"Jannik Sinner is a complete player" - says Nadal after their Rome Masters clash

It was a very tight match between Rafael Nadal and Jannik Sinner with the Spaniard avoiding the 3rd set after a late 2nd set rally.

Rafael Nadal defeated Jannik Sinner 7-5 6-4 at the Rome Masters to move on to the next round and after the match, he gave high praise for the young Italian who has been on the rise in 2021. Of the youngster Nadal said:

“I think Jannik is a very complete player. He's still improving all the time. You can't appreciate the improvement in one day. To see the improvements of players, you need to follow them [for many] tournaments in a row. You follow him and you see that his level is higher and higher all the time.”

Nadal had his hand full against Sinner being a break down on three separate occasions but his fighting spirit propelled him in that moments to come back and finish the match in straight sets. On the match itself Nadal said:

“[It was] a positive match for me. I think I did a lot of things well. I played a solid match. [I am] happy in [that there were] a lot of positive things against a very tough player like Jannik. Very pleased with the victory.”

Nadal was aware of the diffculty of the match going into it saying:

“It’s not a surprise for me. I know how good he is and the shots he has. He has great shots when he's running. He has always great comebacks from tough positions. I was on the court with big respect for him and very focused every single moment. That's why I am here with a victory.”