For me, the most difficult match was the 1st time against Rafael Nadal in Roland Garros and the 1st time with Novak Djokovic” – Jannik Sinner
Sinner is presently participating in his first competition since winning the Australian Open—the 2024 Rotterdam Open. The Italian, who won 6-2, 6-4 over Tallon Griekspoor in the semifinal on Saturday, February 18, advanced to face 25-year-old Alex de Minaur in the championship match.
Following Sinner’s match versus Griekspoor, the Rotterdam Open official account uploaded a video on X (formerly Twitter) including an interview with the Italian player conducted by a 12-year-old fan. The fan questioned Sinner about his hardest matches, among other things. In response, the Italian said:
“I’ve had some really difficult ones. I think anytime you play against a new player it’s really difficult because sometimes you don’t know what to expect.”
The first time Sinner faced Rafael Nadal was among his most challenging matches, he continued. 2020 French Open quarterfinalist 7-6(4), 6-4, 6-1 was the victory for the 22-time Grand Slam champion over the Italian.
In the second round of the 2021 Monte Carlo Masters, Sinner also claimed that his first matchup against Novak Djokovic was quite challenging. In favour of the Serb, the score was 6-4, 6-2.
“For me personally, the most difficult was the first time Rafa in Paris and Roland Garros and the first time with Novak was very difficult I think it was in Monte Carlo. So I’ve had some and you always have to try to learn from that,” Jannik Sinner said.
How Jannik Sinner has fared against Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic
Jannik Sinner has played Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic on the ATP tour a few times since going professional in 2018.
Sinner has played Nadal three times, and in each of their encounters, the Spaniard has prevailed. They met for the first time in 2020 during the French Open quarterfinals. Their next meeting took place in the Italian Open 2021 second round, while their final meeting took place in the French Open 2021 round of 16.
On the ATP tour, Djokovic and Sinner have faced off seven times, with Djokovic emerging victorious four times. In their seven encounters—three semifinals and a final—Sinner defeated Djokovic in the semifinal of the 2024 Australian Open. This was their most recent match.