Novak Djokovic mercilessly accused of ‘giving up’ against Jannik Sinner in Shanghai by persistent critic
Adriano Panatta discussed the Shanghai final between Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner
Djokovic won more points in a high-quality opening set that featured no break points, but Sinner crucially performed better in the tiebreak to edge it.
The 37-year-old’s level dropped early in the second set and he was punished by the 23-year-old Italian, who was ruthless in closing out the win for his seventh title of 2024.
Panatta lauded Sinner for his consistency this year and argued most of the Italian’s rivals struggle to match his level for more than an hour in matches.
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“He won again, he confirmed this extraordinary year that he is playing in a way that is beyond belief, because it is true that he has made a lot of progress in these last months, but I must say that the continuity and the average level of play is very high,” he told Corriere dello Sport.
“Even when he doesn’t play very well, with players from six and below he can never lose. When he plays well he doesn’t even lose with the first four. Then I must say that the gap now is between him, [Carlos] Alcaraz and the others.
“He plays continuously for two-three hours always at a very high level. The others play like him, but for an hour, an hour and a quarter, then they can’t keep up the pace.”
The former French Open champion reinforced his point as he asserted that the final between Sinner and Djokovic was over after
the first set.
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