Stan Wawrinka cuts to the chase and doesn’t mince words about Jannik Sinner

Jannik Sinner is dominating the ATP circuit and comparisons with the great tennis players of the past are now mandatory. On social networks and in the media, the debate is raging between those who do not consider the Azzurro already at the level of Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal, and Novak Djokovic and those who are now certain that the South Tyrolean has reached that status.

Stan Wawrinka, a veteran tennis player who has really played with legends, in an interview with The Times did not mince words and sided with those who already consider the Italian champion to be at the level of the greatest: “I knew he would be really good. That he would be that good? No. Now we’re not talking about being really good. We’re talking about being a legend.”

According to the Swiss Sinner, he has already climbed to the top: “When you get there it can be really hard to keep calm. It’s a rollercoaster of emotions, and you can’t just stay at the top unless you’re Jannik Sinner and those champions we mentioned.”

Wawrinka going back over his career pointed to Federer as the strongest opponent he ever faced, “Because of all the history we had together, but also because his style of play was not my favorite. We knew each other perfectly. We had shared so many moments, and his level and his way of making me uncomfortable put me under pressure from the very first point.”

But Nadal and Djokovic were certainly not to be outdone: “Rafa on clay has always been the biggest challenge for me. First, because of his level, of course, but also because of the intensity he put into every shot. You always felt like you were going to drown underwater, so my favorite opponent was Novak. I lost more than 20 times against him, but compared to the others, he was still someone I did well against.”