Fun to be part of the Next Gen alongside Carlos Alcaraz, Holger Rune and others: Jannik Sinner

Jannik Sinner is excited to be a part of the Next Gen ATP players alongside the likes of Carlos Alcaraz and Holger Rune, as he believes they all have unique personalities and unique playstyles that make for good competition.

Speaking to Interview Magazine, the Italian noted that it was "exciting" for him to see so many youngsters winning tournaments these days and that it was "fun" for him to be considered part of the group.

"Everyone can see that the next generation is coming closer. Me, Carlos, Rune, Tsitsipas, Zverev, Medvedev. We are all very young. And so many other players are coming. It’s exciting to see others winning tournaments. Everyone is different and has different personalities and ways to play. It’s fun to be part of it," Jannik Sinner said.

While the 21-year-old admitted that he had "good relations" with everyone and was on talking terms with them, he made it clear that winning on the court was the main "job" he was there to do.

"I have zero problems with any of the other guys on tour, which is very important to me. I talk with everyone and have good relations with everyone. But I more go out and do my job and go back to my team and my friends," Sinner said.

Jannik Sinner further spoke about his experience of playing against legends of the game like Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray, regretting the fact that he never got to play against Roger Federer and Juan Martin del Potro before the duo hung up their racquets last year.

The World No. 8 also hoped Kei Nishikori would make a comeback soon, as he wanted to play against the Japanese before he called it a day.

"No, [I didn't get to play against Roger Federer]. And there aren’t many players that I’m missing. I played with Rafa, Novak, Andy. There are some retired players I would have loved to play against [like Del Potro]. I also hope Kei Nishikori comes back because I never got to play against him," Jannik Sinner said.

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"Last year I was very consistent and this year I hope I can take it a level further" - Jannik Sinner

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Jannik Sinner then turned his attention to his "heartbreaking" recent losses at Grand Slams: against Novak Djokovic at the 2022 Wimbledon, Carlos Alcaraz at the US Open and Stefanos Tsitsipas at the 2023 Australian Open -- all of which were five-setters that went the distance.

The Italian saw the silver lining in those defeats, declaring that he has learnt from his mistakes and was looking forward to improving on his consistency from last year and going even further this season.

"For sure it’s heartbreaking knowing that you were up with the score or could have made some better decisions. But it shows me the level is there and I’m not far away. I feel I’m getting closer every time. I have to be patient, which is the toughest thing to deal with. Last year I was very consistent and made a lot of quarterfinals. This year I hope I can take it a level further," Jannik Sinner said.