Sebastian Baez Says ‘Predictable’ Jannik Sinner ‘Suffocates’ His Opponents: “He’s a Machine”

Jannik Sinner will be competing at the Qatar Open, which he was forced to skip last year due to his doping ban.

Sebastian Baez Says ‘Predictable’ Jannik Sinner ‘Suffocates’ His Opponents: “He’s a Machine”

Sebastian Baez, Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner (Image via Tennis.com, X/The Sinner Times)

In Short
  • Jannik Sinner will compete in the Qatar Open after missing last year's event due to a doping ban.
  • Sebastian Baez describes Sinner as a consistent player who "suffocates" his opponents with his tactical play.
  • Pat Cash believes Jack Draper has the potential to challenge Sinner and Alcaraz if he can stay injury-free.

Jannik Sinner, whose three-peat dream of the Australian Open was ruined by Novak Djokovic in the semifinals, will be in action at the Qatar Open, set to start on February 26th. He skipped the Doha event last year after being handed a three-month doping ban.

Last year, after losing to Carlos Alcaraz in four sets in the US Open final, Sinner called himself a predictable player. Sebastian Baez agrees with Sinner’s views, but the Argentine, who will compete in his home event, the Argentina Open, said Sinner is very consistent and suffocates his opponents.

With Sinner, you feel like he’s suffocating you. You give him a short pass, and he’ll sink you. But then he doesn’t miss a ball, he doesn’t miss returns, he’s always there, intense, defending, so they provoke different things. With Alcaraz, at least from the player’s perspective, it feels like he makes more mistakes, but at the same time, he doesn’t know what he’s going to do next; he has a wider range of shots to leave you standing still.

Sebastian Baez told La Nacion

Baez, who lost to Jakub Mensik in the ASB Classic final and to Luciano Darderi in the second round of the Australian Open, will chase his career’s eighth title in the Argentina Open. Last year, he lost to Thiago Seyboth Wild in the round of 16.

Sinner might be more predictable, but he’s very… we call him Robotito. He’s very consistent and always plays in the right place. He’s a machine. Cool. Tactical. They’re both talented, and it’s impressive how quickly they’ve achieved so much.

Sebastian Baez added

Although Sinner failed to become the second man in the Open Era to win three consecutive titles at Melbourne Park after Djokovic, Alcaraz lifted the title for the first time and became the youngest man in the Open Era to win seven titles as well as to complete the Career Grand Slam. The 24-year-old will complete the Career Grand Slam if he wins Roland Garros, where last year, he lost a five-set thriller to the World No.1.

Pat Cash backs Jack Draper to challenge Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner

Jack Draper, who nursed an arm injury since August last year and recently made his comeback at the Davis Cup, said the demand of challenging Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner wrecked his body. Draper pulled out of the Rotterdam Open as well as the Qatar Open to avoid aggravating his injury. Former player Pat Cash, however, thinks the player who can challenge the dominance of the World No.1 and the World No.2 is his compatriot if he keeps injuries at a distance.

Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner (4)
Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner (Image via X/Carlos Alcaraz 4K, Jannik Sinner HQ)

It’s clear that Alcaraz and Sinner are ahead of the rest by a good way, but Jack Draper is the player I believe can trouble them. He’s got that big leftie serve, a massive forehand, and a good all-round game. You could see how it was all coming together for him before he got the arm injury, which was a real shame.

Pat Cash said (H/T: Tennis365)

Draper holds a 1-1 head-to-head record over the four-time Grand Slam champion. Against Alcaraz, however, Draper trails 2-4 in the head-to-head matchups.

Like Sinner, Alcaraz will also compete in the Doha event, where last year Jiri Lehecka knocked him out in the quarterfinals. Last year, Sinner and Alcaraz lifted six and eight titles, respectively, including the four Majors.

The two top players, in fact, won the last nine Grand Slam titles. Sinner made the finals of every Major last year, winning the Australian Open and Wimbledon, losing the French Open and the US Open to Alcaraz.

Also read: Elena Rybakina Aims to Keep the Momentum Going in Doha After Australian Open Victory