"Winning a Grand Slam will put him on another level and once that happens it is ‘wow’: Jimmy Connors about Jannik Sinner

Jannik Sinner was given a warning about avoiding burnout by tennis legend Jimmy Connors, while the American also praised the 22-year-old, saying he expects him to "take off" in the sport.

World No. 4 Sinner has had a hugely successful season in 2023, most recently winning the China Open and Vienna Open within a month of each other while also qualifying for the Nitto ATP Finals which will take place in Turin later this month.

Moreover, he surpassed 50-match wins this season for the first time in his career, achieving an 80.3% win record which is the third-highest of the year after Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz.

However, the Italian player withdrew from his second-round match at the recent Paris Masters due to a scheduling nightmare that would have not given him sufficient time to recover from his previous clash that ended at 2:37 am. He will be back on the Tour two more times this season to play at the ATP Finals and at the Davis Cup Finals.

In a recent episode of the Advantage Connors podcast, eight-time Grand Slam champion Connors gave a warning to Sinner about the need to avoid burnout.

"This is where good coaching comes in. There comes a point of time when he’ll have to put the brakes on, take a little rest, take care of himself so when the Australian Open comes around, he’s not exhausted.

"You can push yourself, but not so hard when Slams come around, you’re like, ‘I’m hurt, I’m tired,’ as those are the ones you really peak for. Even though he’s proven himself, beating all the top players, winning a Masters 1000 and now a couple of tournaments back-to-back," he said.

However, the 71-year-old also praised Sinner, predicting great things for his future in the sport.

"Winning a Grand Slam will put him on another level and once that happens it is ‘wow’, it will be fun to watch him take off also with a big win like that.

"Hopefully for him – and if he continues on the road that he is – that will happen soon," Connors continued.