Panatta on Sinner's dominant display: 'I almost want to change the channel'

Former Italian Grand Slam winner Adriano Panatta has stated that he wanted to ‘change the channel’ while watching world number one Jannik Sinner’s dominant display in the ATP Finals opening round clash. The 23-year-old, who is regarded as one of the best players currently playing in men’s tennis in the singles category, has a great beginning in the last major event in men’s tennis in the calendar year which is currently being played in Turin, Italy.

Sinner outclassed Australia’s Alex de Minaur in his first match of the competition in straight sets with a score of 6-3, 6-4. The crowd sitting in the arena were thrilled to watch the best player in men’s tennis showcasing his class on the home soil. However, one Italian was not that impressed with the performance of Sinner and that was Panatta.

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The 74, who was the last Italian player to win a Grand Slam before Sinner when he lifted the French Open in 1974, was recently quoted in a report by English media outlet Daily Express where he expressed his frustration after seeing lack of planning against the reigning world number one. Panatta was of the opinion that as things stand, Sinner can only lose to players such as Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz and Serbia’s Novak Djokovic. He further went on to express his desire to Alcaraz and Sinner go head to head in the final of the competition.

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“At the moment, Jannik can only lose against [Carlos] Alcaraz or maybe [Novak] Djokovic,” he said. “He can stumble against [Alexander] Zverev, but that won't happen to him against [Daniil] Medvedev. As for the rest of the field? They seem to have absolutely no idea how to beat him. They're already starting to lose. I almost want to change the channel because the outcome is so predictable. I hope there will be a final between Alcaraz and Sinner. That would be the only really hard-fought match of this tournament."