Novak Djokovic has been in the midst of a controversy with Jannik Sinner’s fans after saying ‘skiing’ comes to mind when asked about the Italian.
Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic (via X)
As the tennis world gears up for the 2025 Australian Open, a show of rivalry has been going on social media between Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner. The duo has been praised as favorites to win the first Grand Slam of the 2025 season, but that may have stirred the off-court troubles between the two.
It all began after GQ recently published a lengthy interview with Djokovic. In the piece, the 10-time Australian Open champion was asked to say the first word that comes to his mind when asked about some of the threats of his biggest rivals. He was asked about Roger Federer and said he remembered him for his “elegance”.
For Rafael Nadal, he said “tenacity,” while for Carlos Alcaraz he revealed that he loved his “charisma.” Then, he was asked about Sinner, and he said, “skiing”. The Serbian’s choice of the word has resulted in some controversy online, as fans of the Italian star believe it was a sign of disrespect towards the World No.1.
However, Sinner recently retweeted a post on X about how he defeated Djokovic at the 2024 Australian Open. The Italian defeated Djokovic in four sets in the semifinals and went on to win his first Major title at the Australian Open. Sinner retweeting the post is a sign that he seemingly felt disrespected by Djokovic’s comments.
Fans will now look forward to a face-off between two ATP stars in Melbourne. But that will not happen until the final of the Australian Open. Nonetheless, Sinner is set to face Nicolas Jarry in the first round of the tournament, while Djokovic takes on teenage sensation Nishesh Basavareddy.
The 23-year-old was asked by an Italian journalist in Melbourne about Djokovic comments, and he was quick to respond harshly.
During Djokovic’s press conference, he was then asked about after he was informed about Sinner’s comments. The Serbian said he didn’t intentionally show any form of disrespect towards him. He added that he said skiing because that was what came to his mind when asked by GQ magazine.
Djokovic and Sinner are 4-4 in their head-to-head record against each other. Before last year, Djokovic was leading 4-2, but the Italian leveled the record after defeating the Serbian twice last season.
