"I think Novak is a bit more complete than Jannik" - Toni Nadal gives Novak Djokovic the upper hand over Jannik Sinner

Rafael Nadal's former coach Toni Nadal has highlighted the differences between Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic. Despite the domination Sinner has recently enjoyed over his Serbian rival, Djokovic has been called the 'more complete' by the Spaniard.

Sinner has risen rapidly up the tennis ladder, catapulting himself amongst the best. He has already collected four Grand Slam titles at the age of 24 along with a plethora of other titles and awards, including the ATP Finals in 2024.

While he and his on-court rival Carlos Alcaraz has ran away from the chasing pack, Djokovic is just about keeping tabs with the big two despite his age. The 38-year-old is seen as the third best tennis player currently on the ATP Circuit by many and have proved this by reaching four consecutive Grand Slam semi-finals. However, he has not been able to get over the line against his compatriots in the last three events, losing out to Sinner in two of them.

The pair are seen as different players. While he believes Sinner can achieve more power in his shots which complies with the fast pace he plays at, Djokovic has better touch and tactical ability when on the court.

"I think Novak is a bit more complete than Jannik," Nadal said. "Jannik has more speed in his shots, Novak a bit more touch. They share the fact that they always impose a high tempo and have exceptional ball control, with very high-level movement. Jannik plays with a very defined pattern: he imposes a very fast pace right from the start, difficult for anyone to follow."

This fast pace created by Sinner makes it so hard for anyone to compete with him, let alone get remotely close at times. He has a weapon of a forehand which can send the ball flying past his opponent in the blink of an eye. This is compared to Djokovic who in Nadal's eyes may not be able to strike the ball with as much power but is capable of replying to this pace with such skill that he is able to dictate the play, accurately planting the ball where he wants it. While Sinner looks to end rallies quickly, Djokovic can both end points abruptly as well as elongating them out.

Despite Nadal calling Djokovic more complete, their recent matchups say a different story. The 24-time Grand Slam champion is normally the one delivering ruthless win streaks against opponents enroute to major titles, but it is Sinner who is giving him his own medicine.

The last win Djokovic got over the Italian was in the 2023 ATP Finals after previously losing to him in the group phase. Sinner would extract his revenge in the Davis Cup. This win kept Italy in their semi-final clash against Serbia before both players took to the court to compete in the doubles. Sinner and Italy went on to take home the Davis Cup in 2023.

What followed was a sign for the future. In the Australian Open semi-final, Sinner dumped out the 10-time champion in Melbourne with a dominant showing. He repeated the fate in Roland Garros and Wimbledon this year, not dropping a set against Djokovic in these two ties. Before this he also picked up key triumphs against him in the Shanghai Masters final and Six Kings Slam semi-final, before repeating the fate a year on in Riyadh.

This miserable record has not de-motivated Djokovic, who recently picked up a title in the Hellenic Championship. He will return to the court next year hoping to dish out some despair for Sinner. This will not occur at the ongoing ATP Tour Finals, in which you can read more about the tournament format and players.