Jannik Sinner can't always play the good guy, says Federer's ex-coach

Apart from his impressive tennis abilities, rising star Jannik Sinner is adored by fans for his on and off-court behavior; the Italian is considered among the 'good guys' of tennis. But according to Roger Federer's former coach Ivan Ljubicic, Sinner's friendly nature sometimes ends up costing him.

Numerous fans and experts believe Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Holger Rune could potentially become the next Big 3 of tennis. The rivalry between Sinner and Alcaraz, in particular, has been one of the big talking points among enthusiasts lately.

Sinner has had an impressive 2023 season so far, winning 26 of his 32 matches. But in the 2023 Monte-Carlo Masters semifinals last week, he lost to Rune despite dominating the first set. Sinner couldn't hide his disappointment at Rune's gestures and interactions with the crowd, and he greeted the Dane with a cold handshake at the net.

In that context, Ljubicic recalled another match where Sinner lost amid a vociferously loud crowd - to Frances Tiafoe at Vienna back in 2021.

"Jannik certainly got upset, I saw it in the way he greeted Rune at the end of the match," Ljubicic said. "The truth is that he has to react on the court. It has happened in the past, in Vienna against Tiafoe, and he has to understand that he is in a ring and has to throw punches when he serves."

The 44-year-old Croat, who coached Federer from 2016 to 2022, advised Sinner to stop being so nice all the time and start expressing himself more.

"He has to understand what happened and why he lost, when we all considered him the favorite of the tournament at this stage of the semifinals. He can't always play the role of a good guy because in the end, he gets laughed at," Ljubicic said.

At the 2023 BNP Paribas Open, Jannik Sinner was stopped in the semifinals by Alcaraz before he avenged that loss in the semifinals of the Miami Open. In the final at Miami, the World No. 8 lost to Daniil Medvedev in straight sets.

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Jannik Sinner to face Lorenzo Musetti in Barcelona Open 2023 QF

Lorenzo Musetti (L) and Jannik Sinner

Jannik Sinner will take on Lorenzo Musetti in the quarterfinals of the 2023 Barcelona Open today (April 21). Musetti's confidence received a boost last week when he defeated Novak Djokovic in Monte-Carlo, but Sinner sent him packing with a straight-sets beating in the next match. That extended Sinner's head-to-head lead against his countryman to 2-0.

In his first two matches in Barcelona, the World No. 8 eliminated Diego Schwartzman and Yoshihito Nishioka. Musetti, on the other hand, beat Jason Kubler and Cameron Norrie to reach the quarterfinals.