"Well, 2023 revealed that the future is now": Jannik Sinner set his stall out for greatness during 2023 season says Tracy Austin

Italian tennis player Jannik Sinner has been touted as a future World No.1, but tennis great Tracey Austin believes his time to ascend the rankings and win a Grand Slam is now.

The 22-year old produced superb results this year, compiling a 64-15 win-loss record. Furthermore, Sinner captured four titles, finished runner-up on three occasions and even accumulated a 5-1 record in deciding sets against Novak Djokovic (2-0), Carlos Alcaraz (1-0) and Daniil Medvedev (2-1).

"For several years, we’ve been calling Jannik Sinner the future of tennis. Well, 2023 revealed that the future is now," wrote Tracey Austin in a column for Tennis Magazine. "This was Sinner’s breakthrough season into the elite. At Wimbledon, a first Grand Slam semifinal. In Toronto, a first Masters 1000 title. At the ATP Finals, a first win over Novak Djokovic. And to cap it all off, he went 3-0 in the Davis Cup Finals to lead Italy to its first title since 1976—25 years before Sinner was born.

"Jannik took major strides in every category this year. Previously, there were times he’d come up short at the majors in long, memorable matches. Sinner has always been a bold ball-striker, playing with the fearless mentality of a ski racer. But his consistency improved in ’23, along with his slice backhand, volley and serve. Lots of credit for that goes to the hard work he’s put in with his coaches, Simone Vagnozzi and Darren Cahill. It’s great to see the ways he continues to put it all together."