"Why are people so obsessed to see Novak Djokovic fall and retire" - Fans react to Adriano Panatta's "retirement" claims about Serb ft. Jannik Sinner

Tennis fans responded to Adriano Panatta claiming that Jannik Sinner could push Novak Djokovic into retirement if he won a few matches against the World No. 1 in 2024.

The two recently locked horns in the semifinals of the Davis Cup, with the Italian winning 6-2, 2-6, 7-5 after saving three match points. This was Sinner's second win in three matches against the Serb in November.

Panatta, who won the French Open in 1976, claimed that the World No. 4 could become Djokovic's nightmare if he beat him twice or thrice in 2024. He also said that the Italian could push the Serb into retirement.

“In my opinion, if Sinner were to beat him two or three more times in 2024, he would become Djokovic's nightmare, pushing him towards retirement. History teaches & usually repeats itself. Borg quit with the arrival of McEnroe, McEnroe retired when Becker arrived," Panatta told Rai News 24.

Several fans were far from pleased with Panatta's statements, with one claiming that people were obsessed to see Djokovic lose and retire.

"Why are people so obsessed to see Djokovic fall and retire, it's so weird," the fan's tweet read.

One fan called Panatta's statements "funny", claiming that Djokovic defeated Sinner when it mattered the most.

"Funny considering Djokovic spanked him when it mattered the most. I highly doubt Djokovic is going anywhere for 2 more years," the fan's tweet read.

Another fan claimed that Sinner defeating Djokovic twice or thrice in 2024 would only motivate the Serb to work hard.

"He obviously doesn't know Novak. If, by some crazy chance, Skinner beats him 2 or 3 times in 2024, it will just motive Novak to work harder and play better to continue his dominance. Listen, of course he'll lose here and there, but I guarantee he'll never go down without a fight," the fan's tweet read.

Here are some more fan reactions:

Novak Djokovic currently has a 4-2 head-to-head lead over Jannik Sinner

Novak Djokovic in action at the Davis Cup Finals

Novak Djokovic has locked horns with Jannik Sinner on six occasions so far and leads 4-2 in the head-to-head between the two.

Their first encounter came in the second round of the 2021 Monte-Carlo Masters, with the Serb winning 6-4, 6-2. They then faced one another the following year in the Wimbledon quarterfinals where Djokovic came back from two sets down to beat Sinner 5-7, 2-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-2.

The two faced one another four times this season, the first occasion coming in the Wimbledon semifinals where the Serb came out on top 6-3, 6-4, 7-6(6). They locked horns twice at the ATP Finals in Turin, with Sinner winning 7-5, 6-7(5), 7-6(2) in the group stage and Djokovic triumphing 6-3, 6-3 in the final.

The most recent encounter between the two came in the semifinals of the Davis Cup, where the Italian registered a 6-2, 2-6, 7-5 win to keep Italy alive in their tie against Serbia, which they went on to win 2-1.