We have a big, obvious problem: Jannik Sinner is 23 years old and we have already run out of adjectives to describe it. 70 wins and six defeats, eight titles, including two Slams and the ATP Finals: but do you realize what Jannik has done in 2024?

It’s true that he closed 2023 showing flashes of very lively class, with the three match points canceled out by Djokovic in the Davis Cup as sliding doors and a declaration of intent to the entire ATP circuit: from today you have to deal with me too. However, imagining that Sinner would be able to drive such a wedge between himself and his opponents was difficult to predict even for the most optimistic. The way he was playing on hard courts, indoors and outdoors, thinking about his first time in Australia or New York wasn’t crazy. But the balance of his season went much further.

Not only did no one match his pace, they didn’t even come close. We later discovered that the defeats at Roland Garros (by Alcaraz) and Wimbledon (by Medvedev) were at the height of the Wada affair… Without that burden on our heads, we believe that the journey in Paris and London would have been different.

How many Slams will Jannik win?

Yet another masterpiece of his year, the first of his career at ATP level in Italy, can only push fans and professionals to hypothesize the impact that Jannik will have on the history of tennis. Premature and very difficult exercise, but since we have the number 1 in the world for the first time, why not do it? Becker has reached 6 Slams, McEnroe 7 and Lendl-Connors 8. Are we still going up? Borg, who left the scene at a very young age, amassed 11 majors between Wimbledon and Paris, while Sampras touched the previous record of the Australian Emerson, stopping at 14. Only the Martians, the Big Three, are ahead of Pistol Pete.

Tennis is a capricious sport, every now and then someone decides to reign without taking into account who is coming from behind. It happened to all number 1s. In recent history, Federer was on his way to scoring one Grand Slam after another, then a guy like Nadal rings the bell and his plans go to pieces. Ditto for the Majorcan when he saw a moving train called Djokovic coming from the east.

In short, Draper, Shelton, Rune if he makes peace with himself, maybe that Fonseca born in 2006 all talent and power, why not, even Musetti: Jannik’s opponents will not be lacking.

Yet, the great news for us, terrible for all the other tennis players on planet earth, is that Sinner has room for improvement almost everywhere, and above all he has the mentality and talent to make these progress a reality in the short term. Thanks to him and to a staff that has built itself piece by piece. The recent arrival of Marco Panichi, a crucial figure in extending Nole’s career at high levels, will make the difference between the South Tyrolean and the other big names even wider.

What growth with Vagnozzi

The evolution of Sinner since the arrival of Simone Vagnozzi has been sensational. Simone is lucky enough to lead a fortune, but for this very reason his task is very difficult. So far he hasn’t missed a single adverb and the balance with which he is accompanying Jannik is that of the strongest. Darren Cahill is right: Vagnozzi is already one of the best coaches in the world today, because he has very high skills and the flexibility that is indispensable if you find yourself alongside the number 1. Too much fundamentalism would go badly with the management of a champion.

Sinner, we also saw him in Turin at the Nitto ATP Finals which he won on autopilot, knows how to do practically everything better than the others. Service, return, court coverage, ball speed, choice of play, ability not to tremble in the most important points: no one, to date, can keep up with him. Alcaraz in top condition is still superior to him in terms of variations and touch near the net, but the feeling is that Sinner at 60% loses from a few, while a struggling Carlitos has less margin.

Sinner like Lendl?

The only one to win the Masters Tournament without losing a set was Ivan Lendl in 1986 and there are many points of contact with the blue. Ivan the Terrible, as number 3 in the world behind McEnroe and Connors, dedicated every drop of sweat to improving himself. He included a new coach in his staff (Tony Roche), he was the first to work with absolute dedication on mind and body, to add new solutions to his arsenal (backhand top, serve, volley). After that restyling Lendl became almost unbeatable. In the two-year period ’85-’86 he won 158 matches out of 171 played. Total domination.

Sinner’s numbers over the last 18 months are not far off.

Now comes the Davis Cup, with Volandri’s Azzurri committed to defending the title won last year. The Italian captain chose to bring the tried and tested Bolelli-Vavassori doubles, with Musetti and Berrettini playing for the last available place in the singles. But in the home of a decisive double, how can we leave the best player in the world on the bench?