Jannik Sinner fired a shot across Novak Djokovic’s bow when he reached out to hire Roman Panichi as his new fitness coach and it confirmed he intends to work with proven winners in the next phase of his career.
Sinner’s US Open win was all the more remarkable given the chaos that was swirling around him in the months before his first New York win after his failed drug tests back in March.
While Sinner has been living with this story since his two positive tests for clostebol, the story exploded a few days before the US Open when it was made public.
The debate over how the case was handled became the biggest talking point in tennis this year, with Sinner making the inevitable decision to remove fitness coach Umberto Ferrara and physio Giacomo Naldi from his team, after his role in the story placed him at the heart of the mistake.
“They (Ferrara and Naldi) have been a huge part of my career. We worked together for two years. We made an incredible job, bringing a lot of success and then having a great team behind me,” said Sinner.
“Now, because of these mistakes, I’m not feeling that confident to continue with them. The only thing I just need right now, just some clean air. I was struggling a lot in the last months. Now I was waiting for the result, and now I just need some clean air.”
After winning the US Open with a trimmed-down team, Sinner needed to rebuild his support network and the decision to hire Panichi is eye-catching.
He has been one of the most prominent members of Djokovic’s camp until his surprise exit earlier this year and spoke about his relationship with the 24-time Grand Slam king following the end of their working relationship.
“The moments when the pressure goes up and Novak becomes like a boiling pot with the water pouring out, so you need to lift the lid,” Panichi told Tennis Majors.
“It was not all hearts and flowers, of course, but it was a great privilege to work with him, as I said.
“With a player of his stature, there is always stress. You have to deal not only with the player, but with the whole organisation – a player like him is like an industry. That’s the source of stress.
“Also, elite player such as him always pushes you to do more and more and more. It’s part of the game, though.
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“It’s true that every player has different needs and different playing styles, but I can absolutely try to implement the discipline and focus Novak had at all times.
“I am going to tell my future players about how Novak went about things, I am sure that is going to be a huge help, particularly for the young players.”
Marco Panichi was a key member of Novak Djokovic’s team
Panichi’s arrival in Sinner’s team will allow the Italian to tap into some of the secrets that propelled Djokovic to the top of the game and, more importantly, sustained his dominance until before his 36th birthday.
Sinner has endured some fitness issues over the last few months and his hip injury is an ongoing concern that may need to be managed, with Panichi’s experience of working with elite tennis players ensures he will offer so much more than just a fitness coach who could have been hired from another sport.
The Serbian legend should have no issues with Sinner turning to one of his formerly trusted inner circle as his career is now in it’s final chapters, but this appears to be a shrewd move from the new world No 1 as he looks to follow in Djokovic’s footsteps over the next decade.