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Jannik Sinner\u00a0has been told that Novak Djokovic \u201cfears\u201d him after the Italian saved three match points to beat him in the recent Davis Cup semi-final. Retired star Adriano Panatta believes that the 22-year-old will have the advantage when he next faces the world No 1. But it\u2019s a dramatic U-turn from the 1976 French Open winner, who blasted Sinner just months ago for missing the Davis Cup group stage.<\/p>\n
Sinner recently helped Italy clinch their first Davis Cup trophy in 47 years. The world No 4 put on a masterclass to beat Alex de Minair 6-3 6-0 in the final after Matteo Arnaldi downed Alexei Popyrin. Sinner also had to keep his nation alive in both their quarter-final and semi-final ties when they lost the first singles rubber.<\/p>\n
On both occasions he stormed back to win the second singles match and, with Lorenzo Sonego, clinched victory in the doubles. In the semi-final, he saved three match points against Djokovic which would have given Serbia a place in the final. But Sinner was able to come through 6-2 2-6 7-5 before he and Sonego beat Djokovic and Miomir Kecmanovic in doubles.<\/p>\n
Retired Italian tennis player Panatta now believes that Sinner has an edge over the 24-time Grand Slam champion, with Djokovic \u201cfearing\u201d his young rival. \u201cHe is an example, he is a millimetre from Djokovic, they play on equal terms,\u201d the 73-year-old told Corriere dello Sport.<\/p>\n
Click here to join our WhatsApp community to be the first to receive breaking and exclusive tennis news.<\/strong><\/p>\n Just in <\/strong> Martina Navratilova calls for key tennis change in response to Djokovic defeat[LATEST] <\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cSaving three match points is a feat within a feat. Next time, Jannik will start with an advantage. Nole fears him. With Jannik, we are good for ten years, he is square and mature.\u201d<\/p>\n However, Panatta had a very different opinion of Sinner just a few months ago. The world No 4 pulled out of Italy\u2019s squad for the Davis Cup group stage in September, claiming he didn\u2019t have enough time to rest after the North American hard-court summer.<\/p>\n Panatta was part of the last Italian team to win the World Cup of tennis back in 1976 – also winning the French Open that year – and he wasn\u2019t happy with Sinner\u2019s decision to rest instead of representing his country.<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/cdn.images.express.co.uk\/img\/dynamic\/72\/590x\/secondary\/5090627.jpg?r=1701246224858\")
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