Jannik Sinner beats Adriano Panatta in four sets

We asked Artificial Intelligence how the match between Jannik Sinner and Adriano Panatta, at their highest level, would end on clay. Here’s the answer.

“It’s an impossible comparison to really “measure,” because they change era, racquets, athletic preparation and average ball speed. However, if I had to be unbalanced, on today’s clay I would give Jannik Sinner a clear favorite at his highest level. Panatta remains a huge clay court champion, with Roland Garros and Rome won in 1976 and a best ranking of No. 4, so we’re not talking about an outsider.”

“The point is that Sinner’s modern peak, in terms of intensity from the back, continuity, response and athleticism, would probably be too high even for a top Panatta. In addition, Sinner has risen to No. 1 in the ATP rankings and in recent years has also built a very solid base on clay, with top-level results on red and an ATP record on the surface reported at 73 percent.”

“My estimate: Sinner wins 3 sets to 1 in a Slam scenario on clay. The most plausible score, to me, is something like 6-4 3-6 6-3 6-2. Why not 3-0 straight sets? Because Panatta at his best had natural talent, hand, variation, touch and a sensitivity on clay that could greatly soil the match, taking away Sinner’s rhythm and taking him out of the box for a set. Panatta, for that matter, even managed to beat Borg on clay at Roland Garros in 1976, which is very rare.”