«At Wimbledon he will find his tennis again. But the service must become a weapon»- Corriere.it

Cerundolo in Rome, Altmaier in Paris, Ruusuvuori and Bublik on the grass: all premature eliminations. Mats Wilander, 7 times King Slam and talent of Warner Bros Discovery channels, can Jannik Sinner be considered among the favorites of Wimbledon?
“They’re different situations. Cerundolo is a tough nut to crack on clay, so to speak, while Jannik, at the moment, is more of a fast player. Field positioning, movement, aggression – everything changes from red to grass. On the green it is easier for Jannik to rediscover the naturalness of his tennis but it takes time ».

Do you see improvements?

«I see them in every aspect of his game: from the moves to the greater variety of shots, from the serve to the physique. While clay will be the last surface on which Jannik will feel comfortable, grass and the memory of last year’s quarter with Djokovic should favor him. I’m not worried: he’s 21, he’s clearly hungry and talented ».

What do you like most about him?

“He’s not afraid of anyone or anything. He is not afraid of Alcaraz, who he has already beaten, in Wimbledon he went ahead two sets to zero with Djokovic. Leave it alone: ​​with fewer expectations, you play lighter, freer. I hope Jannik is good at detaching himself from social media and not reading every comment, for better or for worse».

Do withdrawals instill doubts about Sinner’s physical fitness?

“Nobody. He started out skinny, he’s building muscle: I see him working hard in the gym at tournaments. The mistake is to compare him to Alcaraz, younger and more muscular. But Carlos was already a minor man, today he is a trained player. Sinner has his physique and the story of him. Djokovic, Murray and even Zverev have gone through the same process as Jannik: the need to build mass. He had a very slender structure: in 2-3 years he will have reached his final complexion, as an adult ».

If you were your coach, what priority would you have?

“Service. It has grown but has wide margins. Jannik’s serve must become a weapon, give him free points, allow him to catch his breath in service games. Jannik’s tennis depends on the serve more than Alcaraz’s tennis, for example, which is so powerful and dynamic that it compensates during the rally. And Jannik’s defense game isn’t great yet, so he doesn’t allow him the luxury of affording a serve that isn’t up to par. In the offensive game, however, he is already very good. There’s no reason Sinner’s serve can’t get huge: he has the height to exploit and the angles to vary from up there. I see that he hasn’t found the perfect rhythm yet nor the ideal movement but I know that he is working on it with Cahill ».

Does it feel like he suffers from personality opponents, people like Rune who play with his rationality?

«I agree: Jannik should have won both with Rune in Montecarlo and with Alcaraz at the US Open, when he wasted a match point (one of the greatest matches I’ve ever seen). But no, I don’t think Jannik suffers from other people’s character».

Medvedev in Miami, but…

«Tennis suffers from the Russian, the angles, the lack of rhythm he gives him. He lost to Rune and Tiafoe because they were better that day. Everyone has a weakness but I don’t think Jannik’s is subjection to those who are more whimsical. Being more aggressive and dominant on serve would help him take control even with rivals full of personality, and we’re back to square one.”

Do you see him as a multiple Grand Slam winner?

“Yes. He can win on all four surfaces. I don’t see him conquering Paris as his first Major but he will be one of the favorites for the next few years ».

Who wins Wimbledon?

«Alcaraz or Djokovic».

Is Djokovic with his 23 Grand Slam titles the best ever?

“It’s a point that makes no sense. The race is not over: Rafa can come back and win, if we decide to rely on the number of Majors. Roger won everything, Rafa dominated: I believe that in order for it to be established that Novak is the Goat, he must reach 25, 26, 27 Grand Slams. But the legend of the Big Three will outlive the singles.”