“Yes, Jannik is a Martian”: Luciano Darderi lifts the lid on training with Sinner in Dubai

Luciano Darderi was Jannik Sinner's training partner during the last week of the off-season, in which the world No. 26 was working side-by-side with the four-time major champion ahead of the Australian swing. Darderi traveled to Dubai to join Sinner's work ahead of the new season.

The Argentine-born Italian finished a notable season, in which he managed to break into the top 30 for the first time, after having spent previous seasons competing mainly in Challenger tournaments. On the ATP tour, he managed to establish himself as a name to consider, winning three ATP 250 titles in the season, all on clay courts.

Darderi began the clay swing in April in the best way, defeating Tallon Griekspoor in the final of the Grand Prix Hassan II for his first title of the season and second of his career. Later, Darderi achieved consecutive titles at the Nordea Open and Croatia Open—beating rivals like Sebastian Baez, Francisco Cerundolo, and Dino Prizmic on the way to the back-to-back trophies he achieved in July, in the weeks following Wimbledon.

The 23-year-old player established himself towards the end of the season as the Italian No. 4—behind Sinner (No. 2), Musetti (No. 8), and Cobolli (No. 22). Darderi finished his best season as a professional and is already living the off-season thinking about 2026, where he was in Dubai working with four-time major champion Sinner.

Darderi recently wrote a first-person column for La Gazzetta dello Sport, in which he recounted details of the intense work a tennis player lives through during the off-season, despite not being in competition. "Off the court, I am not a solitary person; I like being surrounded by friends. I need a bit of joy, because you can't think only about tennis. Although tennis, in the end, is always there, at the center of everything."

The world No. 26 recounted his days working in Dubai—the city where he has his residence—where he joined Jannik Sinner's training sessions and described what it is like to work with him. "He is a guy of few words and a lot of substance. Only training and hard work. The last time was during Roland Garros. Compared to the level of the matches in India (where he played an exhibition days ago), it is a completely different game."

"The weight of the ball and the consistency in the rally make the difference. I felt as if I were in a spaceship that left Earth and landed on Mars. Yes, Jannik is a Martian," added Darderi regarding his compatriot. "These are tests that are incredibly useful for me to understand what I need to improve."

"During the last year, I entered the top 30 in the world and my goal for 2026 is to enter the top 20. It is not an obsession, but a clear direction," the Italian No. 4 added. "I know that tennis is a sport that requires enormous sacrifice and I am fully aware of that. But I am not one of those who back down. If I have to run a marathon every day to be among the best, I do it. If I have to climb a mountain, I climb it. It is my nature."

Darderi will start his season starting January 10 with a single preparatory tournament for the Australian Open. The 23-year-old player is entered in Auckland, where he will share the draw with players like Ben Shelton, Casper Ruud, and Jakub Mensik. It will be his only tournament before traveling to Melbourne, where he will have his second participation and will seek to improve upon the first round reached at the beginning of 2025—in which he retired in the middle of the match against Pedro Martinez due to physical problems when he was down 3-6, 1-4.