French champion Richard Gasquet, who arrived in Italy last week to take part in the Verona Challenger, talked to the Italian daily Corriere di Verona about Italian Jannik Sinner, praising the key characteristics of the game of the 2024 Australian Open champion. The 38-year-old French tennis guru, former world number 7, stated what component of Jannik’s game impresses him the most.

“The impressive thing about Sinner is that he has everything. When you rally, you are faced with a fantastic forehand and a great backhand, so you have no pauses. Technically, he is the strongest. I suppose everything comes from the precision of his technical gesture. Sinner knows how to use his body by coming forward, bending his legs and hitting the ball well. That strength is generated by the excellence in his motions,” he remarked.

Gasquet also had some lovely words for the other Italian champion, Jasmine Paolini, and her coach, Renzo Furlan.

“First of all, I know Furlan very well, I played against him and I remember him as an amazing player. As for Jasmine, I admire her because she is a fighter, she has the correct spirit and a lot of resistance. Her growth indicates how outstanding Furlan is as a coach,” remarked Gasquet.

Finally, appreciation goes for Lorenzo Musetti, who for the Frenchman has the most beautiful one-handed backhand among the kids on the circuit.

The absence of the 22-year-old Italian at the 2024 Paris Olympics was a hard pill to accept for his followers, who hoped of a historic medal at the Olympic tournament. Physical issues, less common than a few years ago, continue to torment the world number 1, who this year skipped the Rome Internationals owing to hip trouble, surrendered to Daniil Medvedev at Wimbledon and has now waved goodbye to his Olympic ambition due to tonsillitis. The esteem and affection of his coworkers continues to be felt, however.