“A player who has made me grow a lot is Daniil Medvedev” – Sinner

The Italian lost his first six matches to Medvedev before turning their head-to-head in his favour

Daniil Medvedev and Jannik Sinner in 2023 (Gepa/Panoramic)

December 4, 2024

World No 1 Jannik Sinner has credited Daniil Medvedev as the player who made him grow a lot and forced him to learn how to serve-and-volley in order to beat the Russian.

Medvedev defeated the Italian in the first six meetings that they contested before Sinner turned the head-to-head around eight of the next nine to lead 8-7 in their rivalry.

“A player who has made me grow a lot is Medvedev. I had never done serve and volley, and he forced me to practise that to try to beat him,” Sinner said in an interview to Esquire Australia. “Against some players, I have to do more of a long backhand. In tennis, you learn from your relationship with your opponent. The real question for the player is: how do I get into the opponent’s head? If you guess the answer, things in the match change.”

“For me, losing often to Novak Djokovic taught me a lot” – Jannik Sinner

Sinner and Djokovic — © Ella Ling/Shutterstock/SIPA

In the same interview, the two-time Grand Slam champion added that his losses to Novak Djokovic also taught him a lot.

“I am more of the belief that you are either winning or learning. For me, losing often to Novak Djokovic taught me a lot. It’s good for you; it wakes you up. In football, you might play against Ronaldo and realise you have to prepare better next time. But when is the next time? In tennis, we have more opportunities to make up for it,” the Italian said.