If you saw these two 14 year olds playing at your club, would you think theyâll become the best players on the planet? Maybe Novakâs level at 14 was higher than Jannikâs because Sinner started focusing on tennis seriously at the age of 13 (he did start at 7), but thatâs besides the point. Both are incredible talents, but there are hundreds of other kids who hit the forehand just as good, if not better than Novak and Jannik at the age of 14. Whatâs hard to see when judging talent is whatâs inside the head. Thatâs where the magic lies. I will never forget a Niki Pilic story from the time when Novak was training at his academy in Munich. Goran Ivanisevic happened to be at the academy this particular day and Niki suggested that Novak and Goran rally a little bit. 13 year old Novak was so focused and fired up to be hitting with the superstar player Ivanisevic that he didnât miss a single ball for a half hour. Niki and Goran knew at this moment in time that Novak was special. Sometimes you see signs of greatness, other times itâs hidden, but fact is that whatâs between the ears is what matter most when we are talking about the greatest players in the world.
#tennis #djokovic #sinner