Jannik Sinner would benefit significantly from Jimmy Connors' coaching, believes Spencer Segura

Former professional tennis player Spencer Segura has stated his belief that Jannik Sinner's performances would improve significantly under Jimmy Connors' tutelage.

Sinner was recently ousted from the Italian Open in the fourth round by Francisco Cerundolo. The home favorite won the first set in a tie-break before Cerundolo upped his level to notch his third consecutive victory over a Top-10 opponent, winning 6-7 (3), 6-2, 6-2.

Segura joined Jimmy Connors and his son Brett on the Advantage Connors podcast and discussed Jannik Sinner's recent performances.

Brett Connors highlighted the Italian's performance against Carlos Alcaraz in the Miami Open semifinal. He called attention to Sinner's ability to defeat Alcaraz, emphasizing their level head-to-head record of 3-3. The American observed that both players were pushing each other to improve.

"That match with Jannik Sinner was a great match in Miami," he said. "Because Sinner can beat Alcaraz. He’s one of the few guys who pushes him and beats him. They’re like 3-3 head-to-head. You can tell they’re pushing each other to get better because Sinner’s going for so much because Alcaraz gets to every fricking thing."

However, Brett Connors also mentioned that Alcaraz would learn and grow more from their encounters as compared to the World No. 8. He stated that while Sinner had the ability to defeat the best players in the world, he is yet to learn how to string those wins together to progress deeper into tournaments.

"But where Alcaraz takes that loss and learns more from it and kind of grows more in a way than Sinner does from the win," he added. "Sinner can win those matches against the best player in the world but we’re still waiting for him to make that jump to make a semi."

Spencer Segura chimed in to say that Sinner's performances would benefit greatly from Jimmy Connors' coaching on how to handle crucial points in matches. He drew parallels to Connors' rivalries with Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe and emphasized the importance of excelling in the decisive moments.

“If Sinner was coached by your dad on how to play the big points, that would make a huge difference," Segura said. "Like Connors-Borg, Connors-McEnroe, it comes down to the key points. And the guy who knows how to play those points is going to win that match."

A brief look at Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz's rivalry

Carlos Alcaraz defeated Jannik Sinner at the 2022 US Open

Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz's first-ever clash on the ATP tour came at the 2021 Paris Masters, which saw Alcaraz claim a 7-6 (1), 7-5 win over the Italian. Sinner leveled their head-to-head in their next meeting at Wimbledon 2022. He then defeated Alcaraz 6-7 (5), 6-1, 6-1 to claim the Croatia Open title.

Next, Carlos Alcaraz battled past Jannik Sinner in five closely-contested sets in the quarter-finals en route to his maiden Grand Slam title at the 2022 US Open. He also won their first clash of the 2023 season in the Indian Wells semifinal.

However, it was Sinner who claimed victory in their most recent encounter at the Miami Open, defeating the 20-year-old 6-7 (4), 6-4, 6-2 in the semi-final.