"Djokovic lived for and by tennis all day, Sinner is just like him"

Streaming ITF W35 Santa Margherita live tennis

🎾 Gabriela Knutson vs Kristina Novak

* You can watch and bet on this match live here..

When Jannik Sinner marked the number of Marco Panichi, he didn't think twice. He had just committed to Juncheng Shang, but he knew that his compatriot's ship only sailed once. With the scandal of clostebol and his separation from Ferrara and Naldi still fresh, the one from San Candido was trying to find in his replacements an extra competitiveness that would allow him to continue being the beacon of the ATP circuit. And he found it, at least in the field of preparation, in two men who knew perfectly well the intricacies of the most successful player in history.

Shaping the final stretch of the career of a competitive beast named Novak Djokovic offers a unique perspective. This is something that Panichi, who fit like a glove in Jannik's team, knows very well. He is one of the most vocal members of his coaching staff, showing a lot of emotions in every tournament. This new challenge in his career comes with a very broad view, a view that allows him to also draw similarities between the redhead and the Serbian. Are there any, perhaps? Is it a viewpoint that members of Jannik's team agree with? Judging by Marco's words on the Tressessanta podcast, it is an accurate comparison... particularly for one specific aspect.

"Novak was someone who lived for and by tennis 24 hours a day. Jannik is exactly the same, although in a different way. Sinner is someone who lives for and by tennis, he is competitive even in training. That's how he has fun. The great champions are like that: people who have fun doing what they do. Behind it all, there is always that pleasure in competing," Panichi stated unequivocally, a guy who also confessed that his love for tennis dates back to his childhood, specifically to a Davis Cup final that the Italian team played against Chile (when he was just ten years old).

A DEEP DIVE INTO DJOKOVIC'S MINDSET

The period that brought Marco into the media spotlight took place between 2019 and 2024. These are the five years he spent alongside Novak Djokovic, with whom he experienced many things, from the deportation episode in Australia to the triumphant return of 2023. Few can boast of having shared so many experiences with the Serbian, although the point that the Italian most highlights about his former pupil refers to his mindset every time he steps on the court.

"Djokovic turns his desire to compete into one of his greatest strengths. Nole, metaphorically, needs an enemy to fight against. Whether it's the crowd or his opponent on the court... he needs that energy boost. In the past, when we saw him overly calm, we tried to ignite him. It was a method that has served him well to get pumped up during each match. There are other players who need exactly the opposite, but this is the case for Novak," a knowledge that Sinner surely keeps in mind every time he shares the court with the Serbian.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, "Djokovic vivía por y para el tenis todo el día, Sinner es igual que él"