‘He’s the best in history’ — Jannik Sinner praises Novak Djokovic after his semi-finals win at the French Open

Jannik Sinner praised Novak Djokovic for being the greatest tennis player in the sport, even after defeating him in straight sets with a final scoreline of 6-4, 7-5, 7-6(3) in the semifinals of the 2025 French Open.

Sinner, who currently holds the No. 1 ranking in the world, delivered an impressive and dominant performance against the 24-time Grand Slam winner, and this win sends him to his first Roland Garros final, where he will play against the defending champion, Carlos Alcaraz. 

With the victory, Sinner shared, “I always try to prepare myself in the best possible way and try to be ready for every situation on the court… I am very happy with how we did that today” 

More so, for Djokovic, this defeat marks another missed opportunity to add another win to his major list. His last Grand Slam title was at the 2023 US Open. 

“It is always difficult to prepare for a match against Djokovic” 

After beating Novak Djokovic, Sinner admitted that it is always hard to prepare for a match against the athlete. “It is very difficult, he has achieved so many things… He is the best player in the history of our sport,” Sinner remarked.

He added, “Playing against him here is amazing.” 

Both athletes have played against each other nine times on the ATP Tour. They also won four matches each before the Roland Garros. Furthermore, this was their third meeting in a Grand Slam semi-final. 

Sinner further expressed, “It was such a special occasion for me, playing against Novak in the semi-final of a Grand Slam, it is just amazing…I had to step up and play the best tennis I could.

“I am very happy with how I handled the situations, but it shows again what a role model he is for all of us young players. Playing tennis and seeing what he is doing is incredible. I wish him only the best for the rest of the season, and I think we are all very lucky to see him playing such a high level of tennis. It is amazing.” 

In a social media post, Sinner said, “What a night yesterday. Big respect to @djokernole – it’s always an honour to share the court with you. You are a true inspiration 🙏🏼 Reaching the final here means a lot to me, Paris is such a special place 🇫🇷 See you tomorrow! 💪🏻 Merci @rolandgarros 💚💙”

The ATP Tour commented on the post, saying, “Such respect ❤️ well done Jannik 👏”

More netizens flooded the comments with praise. One wrote, “You are our idol and you are Nole’s heir! ❤️” (translated), while another said, “You are great, you deserve everything ❤️🤍💚 and by the way all of Italy is waving for you 🔥🦊💪” (translated). Another fan added, “Great job Jannik, you were amazing, keep it u,p you are unique ❤️❤️❤️” (translated).