As
Novak Djokovic returns to action for the first time since his damning Indian Wells loss to Luca Nardi, the leading Italian in
Jannik Sinner was under his microscope at the
Monte-Carlo Masters.
Speaking ahead of the tournament starting on Sunday April 07, Djokovic who will face Roman Safiullin or a qualifier in the second round called Sinner who he could meet in the final 'the best player in the world'.
Djokovic technically in terms of rankings is the current leader albeit this reign could end by earliest Madrid. Sinner has won 25 out of the last 26 matches and since beating Djokovic at the Davis Cup has only been defeated by Carlos Alcaraz.
His last loss before that was a revenge defeat to Novak Djokovic who had already lost to Sinner at the ATP Finals in the round robin. The 24-time Grand Slam champion sees vast improvement in the Italian including in learning from his mistakes and peaking at the right times. While they sit as rivals currently, game recognises game and that is certainly the case with Djokovic.
“Jannik is currently the best player in the world. He only lost one match. He has improved in all areas of his game. He moves better, he is very mentally present," said Djokovic as per L'Equipe ahead of the Monte-Carlo Masters.
"In important matches, we have seen the difference at Jannik for six months. He wins the big matches. He has learned from his mistakes and he is very present in important moments. We all knew that he could hit hard, forehand and backhand, that he loves to be aggressive by dictating the points. He always does this but now he hits fewer errors, more margin. This is a very great evolution from a technical and tactical point of view. He plays incredible tennis.”
