan wrote.

"Jannik hiring Novak’s ex-team is a smart move tbf," a fan posted.

A fan expressed delight in seeing Panichi and Badio working with a top player.

"This makes me sad, but happy they both have landed with a top player. They’ll ensure no “mistakes” in the future," a fan wrote.

Many fans also speculated that Jannik Sinner is aiming to emulate Novak Djokovic's successful career path by hiring Panichi and Badio.

"Blud wants to be Novak so bad 😭 ," a fan posted.

"Following in Nole's footsteps 💪 ," a fan wrote.

"CAREER SLAM INCOMING," a fan posted.

Jannik Sinner will compete at China Open 2024 with Marco Panichi & Ulises Badio in his team

Jannik Sinner pictured at 2023 China Open [Source: Getty]

After winning the 2024 US Open by defeating Taylor Fritz in the final, Jannik Sinner will next defend his title at the 2024 China Open, which is scheduled to begin on September 26 and go on till October 2, 2024. This tournament will mark the first time that Sinner will have both fitness coach, Marco Panichi, and physiotherapist, Ulises Badio, by his side.

In 2023, Sinner entered the ATP 500 hard court tournament in Beijing as the sixth seed. He kicked off his journey by defeating Dan Evans 6-4, 6-7(2), 6-3 in the first round, followed by a dominant 6-2, 6-0 victory over Yoshihito Nishioka in the second round.

In the quarterfinals, the World No.1 secured a hard-fought 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 win over Grigor Dimitrov and then went on to defeat top seed Carlos Alcaraz 7-6(4), 6-1 in the semifinals to advance to the final.

At the championship match, Jannik Sinner defeated second seed Daniil Medvedev with a score of 7-6(2), 7-6(2) to claim the title. This win marked the Italian's first victory against Medvedev in their seventh ATP Tour meeting and his third title of the season.

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