Jannik Sinner’s Thunderous ‘Thud’ Earns Comparisons With Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer – ‘Not Just a Normal Person..’

Earlier today, a massive upset took place at the Australian Open. The World Number 1 and defending champion, Novak Djokovic, was knocked out of the Grand Slam Down Under. In what was a dominant display of tennis, Jannik Sinner got the better of the Serb in four sets 6-1, 6-2, 6-7 (6), 6-3 in just under three and a half hours. Following the big win, Sinner’s coach relived the victory by making a huge comparison.

Owing to his wonderful shot-making, Sinner is often compared to the likes of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. He is the next generation of stars that is billed to make it big in tennis. Today was no different as Sinner reminded his coach of the legendary duo.

Darren Cahill compares Jannik Sinner to Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal

Following Sinner’s historic win over Novak Djokovic, his legendary coach, Darren Cahill appeared for a post-match press conference. During the interview, he was asked if Sinner’s powerful shot-making reminded him of anyone.

Replying to this question, Cahill stated, “The sound of the ball when he hits it, it’s pretty amazing, isn’t it? Yeah. That was the one thing that I noticed, because I have seen him play from a distance a long time, for years now.”

Further, he went on to add, “Agassi hits the ball like that. When he hits the ball, it just sounds like it’s hit harder than everybody else. A lot of the great champions. Rafa was the exactly the same. Roger, when he hit a forehand, you could just hear the sound of it. And Novak, when he hits a forehand and backhand, it’s like a thud.”

DIVE DEEPER: Why Does Australian Open Contender Jannik Sinner Have Two Coaches?

Sinner has often been rated highly among the next generation of tennis stars. But despite one of the biggest victories of his career today, Cahill took a cheeky dig at him.

Cahill makes a hilarious statement about coaching Sinner

While Simone Vagnozzi is his long-time coach, the Italian also has Darren Cahill on his team. The latter joined the team recently and he, along with Vagnozzi, have worked together to improve Sinner’s game. After Sinner’s match against Djokovic today, Cahill showcased his light-hearted nature. He was asked about how it was to coach Sinner, to which replied, “It’s the worst job. The pay is low and you lose at card games.”

Sinner’s winning mentality separates him from the rest and he would like to continue that when he faces Daniil Medvedev in the summit clash of the Australian Open on Sunday. It’ll be interesting to see who comes out on the top in this nail-biting contest.

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