'I think it’s obvious': Novak Djokovic admits similarities between his and Jannik Sinner's gameplay

Serbia’s Novak Djokovic has acknowledged that there are several similarities between his and Jannik Sinner’s gameplay. Both players are currently competing at Wimbledon, where they have secured their spots in the fourth round.

Djokovic defeated America’s Miomir Kecmanovic in the third round in straight sets with a score of 6-3, 6-0, 6-4. On the other hand, Sinner outclassed Spain’s Pedro Martinez in straight sets with a score of 6-1, 6-3, 6-1. Djokovic will next face Australia’s Alex de Minaur, whereas Sinner will go up against Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov. Sinner, recently, while speaking to the media during Wimbledon 2025, stated that he looked up to Djokovic to improve his gameplay as he believes there are similarities between the two.

Djokovic was asked about Sinner’s comments after his win over Kecmanovic. The 38-year-old was quick to admit that there are many parallels between the two players in terms of their approach to the game on the court. Djokovic further went on to praise Sinner for the improvements he made in the recent past, which makes him one of the best players in the world, along with Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz.

“I think it’s obvious in terms of the style of play that we both have, that we have quite a bit of similarities,” said Djokovic. “We try to take the ball early, be aggressive, and dominate the exchange from the baseline. “I remember him as a really young kid, I think he was 13, 14 years old when I met him first and hit some balls with him. Already at that point, he was skinny and tall, kind of like myself. He’s taller than me, but I was always quite skinny when I was younger. He was just ripping the ball. You could see that he’s got really good timing, good speed on his strokes. He uses a Head Speed racquet that I use, as well. There are quite a few similarities. But he’s unique in his own way. The work that he has done with his team over the last couple of years is tremendous in terms of his improvement. Serve, movement, accuracy. I mean, as much as everybody talks about the speed of his shots, but the timing is incredible. I think he decreased the number of unforced errors he had, maybe in the first few years of his career, and now he’s just super accurate and constantly puts pressure on the opponent because he plays so fast. So, yeah, I’m glad that I was able to in a sense influence him in a positive way, hopefully as someone that he was looking up to in terms of the game."