Alexander Bublik Compares Jannik Sinner to Prime Novak Djokovic After French Open Defeat

Jannik Sinner beat Novak Djokovic in the semifinal but lost to Carlos Alcaraz in an epic French Open final.

Alexander Bublik Compares Jannik Sinner to Prime Novak Djokovic After French Open Defeat

Novak Djokovic, Alexander Bublik, Jannik Sinner (Image via X/The Tennis Letter, TNT Sports, Bastien Fachan)

Jannik Sinner, before the French Open semifinal, had been registering easy wins, handing bagels and breadsticks to his opponents, one of whom was Alexander Bublik. Sinner met the Kazakh ace in the quarterfinals and knocked him out with the scoreline of 6-1, 7-5, 6-0.

When Bublik was finally able to register a win, he did what Jiri Lehecka in the third round and Casper Ruud in the Italian Open quarterfinal did. He celebrated his first game win against the three-time Grand Slam champion while the crowd on Court Philippe-Chatrier clapped for him. Bublik, who is now 4-1 in the head-to-head record over Sinner, compared the young Italian to prime Novak Djokovic. He told First & Red:

It’s another level. There’s no point even talking about it. I didn’t play Roger [Federer] or Rafa [Nadal] in their prime. I played when Djokovic was world number one. It’s pretty much the same thing. You play hoping you don’t go down 6–0, yeah, but he put me down 6–0. Basically, what are you going to do?

Sinner dropped sets only in the final which is now the longest in the history of the tournament. After taking a 2-0 lead, he failed to save three championship points in the fourth set against Carlos Alcaraz.

Bublik has met the 38-year-old just once, in the quarterfinal of the 2021 Davis Cup Finals which the latter won with a 6-3, 6-4 scoreline. It’s Djokovic whom Sinner eliminated in the semifinals, denying him a chance to win his historic 25th Major.

The match ended in straight sets but Sinner had to grind on court for hours to improve his head-to-head record over the Serb to 5-4. The World No.1 has now clinched four consecutive victories over the three-time French Open champion. They are 2-2 in their meetings in Grand Slam events.

Djokovic hasn’t yet made the final of a Grand Slam tournament since last year’s Wimbledon which he lost to Alcaraz. The 24-time Grand Slam champion, at the Australian Open this January, went past Alcaraz in the quarterfinals before giving a walkover to Alexander Zverev after losing the first set in the semifinals due to an injury. Djokovic hasn’t yet won a Major since capturing the 2023 US Open.

Andrea Petkovic explains why Jannik Sinner reminds her of Pep Guardiola

Former WTA player from Germany, Andrea Petkovic lauded Jannik Sinner‘s defensive game style. She took to her Substack account and said Sinner’s defensive play forces his opponents to make mistakes and this is why Sinner reminds the former World No.9 of Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola.

Jannik Sinner
Jannik Sinner (Image via X/GamebredSports)

Every time I see Jannik Sinner play, I think of a football team coached by Pep Guardiola. While Pep didn’t invent that game style, he certainly modernized it and made it what it is today. In effect, a high pressing team “defends” so high up in the field that it virtually feels like they are still attacking while technically they are defending. 

In Paris, Sinner was aiming to become the first Italian man to win the French Open after Adriano Panatta (1976). For Carlos Alcaraz, it was his second consecutive victory.

Alcaraz is now the third youngest to clinch five Majors after Bjorn Borg and Rafael Nadal. He also took an 8-4 head-to-head lead over Sinner and registered his fifth consecutive victory over him.

They can also set up another blockbuster Grand Slam match if they both reach the Wimbledon final next. Alcaraz, who is a two-time defending champion there, has won three grass-court titles, while Sinner has one: the 2024 Halle Open.

Also read: Andy Murray Lays Down the Fundamentals for Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner to Achieve the Status of the ‘Big 3’