Novak Djokovic says Jannik Sinner "has what it takes to be a champ"

Novak Djokovic recently gave his thoughts on a possible clash with teen prodigy Jannik Sinner in the second round of the 2021 Monte Carlo Masters. Speaking at his pre-tournament press conference, Djokovic revealed that he used to practice with the young Italian quite frequently before he made his breakthrough on the pro tour.

The World No. 1 also lavished praise on Sinner for his outlook towards tennis, before going on to state that the teenager has all the qualities necessary to make it big in the sport.

"I haven’t practiced with Sinner a lot for the last year and a half, but before that, we used to train together often," Novak Djokovic said. "He is a nice person, devoted and hard-working. He is surrounded with the right people, he is ambitious, and I think he has what it takes to be a champ."

You have to be strong mentally and physically on clay, more than on any other surface: Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic hits a forehand at Roland Garros last year

Ahead of his blockbuster match-up against Jannik Sinner on Wednesday (provided Sinner beats Albert Ramos-Vinolas in his opener first), Novak Djokovic was also asked about the factors that could possibly influence his play on the claycourts of Monte Carlo. The Serb replied that the surface requires players to constantly adjust and be on their feet, as bad bounces are pretty frequent.

Djokovic also suggested that rainy or windy conditions introduce even more variables into the equation.

"Clay requires a lot of adjustment," Djokovic said. "Yes, the ball bounces irregularly. It is sometimes quite unpredictable especially if the courts are not in perfect condition, which is normal, if you have rain, wind, different conditions that can affect the condition of the ground."

Novak Djokovic refused to allow any room for excuses though, and insisted that players have to be stronger mentally and physically on clay - a surface that not everyone is comfortable on.

"Obviously mentally, you just have to be ready," Djokovic said. "You have to be strong mentally and physically more than on any other surface. Playing on clay can sometimes be very frustrating because you just feel like you maybe can't win, you can't make an easy point with your serve."

Novak Djokovic went on to advocate the importance of developing better tactical acumen and technical skills for the surface. The Serb then named on-court positioning and mixing up play as two of the keys for doing well on clay.

"This therefore requires a tactical and definitely technical adjustment," Djokovic added. "Positioning on the court should vary all the time. On clay, I must necessarily be more unpredictable. You can mix up patterns, be more behind your baseline, do some cushioning, get more into the court."