"Same qualities as Novak Djokovic & he added 2.0" - Serena Williams' ex-coach makes bold claim about Jannik Sinner
Serena Williams' ex-coach Patrick Mouratoglou hailed Jannik Sinner as "Novak Djokovic 2.0". According to Mouratoglou, Sinner brings the same skillset to the tennis court as Djokovic but uses the skills at a much higher pace than the Serb.
Recently, Patrick Mouratoglou, who guided the legendary Serena Williams to ten of her 23 singles Grand Slam titles, likened Jannik Sinner to Novak Djokovic. On Saturday, November 23, the veteran coach, who is now working with Naomi Osaka, told Tennis Majors that in terms of qualities, the Italian and the Serb are similar. However, the 54-year-old claimed that the Italian does everything at a faster pace than the Serb.
"I think it makes sense to call him Djokovic 2.0, because his movement, counterpunching is unbelievable. Same qualities as Novak and I think he added 2.0 because he is playing faster by taking the balls earlier," Mouratoglou told Tennis Majors.
The iconic coach also felt that Sinner has the exceptional ability to rarely miss even when playing at a breakneck pace.
"He is moving up all the time. I think what makes Sinner very special is his ability to play at an incredibly high pace without missing. He has the qualities of Novak in terms of counter-punching and I think he plays at a higher pace than Novak, taking the balls earlier, moving forward more," Mouratoglou added.
Jannik Sinner ended the 2024 season as the year-end World No. 1 and was in imperious form throughout the year. The Italian won eight ATP Tour-level titles in 2024, including his first two Majors at the Australian Open and the US Open. He recently also played a starring role for Italy at the 2024 Davis Cup Finals, similar to how he led the way for the Italian contingent at last year's edition of the international team tennis event.
Sinner and Djokovic clashed twice in 2024, and across both those matches, the Italian played at a higher level than the 37-year-old.
Jannik Sinner got the better of Novak Djokovic in the semifinals of Australian Open 2024 and final of Shanghai Masters 2024
From 2021 to 2023, Jannik Sinner faced Novak Djokovic on six occasions, with the Serb coming out on top in four of those matches. While the Italian finally managed to come out on top against the 24-time Grand Slam champion in a Round Robin match at the 2023 Nitto ATP Finals, it was the Serb who ultimately defeated the Italian in the final of the year-end event.
Sinner registered another telling victory over the Serb at the 2023 Davis Cup Finals, bridging their head-to-head gap. This year, across the pair's two ATP Tour-level meetings, the Italian proved far superior. Their first meeting of 2024 came in the semifinals of the Australian Open, where the Serb looked vulnerable throughout the tournament despite mustering a deep run.
Ultimately, eventual champion Sinner's pace, power, and precision were too hot for the 24-time Major champion to handle. The two locked horns again in the final of the 2024 Rolex Shanghai Masters. Once again, it was the Italian who came out on top to level their head-to-head 4-4.