Roger Federer's ex-coach gives verdict on why young American players "struggle" to reach the big stage compared to Jannik Sinner & other Italian stars
Roger Federer's former coach, Paul Annacone recently discussed why Italian tennis stars such as Jannik Sinner, Matteo Berrettini, and Jasmine Paolini are excelling on the big stage compared to young American players who are struggling to do the same. Both Sinner and Paolini had one of the best seasons of their career in 2024.
Sinner had a remarkable year in 2024, winning eight titles, including two Grand Slams - the 2024 Australian Open and the US Open.
On November 21, while speaking on the 'Tennis Channel Inside-In' podcast, Roger Federer's ex-coach Paul Annacone said it was "amazing" to see Italy produce "great players" like Jannik Sinner, and Jasmine Paolini, among others.
“It’s amazing. It's amazing what Italy’s done with their development of their players for a small geographic country to have so many great players. Jasmine Paolini's a great example of what an amazing year that she’s had and we've seen what [Jannik] Sinner’s done and [Matteo] Berrettini and you know [Lorenzo] Musetti and the other players are right there as well,” Annacone said [26:40].
Annacone attributed Italy's success in producing top players to the abundance of transition-level events held in the country, which he felt was lacking in the USA.
“I think Italy’s done a great job because they have so many transition level events in their country. That’s one of the things that we struggled with in the US is we’re losing all of our transition level events so our young players are having to spend a lot more money and travel a lot further to figure out how to get to the big show,” he added [27:00].
Jannik Sinner's outstanding performance meant he finished the year as the World No.1 ranking. On the other hand, Jasmine Paolini secured four titles on the WTA Tour this year - one in singles and three in doubles alongside compatriot Sara Errani.
Paolini's sole singles title came at the 2024 Dubai Tennis Championships, where she defeated Anna Kalinskaya in the final. She also reached the finals of the French Open and Wimbledon, finishing as the runner-up to Iga Swiatek and Barbora Krejcikova, respectively.
Paolini and Errani clinched three doubles titles - at the 2024 Linz Open, Italian Open, and China Open. The duo also claimed the gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics. She also helped Italy claim the 2024 Billie Jean King Cup for the fifth time
Currently, Sinner is competing in the 2024 Davis Cup Finals in Malaga, Spain, where he and Berrettini have helped Italy secure a spot in the final against the Netherlands.
Jannik Sinner helped Italy secure a spot in Davis Cup Finals 2024 final
![Jannik Sinner at Davis Cup Final 2024 SF [Source: Getty]](https://staticg.sportskeeda.com/editor/2024/11/f9a0b-17324344423692-1920.jpg?w=500)
Jannik Sinner along with Matteo Berrettini, Lorenzo Musetti, Simone Bolelli, and Andrea Vavassori, led by captain Filippo Volandri, make up the Italian Davis Cup team.
In the quarterfinals of the 2024 Davis Cup Finals, the defending champions faced off against Argentina and emerged victorious with a 2-1 win. Sinner won the singles match, defeating Sebastian Baez 6-2, 6-1. He then teamed up with Berrettini to secure another win in the doubles match against the Argentine duo of Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni, triumphing with a score of 6-4, 7-5.
In the semifinals, Italy went head-to-head with Australia. Matteo Berrettini set the tone with a hard-fought victory over Thanasi Kokkinakis in the opening singles match, winning 6-7(6), 6-3, 7-5 to give Italy a 1-0 lead in the tie. Jannik Sinner continued the winning streak by defeating Alex de Minaur 6-3, 6-4 to propel Italy into the final where they will face the Netherlands on November 24.