“One of the Candidates to be Number 1”: Toni Nadal Makes Big Claim on Jannik Sinner

Rafael Nadal’s uncle and coach, Toni Nadal, has spoken highly of rising Italian tennis star Jannik Sinner.

Speaking to EuroSport, Toni Nadal marked the Italian for great things in future.

“Great player”: Toni Nadal on Jannik Sinner

He said before long, Sinner would be vying for the Number 1 ranking along with Stefanos Tsitisipas and Daniil Medvedev.

At 19, Sinner became the youngest player to win a Tour title in twelve years after clinching the Sofia Open.

Lavishing praise on the youngster, Nadal’s uncle said, “Sinner is a great player……one of the candidates to be number one in the world.”

Read More: “Going to Start Even Better Next Year”: Jannik Sinner After Creating History at ATP Sofia

Rafa’s uncle impressed by Sinner’s level of maturity

The celebrated coach said despite being young and fairly new to professional tennis, Sinner has shown maturity far beyond his years.

“Despite his youth, (he is) showing (great) maturity in the game,”  Rafa’s ‘Uncle Toni’ said.

Predicting a rosy future for the Italian, Toni said he saw Sinner picking up more Tour titles along the way, as well as rising up ranks.

“He has a great future. For sure, he, Tsitsipas and Medvedev will fight for the top spot in the next few years,” Toni said.

Asked to assess Sinner’s game, the Spaniard said despite being in his third year in the professional circuit, the Italian looks like a finished article.

Toni finds no flaw in Sinner’s game

Making a big claim on the blonde-haired Italian, the veteran coach said it’s hard to pick a flaw in his game.

“Sinner seems very complete to me…he does everything quite well indeed, very well,” Toni said.

His title-run at the Sofia Open saw Sinner rise to 37th in the ATP singles rankings. Showing exemplary grit and temperament for a 19-year-old, Sinner beat Canadian Vasek Pospisil in three tough sets to claim his maiden ATP title.

He also became the youngest Italian to win a Tour title since the Open Era.

After winning the opening set, Sinner dropped the next. However, he got his act together to win the tie-break in the deciding set and lift his first trophy on Tour.