Former world number three Ivan Ljubicic is certain that Jannik Sinner will become world number one but on his own terms.
Ljubicic is quite familiar with Sinner, having spent a lot of time in Italy and at the Academy where the Italian used to practice. Obviously, as he’s one of the best players in the world, we’ve all gotten to know Sinner quite well in recent years, and this year has shown that he is taking that next step right now.
He’s been utterly spectacular, probably the best player in the first four months of the season, and he’s unlikely to stop here. There is certainly hunger and enough dedication for him to go even higher, which would be to become world number one.
Ljubicic has no doubt that Sinner will eventually get there, but he added an interesting caveat in his talk with La Stampa. As he explained, he expects Sinner to become world number one, but he won’t push it and jeopardize the long-term plan.
“We understood how Jannik works. He is not focused on a single goal but works on constant improvement. Sinner will become No 1 because he is the strongest, but he will not overturn his plans to do so. The level is always high, winning tournaments is never simple.”
It’s actually a really important reminder because that’s how Sinner’s career has unfolded until now. The Italian was always focused on his long-term plan, even when many questioned why he was trailing the likes of Holger Rune and Carlos Alcaraz.
He stuck to his plan, and so far this year, he has been miles better than both of them, so it worked out well for him. He wants to be world number one, but he’ll stick to his plan and not worry whether it happens in 2024 or 2027.
