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Rafael Nadal’s former coach Toni Nadal has highlighted the differences between Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic. Despite the domination Sinner has recently enjoyed over his Serbian rival, Djokovic has been called the ‘more complete’ by the Spaniard.
Sinner has risen rapidly up the tennis ladder, catapulting himself amongst the best. He has already collected four Grand Slam titles at the age of 24 along with a plethora of other titles and awards, including the ATP Finals in 2024.
While he and his on-court rival Carlos Alcaraz has ran away from the chasing pack, Djokovic is just about keeping tabs with the big two despite his age. The 38-year-old is seen as the third best tennis player currently on the ATP Circuit by many and have proved this by reaching four consecutive Grand Slam semi-finals. However, he has not been able to get over the line against his compatriots in the last three events, losing out to Sinner in two of them.
Nadal picks out differences between Sinner and Djokovic
The pair are seen as different players. While he believes Sinner can achieve more power in his shots which complies with the fast pace he plays at, Djokovic has better touch and tactical ability when on the court.
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“Djokovic earned his right to be in the field” – Mark Petchey and Jim Courier side with Novak Djokovic’s decision to skip ATP Finals“I think Novak is a bit more complete than Jannik,” Nadal said. “Jannik has more speed in his shots, Novak a bit more touch. They share the fact that they always impose a high tempo and have exceptional ball control, with very high-level movement. Jannik plays with a very defined pattern: he imposes a very fast pace right from the start, difficult for anyone to follow.”
This fast pace created by Sinner makes it so hard for anyone to compete with him, let alone get remotely close at times. He has a weapon of a forehand which can send the ball flying past his opponent in the blink of an eye. This is compared to Djokovic who in Nadal’s eyes may not be able to strike the ball with as much power but is capable of replying to this pace with such skill that he is able to dictate the play, accurately planting the ball where he wants it. While Sinner looks to end rallies quickly, Djokovic can both end points abruptly as well as elongating them out.
Sinner 7-0 in last seven meetings with Djokovic
Despite Nadal calling Djokovic more complete, their recent matchups say a different story. The 24-time Grand Slam champion is normally the one delivering ruthless win streaks against opponents enroute to major titles, but it is Sinner who is giving him his own medicine.
Jannik Sinner has won the last seven meetings against Novak Djokovic
The last win Djokovic got over the Italian was in the 2023 ATP Finals after previously losing to him in the group phase. Sinner would extract his revenge in the Davis Cup. This win kept Italy in their semi-final clash against Serbia before both players took to the court to compete in the doubles. Sinner and Italy went on to take home the Davis Cup in 2023.
What followed was a sign for the future. In the Australian Open semi-final, Sinner dumped out the 10-time champion in Melbourne with a dominant showing. He repeated the fate in Roland Garros and Wimbledon this year, not dropping a set against Djokovic in these two ties. Before this he also picked up key triumphs against him in the Shanghai Masters final and Six Kings Slam semi-final, before repeating the fate a year on in Riyadh.
This miserable record has not de-motivated Djokovic, who recently picked up a title in the Hellenic Championship. He will return to the court next year hoping to dish out some despair for Sinner. This will not occur at the ongoing ATP Tour Finals, in which you can read more about the tournament format and players.
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“Djokovic earned his right to be in the field” – Mark Petchey and Jim Courier side with Novak Djokovic’s decision to skip ATP Finals
Tuesday, 11 November 2025 at 12:32
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Novak Djokovic has divided opinion after taking the executive decision to not compete in the ATP Finals. While many fans have an issue with this, Mark Petchey and Jim Courier had no qualms with the seven-time champion sitting out.
After competing and triumphing in the Hellenic Championship, Djokovic was cutting it very fine to make a decision ahead of the final event in 2025. An elbow injury made his decision slightly easier as he informed Lorenzo Musetti at the net after their final clash. To see Musetti’s fixtures and results, follow our ATP Finals coverage here.
Petchey praises ATP amid rule change for 2026
Emma Raducanu’s former coach had not problems with this decision. “Yeah, no problem at all,” he said on the Tennis Channel.
Next year, the Race to Turin will be cut off after the Paris Masters to avoid the debacle that has surrounded this year’s tournament. “I think a big shout-out to the ATP that next year, of course, the race finishes after Paris,” Petchey said, fully backing the ATP’s decision. “Any tournaments after Paris won’t count towards qualification, so we won’t have this situation again.”
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Casualties in main field could open door for Alexander Bublik to make ATP Finals debut and earn over £300kHe labelled it as a huge chance for the Serbian to step up recovery and preparation ahead of going Down Under in January. “But Novak’s allowed to do what he wants, as far as I’m concerned. He’s given everything to the sport,” Petchey acknowledged. “If he feels he needs it — and let’s not forget, he’s got an extra week now ahead of the new season, because the Australian Open is a week later this year — this is a huge off-season for him. It’s a big chance to take a break and get himself ready, which, of course, is his biggest goal: winning more majors.”
Djokovic’s loss is Musetti’s gain
Courier focused on the positive aspect of this decision – Musetti making his debut in the event. “Look, big picture — if you look at it from Musetti’s perspective, you might think, ‘Boy, it would’ve been nice to know.’ If Novak knew before the tournament started, or at any point, that by not playing, Lorenzo would get in, that might have changed things,” the American said. “Musetti’s going to come into his first ATP Finals gassed — he’s going to be on fumes. But he’s in, and that’s great for him.”
Credit: Picture: IMAGO
The four-time Grand Slam champion also noted that we do not know all the proceedings behind the scenes. “We’ve got to give a lot of room for what we don’t know. There are so many factors in play here,” he admitted. “Novak was strapped up on his shoulder — that’s the reason he’s not playing. His family owns that tournament, so he has responsibilities to it too. Whatever his decision-making process was, it could have impacted the whole tournament. So, like you, I give a lot of room for what I don’t know.”
He followed up by backing what Petchey commented. “What I do know is that Djokovic earned his right to be in the field — and also has the right to pull out whenever he wants. That’s where I stand. I’m sure there are a lot of people out there saying, ‘He shouldn’t have done this.’ But we just don’t know what he knows — and unless you’re in his seat, I don’t think you can give a fair assessment of it.”
Petchey was also very excited to witness Musetti step out onto the court in Turin for the first time. “It was exciting as a fan to see whether Musetti was going to get in or not. But ultimately, what you want is a draw that’s set so you can build towards it without any doubt about who’s going to be there. For Musetti, it’s great news — he gets to make his debut,” he concluded.
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