Seven-time Grand Slam champion John McEnroe praised 2019 Next Gen ATP champion Jannik Sinner and predicts that the young Italian star will break into the top 10 in a couple of years.
“Jannik is one of the most talented players I have seen in the last ten years. He is going to be hunted a little bit and people are going to dig in a little bit more and not want to lose to an 18-year-old. He will have to deal with it in the coming months. I suspect that in a few years you are going to see him in the top 10, give him two or three seasons. Jannik looks to be physically very gifted. Along with many other tennis fans and tennis players, I have been watching him from a distance and understanding that this guy is a rare talent”, said McEnroe.
Sinner started the 2019 season ranked world number 553 and reached his career high as world number 78. The Italian 18-year-old player won three ATP Challenger titles in Bergamo, Lexington and Ortisei, the Next Gen ATP Final in Milan as Italian wildcard and advanced to Antwerp semifinal as a 18-year-old wildcard. He became the youngest ATP Tour semifinalist since Borna Coric in Basel 2013. At the Rome Internazionali d’Italia Sinner saved one match point against Steve Johnson in ATP Masters 1000 debut as wildcard before losing to Stefanos Tsitsipas in the second round. Sinner lost to Stan Wawrinka in the first round in his debut Grand Slam tournament at the US Open.
Sinner became the youngest player to win three Challenger titles in a season since Richard Gasquet and one of the five under 19 players in the year-end top 80 since 2000 joining an exclusive club that includes Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Andy Murray and Denis Shapovalov.
Sinner started the 2020 season with two first round defeats in Bendigo and Auckland. He will face a qualifier in the first round at the Australian Open before a possible second round clash against Denis Shapovalov.
