During a recent interview, Andy Roddick drew parallels between Jannik Sinner’s win at the 2024 Miami Open and Rafael Nadal’s dominant performances on clay courts during his prime.
Sinner’s victory over Grigor Dimitrov, with a final score of 6-3, 6-1, marked his second ATP Masters 1000 title, following his win at the Canadian Open in 2023. This achievement also made him the first Italian to reach the World No. 2 ranking.
During the most recent installment of the ‘Served with Andy Roddick’ podcast, Roddick commended Jannik Sinner’s outstanding performance in Miami, drawing similarities to Rafael Nadal’s unparalleled dominance on clay courts.
“I’m going to make a point for you about how dominant this performance was by Jannik Sinner. So, as we all know, yes, Novak [Djokovic] is the best of all time numbers, don’t lie, but the most dominant person when you get on a specific surface at a specific time is Rafa [Nadal] on clay. Right, that’s as indisputable as the G.O.A.T. conversation is. I would say that the Rafa conversation on clay maybe even more. It is more so,”Roddick said (at 2:40).
Roddick drew attention to Sinner’s impressive victories against defending champion Daniil Medvedev in the semifinals and his dominant performance in the final, comparing them to Nadal’s displays at the 2010 Monte-Carlo Masters. In that tournament, the Spaniard had defeated David Ferrer 6-2, 6-3 in the semifinals and Fernando Verdasco 6-0, 6-1 in the championship match.
“So what are the statistical comps of Jannik Sinner winning one and two in the semis of a 1000 and then three and one in the finals of a 1000?”Roddick said.
“2010 Monte-Carlo: Rafa Nadal beats [David] Ferer in the semis; I think it’s like one and two or one and three (6-2, 6-3), and then beats [Fernando] Verdasco in the final zero and one (6-0, 6-1). So to draw a comp to what Sinner just did in Miami, you have to go to prime Nadal on clay and in a Master’s 1000,”he continued.
At 3:36, the American stated:
“That’s what you’re comparing this dominance to. Sinner this weekend in Miami to Rafa’s best ever finish as far as games lost in a Master’s 1000. Sinner in Miami, Rafa prime on clay—that’s the comp for what he just did. I think most of us were saying on the way in that he’s been the best player in the world.”
Andy Roddick noted that Jannik Sinner is currently experiencing a peak in his career, highlighted by his recent accomplishments such as defeating top-ranked players like Novak Djokovic, claiming titles at the Australian Open, the ABN AMRO Open, and the Davis Cup.
“I’ve been on record for saying the last five or six months, and he’s beaten all the players; he’s beaten Novak [Djokovic] three times; he lost his first six in his career against [Daniil] Medvedev and has won the last five. He has won the Masters 1000, has won Davis Cup, has won a Grand Slam, lost to [Carlos] Alcaraz in the semis, won Rotterdam, and won Miami,”the former US Open champion said.
The statistical comp for what he did last weekend is Rafa in 2010 in Monte-Carlo, a tournament that Rafa has won, you know, tens of times, which is also absurd,”he added.
The Rivalry between Jannik Sinner and Rafael Nadal: A Look at Their Three Encounters on the ATP Tour
Jannik Sinner and Rafael Nadal have faced each other in three ATP Tour matches, with the Spaniard emerging as the winner in each encounter. These three games were all held on clay courts.
Their initial meeting occurred during the quarterfinals of the 2020 French Open, with Nadal emerging victorious over Sinner with a score of 7-6(4), 6-4, 6-1. The subsequent two matches were held in 2021.
The initial victory came at the Italian Open, where the 22-time Grand Slam champion defeated the World No. 2 with a score of 7-5, 6-4. The second success occurred at Roland-Garros, where Nadal achieved a 7-5, 6-3, 6-0 win.
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