Jannik Sinner: The Prophecy of a Former Great Who Proved the Haters Wrong

There were those who recognized Jannik Sinner’s potential even when he was still far from the top of the world tennis rankings. Among them is Potito Starace, a former No. 27 in the ATP rankings, who can now look back with the satisfaction of someone who foresaw the future of the South Tyrolean champion. In a recent interview, the former Italian tennis player recounted how he had bet on Jannik’s chances of becoming world number one when few others were willing to believe it.

“Three years ago, people thought I was crazy because I said Sinner would become number one,” Starace said. This conviction developed as he closely observed the young South Tyrolean’s growth and, above all, his ability to compete even then against top-level opponents, despite some technical shortcomings.

The former tennis player also recalled the criticism he received when he first made his prediction. “They told me: ‘He can’t make it; he doesn’t have the volley, the drop shot, or even the serve. I believed he could become number one because even back then he was playing on equal footing with the top players.”

What impressed him, therefore, were not just the results, but the qualities and mindset Sinner had displayed from the very beginning of his career. Starace explained that Jannik’s name had initially been brought to his attention by a friend—a fan of Futures and Challenger tournaments—during a casual chat at a bar. From that moment on, he began following his progress, becoming increasingly convinced of his potential.

In the interview, Starace also highlighted the work of Simone Vagnozzi, the coach who played a fundamental role in the Italian champion’s technical development. According to the former world No. 27, it was precisely the coach from the Marche region who helped round out Sinner’s repertoire, addressing certain aspects that were initially his weaknesses: “He worked a lot with Sinner on the technical side, because there were some gaps before. He knows how to serve, he knows how to hit a drop shot, and when he comes to the net, he knows how to volley—things he used to struggle with. A lot of the credit goes to Simone,” Starace explained.