Jannik Sinner was silently climbing the ATP ladder from February 2019, with not much media coverage. But the delayed French Open 2020 changed everything for the 19-YO who upset David Goffin and Alexander Zverev among others to fix his match against the King of Clay, Rafael Nadal. He lost the tie but earned the respect.

The teenage sensation breached the Top-40 of the ATP rankings and deservingly so, following a series of notable performances.

The Italian has already played 4 Grand Slam tournaments and has a dazzling future on the court. He’s so good at the art that Rafa practiced with him ahead of the Australian Open 2021. 

Jannik Sinner and his shining moment with Rafael Nadal

As per the protocol, the players had to serve a 14-day quarantine period before playing in tournaments. Rafael Nadal invited his French Open opponent to train with him, and there was nothing more Jannik could’ve asked for. 

In a recent interview, an ecstatic Sinner expressed, “Spending that time with Rafa was fantastic, I learnt a lot on every level.

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“What was great for me to see about Rafa, as I see from other champions, is the impressive way in which he thinks and approaches every practice and every ball.

“He is a super nice and humble person, and something I really learnt from him was the intensity he puts into every single practice. Every time he steps on court it’s like he is playing a final of a Grand Slam.”

That said a lot about Rafa’s practice strategy. What’s more, for a 19-YO to expose himself to the experience of a generational legend must’ve been a dream come true and something he can further build upon.

Interestingly, Rafa had just turned 19 when he lifted his first French Open title in 2005. For Sinner, he lost that opportunity, but there’s much more to come.

When Novak Djokovic praised this young talent

Not just Rafa, even the Serbian great has agreed that Jannik Sinner can become a household name in the future. Recently, in the Adelaide 2021 exhibition event, Jannik was supposed to face Novak Djokovic. However, world no.1 did not show up because of the blisters on his hands.

As his stand-in, Filip Krajinovic played the first set and comfortably won it 6-3. Later, the 17-time Champion came out and replaced Krajinovic to complete the match.

Although Jannik lost the exhibition match in straight sets, Novak later said, “(Sinner) definitely possesses a great game that is powerful and is with a lot of quality.”

Now, only time will tell how these experiences that he shared with the greats can help his AO 2021 dreams. Do you think he can go past the first couple of rounds? 

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