Adriano Panatta compares Jannik Sinner to Mike Tyson: ‘I don’t think Djokovic can do it’

Adriano Panatta shared his thoughts on Jannik Sinner's recent US Open title and believes Novak Djokovic won't be able to beat him again. The former French Open champion was the only Italian male tennis player to win a Grand Slam in the Open Era until Sinner achieved it twice in 2024.

Currently the World No. 1, Sinner seems almost unbeatable over the past year. Since the beginning of the season, he holds a 55-5 record with 6 titles. Looking at the past 52 weeks, his record increases to 72-7 with 8 singles titles, and he also led Italy to win the Davis Cup for the first time since 1976.

In an interview with La Telefonata, Adriano Panatta compared Sinner’s aggressive playing style and mentality to boxer Mike Tyson: “Sinner is the only player who comes onto the court and doesn’t wait,” said the former Roland Garros champion. “I think of Tyson in his early fights, when he came in and hit until the opponent fell to the ground.”

“Sinner has this mentality: he plays, then he might miss a few balls, but he plays the match, he never waits,” the former World No. 4 added. “This is the big difference between him and the others; it’s what Alcaraz does when he’s in form, and in fact, he’s the only one who can beat him.

“I don’t even think Djokovic can do it, maybe in two sets out of three, but not in three out of five. Sinner never drops, he never makes silly mistakes,” the Italian tennis legend stated.

Sinner has faced Djokovic only once in 2024, where the Italian won in four sets in the Australian Open semifinals back in January. So far, Djokovic leads their head-to-head 4-3, although Sinner has won three of their last four encounters.

“In my opinion, if Sinner were to beat him two or three more times in 2024, he would become Djokovic’s nightmare, pushing him towards retirement,” said Panatta. “History teaches and usually repeats itself. [Bjorn] Borg retired with the arrival of [John] McEnroe, and McEnroe retired when [Boris] Becker arrived.”