Novak Djokovic has been speaking about Jannik Sinner at the Six Kings Slam in Saudi Arabia, with the Serbian paying the highest tribute to the Italian
Novak Djokovic has revealed he sees a lot of himself in Jannik Sinner. The Serbian’s remarks come after some fans were worried that a rift was developing between the two tennis giants following comments made by Djokovic in a rapid-fire quiz shared on social media.
But speaking at the Six Kings Slam in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the 24-time Grand Slam winner heaped praise on the 24-year-old Italian, showing he holds Sinner in the highest esteem.
When asked which player reminds him of himself, Djokovic responded: “Sinner, I think it’s obvious.” He continued: “I think we both try and smack the ball as hard as you can and move well.
“[He’s] skinny like I am and plays the game to a perfection in terms of strategy and he tries to be an all round player who plays every shot in the game. So yeah, I think that resembles me and in my best days.”
Djokovic’s effusive praise of the 2025 Wimbledon champion arrives months after numerous tennis supporters became convinced the Serbian had deliberately slighted him, reports the Express.
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Back in January, during an interview with GQ Magazine, Djokovic was asked to sum up his fellow competitors in just one word.
When questioned about Rafael Nadal he offered “tenacity”, whilst he remarked “elegance” when Roger Federer’s name was mentioned.
As the discussion turned to his present-day opponents, Djokovic said “charisma” for Carlos Alcaraz. However, when quizzed about Sinner, Djokovic’s response was simply, “skiing”, a nod to Sinner’s well-known hobby.
As the Australian Open 2025 looms, Djokovic sought to downplay his comment. “Yes, I’ve seen it on social media that it’s being made into some kind of drama or a story, like I humiliated him or I’ve intentionally shown disrespect towards him. That’s ridiculous,” Djokovic said.
He added: “It was one of those quiz type of interviews where you have to think of something in a second. Sinner’s name came up and I had this image in my head of him skiing. I saw he was skiing somewhere.
“Also, the two of us talk about skiing always, how we’re going to ski together, et cetera. That’s why I said ‘skiing’, not because I don’t respect his achievements in tennis, on the contrary.”
Sinner is now set to face Djokovic at the Six Kings Slam exhibition after defeating Stefanos Tsitsipas 6-2 6-3. Five of the world’s top-10 men’s players will be battling it out over three days, with Sinner as the reigning champion.
Sinner has triumphed over Djokovic in their last five encounters, including in the Wimbledon semi-final this summer. Djokovic’s last victory over the four-time Grand Slam champion dates back to 2023.