Jannik Sinner warned Novak Djokovic ‘should never be considered a finished tennis player’
Novak Djokovic v Jannik Sinner top
Former world No 3 Ivan Ljubicic has asserted that tennis legend Novak Djokovic “should never be considered a finished player.”
Ljubicic, a former coach of Roger Federer, backed Jannik Sinner to become world No 1 “because he is the strongest”, but assessed that the Italian “will not overturn his plans to do so.”
Djokovic has played just three ATP tournaments so far this year and is yet to reach a final, but the great Serbian remains the world No 1 largely due to the incredible success he had in the 2023 season.
The 36-year-old reached the semi-finals of the 2024 Australian Open in January, where he was beaten in four sets by Sinner — the eventual champion.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion suffered a shock third round defeat to Luca Nardi in Indian Wells in March and then withdrew from the Miami Open.
Djokovic started his clay-court season with an encouraging run to the last four of the Monte Carlo Masters, before opting to skip the ongoing Madrid Open.
Sinner has been the outstanding player in the men’s game so far in 2024 and is at a career-high ranking of world No 2 after winning 28 of his 30 matches this season.
After claiming his maiden major at the Australian Open, Sinner had added titles at the Rotterdam Open and the Indian Wells Masters. He withdrew ahead of his Madrid Open quarter-final match with Felix Auger-Aliassime on Thursday due to a hip injury.
In an interview with Italian publication La Stampa, Ljubicic gave his thoughts on Sinner’s mentality and addressed suggestions that the end of Djokovic’s reign at the top has arrived.
“We understood how Jannik works. He is not focused on a single goal but works on constant improvement (translated from Italian),” he said.
“Sinner will become No 1 because he is the strongest, but he will not overturn his plans to do so. The level is always high, winning tournaments is never simple.
“There is Novak Djokovic and he should never be considered a finished tennis player. When he’s on the ball, and I’m sure he will be from now on, he really remains a very difficult opponent to beat.”
The Croatian also argued the fact the 2024 Olympics will be staged in Paris could be significant for Djokovic and highlighted the value of the event to the Serbian.
“In my opinion, it matters a lot that the Olympics are in Paris. It wouldn’t have been the same in Tokyo,” Ljubicic continued.
“Djokovic is focusing a lot on it because it’s the only thing he hasn’t won and it must be said that there are many reasons. I think they will have the same value as the 2012 Olympics at Wimbledon.”