Ilie Nastase sends a clear message to Jannik Sinner

Romanian tennis legend Ilie Nastase also spoke about Jannik Sinner on stage at the Festival dello Sport in Trento. Unlike some of his contemporaries, the two-time Grand Slam champion isn’t so opposed to modern tennis: “I like it; every era has its champions: in my day there was someone like Laver, and now there’s Sinner. You can’t compare different eras in any sport.”

According to Nastase, Sinner is the best of this generation: “If you have a good serve and move well today, you don’t need much else to excel. There’s not much play at the net, and he’s incredibly strong just as he is. But the greatest of all, among those I’ve seen, remains Rafa Nadal: winning 14 times in Paris is worth more than any other Grand Slam,” according to La Gazzetta dello Sport.

Sinner is currently sidelined due to injury, and many say that players on the current tour play too much: “Whoever plays the most is the one who wins the most—it’s that simple—so it depends on your level. But today, if someone loses in the first round, they have five days to prepare for the next tournament. Someone else who makes it to Sunday, on the other hand, plays the final and maybe has to start another tournament as early as Monday. It’s very difficult.”

On the massive earnings in today’s tennis: “I’m glad they’re making all this money today. I feel sorry for those who came before, like Rod Laver. He won two Grand Slams and earned very little. They were the ones who made today’s tennis earnings possible, but they didn’t get what these guys have.”