Compliments from Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal & Novak Djokovic are nice but I still have a lot to prove: Jannik Sinner

Rising Italian tennis star Jannik Sinner is happy to receive praise from legends such as Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and John McEnroe, but he feels he still has a long road ahead of him.

The 19-year-old has had an incredible 2020 season to say the least. Sinner reached his first Grand Slam quarterfinal at the French Open, defeating the likes of David Goffin and Alexander Zverev along the way, before eventually losing to Rafael Nadal. He also won his first ATP Tour title at the Sofia Open in November.

Sinner ended the year as World No. 37, earning praise for his game as well as his maturity on the court, and he acknowledged as much during a recent interaction.

"The compliments and praise are nice but I still have to prove everything. I have only won one ATP tournament so far, there is still a long way to go and a lot of work," Sinner said on the show "Che tempo che fa" while answering a question from host Fabio Fazio who listed champions such as Federer, Nadal, Djokovic and McEnroe predicting a great future for him.

Jannik Sinner also spoke about the work he had done during the lockdown when the tour was suspended for five months, and his plans for the start of the new season.

"Without lockdown, would I have been ahead of 37th place in the ranking? Maybe yes, but maybe no. During the lockdown I did a lot of athletic work and then also a lot of tennis and so I was able to improve myself," Jannik Sinner said. "Now I'm preparing for next season, I'm training for the Australian Open, but the dates are not yet known."

Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic among those who have heaped praise on Jannik Sinner

Jannik Sinner at the 2020 French Open

From the 'Big 3' of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, the Spaniard is the only one to have played Sinner so far. The two met in the quarterfinals of the French Open, with Rafael Nadal scoring a 7-6, 6-4, 6-1 win.

Following the encounter, the 34-year-old heaped rich praise on the youngster for his shot-making ability.

“Sinner is a very, very young talent with a lot of power, great shots. For two sets it was tough, especially at the end of that first set. I was lucky to be back from 5-6, having to break him back. The conditions here were a little bit difficult because he was hitting every ball very hard,” Nadal said.

World No. 1 Novak Djokovic is also very impressed with Jannik Sinner, and during the Vienna Open he acknowledged that the Italian had the potential to become the best player in the world one day.

“I definitely see a lot of quality in the young players. But Jannik Sinner is one to watch. (Sinner) possesses a game that is powerful and is with a lot of quality, and you can say he has the potential to be a top player of the world,” Djokovic said.