"Young man with an old soul" - Boris Becker reacts to Jannik Sinner dismissing chase for World No. 2 ranking
Former World No. 1 Boris Becker has hailed the maturity shown by Jannik Sinner with respect to fighting for rankings.
Sinner has made a sensational start to the season, chalking up title-winning runs at the Australian Open and the Rotterdam Open. He is currently competing at the Indian Wells in California and is through to the third round.
With significant jumps in his ATP world ranking in the last six months, Sinner is now closing in on the World No. 2 spot. However, in a recent interview, he highlighted that it was crucial for him to have a consistent season till the end rather than entering the top two.
Becker, who is a six-time Grand Slam champion, appreciated the wise approach shown by the youngster and voiced his opinion about Sinner on social media platform 'X'.
"There is a young man with an old soul," Boris Becker
Sinner will be making his fourth appearance at the Indian Wells this year. During a press conference at the Masters 1000 event, he spoke about his current ranking and addressed his chances of making of making a deep run in California.
"Number 2? I always say that the ranking is a secondary thing. First, to get there I have to have a very continuous season, which does not mean winning every tournament, but being ready to compete. In Rotterdam, we knew there was a chance to become number 3. Here, it's the same thing to become number 2, but it doesn't just depend on me," Jannik Sinner said
The 22-year-old also emphasized that Novak Djokovic's return to the tournament adds to the intense competition in the men's draw.
"There are other factors, other players and there is Nole who comes back here after a long time," he added.
"After Rotterdam we got straight to work… That's the key that led me to this success, but I know I have to improve. Even now we've done a good job and I hope I can show it on the court."
Jannik Sinner will take on Jan-Lennard Struff in R3 of the BNP Paribas Open
Jannik Sinner will take on Jan-Lennard Struff in the third round of the BNP Paribas Open 2024.
While Sinner outclassed Thanasi Kokkinakis in the first round, Struff defeated Borna Coric 6-7 (3), 6-2, 7-6 (9) in a thrilling three-set bout. The German will be hoping to present a tough challenge for the Italian No. 1 next.
Sinner and Struff have never faced each other on the main tour and their head-to-head is poised at 0-0. The winner of this match will face Ben Shelton or Francisco Cerundolo in the fourth round.