SANTIAGO, Chile – If you think Jannik Sinner is cold, introverted and serious, you’re wrong. Italy’s Luciano Darderi dismantles the myths: “He’s friendly, he’s not what he seems.”
“Jannik is a good guy, good family, he jokes and everything. When we train he’s focused. Once we trained in Dubai and for two hours he didn’t say a word. But that’s a professional thing, not personal. Inside the locker room he’s very funny,” Darderi revealed in an interview with CLAY during the Chile Open.
“Alcaraz and Sinner are two aliens. They play at a very high speed. They push you to raise your level,” said the 24-year-old, born in Argentina, who has represented Italy since he was 12.
His dream this season is to break into the Top 10 — he is eleven spots away — and to play for Italy at the Davis Cup Finals in November in Bologna.
Javier Frana, Argentina’s captain, expressed his desire to have Darderi on his team; however, the player’s objective is clear: “I’d like to compete for Italy. The Davis Cup is played on indoor hard courts, and I’m playing better on hard. I also hope to perform well on that surface so they can call me up.”
Interview with Luciano Darderi
— You’re on the verge of the Top 20 and at your highest-ever ranking.
— It was a goal we had set for the end of the year, and we’re close to achieving it. I didn’t expect things to go so well in Australia, especially on hard courts, so I’m very happy. We’ve been working very well. Now we have to make it happen, break into the Top 20, right?
— You’re Italy’s No. 4, neck and neck with Flavio Cobolli for the No. 3 spot. At the end of the year, Italy will host the Davis Cup Finals. Do you dream of being there, representing your country for the first time in that competition?
— Yes, I’d like to. It’s difficult because there are many players, you know? Besides Sinner, Musetti and Cobolli, there’s also Berrettini, Sonego, Arnaldi — there are five or six very good players. The doubles guys are excellent, Bolelli, Vavassori… so it’s complicated. The Davis Cup is played on indoor hard courts, and I’m playing better on hard. I also hope to play well there so they can call me up.
— And did you see that in Argentina they were hoping to have you back? Captain Javier Frana expressed his desire for you to represent Argentina again. Later your father left the door open. How did you handle that whole storyline?
— I don’t pay much attention to it, to be honest. I try to focus on my own things. I play for Italy and that’s it.
— What’s your relationship like with your Italian teammates?
— I’ve known them since I was 10, so we’ve had a relationship for more than 14 years. We’re together at all the tournaments, so it’s very normal. We have a good relationship. I also have one with the Argentines, because I’ve known them all since we were kids, travelling the world playing tournaments.
— What is Jannik Sinner like behind closed doors, in the locker room? From the outside he seems very focused, somewhat cold.
— He’s friendly, he’s not what he seems. He’s a good guy, good family, very calm, he jokes and everything. Yes, obviously when we’re playing or training he’s focused. Once we trained in Dubai and for two hours he didn’t say a word. But I think that’s professional, not personal. Inside the locker room he’s very funny. Jannik is a good person.
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— You played each other for the first time in Melbourne. What impressed you about him?
— Yes, it was tough. Sinner and Alcaraz are a little above everyone else… a little quite a lot! Right now, those two are the untouchables. Sinner lost to Mensik — the only match in two or three years to someone not named Alcaraz or Djokovic. That shows you the level they have. In that match I was very nervous at the start, then I relaxed and played very well. In the third set I had a chance to take it to a decider, I had five break points, I was up 2–0 in the tiebreak… you realise they do give you small chances, but if you waste them, you lose. I would have liked to play one or two more sets, or to have won, but it was very difficult. They’re always one level above, always striking the ball high, playing at a very high speed. It motivates me, at least, to get closer to that level, to try to compete on equal terms, to do the best I can. They push you to raise your level and, as a result, your ranking improves.
— Cobolli has climbed quickly in a short time. You’re practically the same age.
— He’s also a great talent who unlocked his game at a key moment in his career. When he started playing Challengers, he raised his level, more or less at the same time as me. We’ve shared many tours together and he’s a good guy. I know him very well. In my first tournament, when I was nine, we played against each other in Italy. We’ve been together since we were very young. We played many junior events. I know his father and his family very well. We’re going to play doubles together this year in Monte Carlo.
— Beyond your relationship with the Italians and the South Americans, do you feel there’s a good atmosphere on tour? In past eras, like Agassi and Sampras, or earlier with McEnroe and Connors, rivalries were heavier. They say Federer and Nadal changed that. How do you see the tour today in that sense?
— I see it as more professional. I see everyone more in their own lane, because the level of tennis is very high. You have to pay attention to everything: food, physio, rest, training properly, always being at 100%, because the level has risen a lot in a very short time. Nowadays everyone travels with a fitness coach, physio, coach, nutritionist, psychologist. Teams are bigger than they used to be and that makes everyone more closed off within their own circles.
— How do you compare the level of players ranked between 21 and 30 with those in the Top 20? And then with the Top 10?
— There’s a clear difference in every aspect: mental, physical and tennis-wise. In the important moments, the best play well. They don’t drop off as much, they don’t have as many ups and downs as other players. The ranking doesn’t lie and rewards the most consistent players, or those who had a big breakthrough. Consistency is very important. Then you have players who maybe win a Masters 1000 and then lose many first rounds, but I think they’re fewer. Statistically, the Top 20 are more solid.
— Which region deserves a Masters 1000 more? The Middle East or South America?
— South America. We deserve one here. South America has between 10 and 15% of the Top 100 players.
— Do you think the South American swing should switch to hard courts?
— No, I don’t think it should switch to hard. Not having clay tournaments in South America would be unthinkable. How many years has the South American clay swing existed? Changing it wouldn’t make sense. That’s my opinion. But I don’t make those decisions.
— What was it like playing in Argentina? You reached the final of the ATP 250 in Buenos Aires. On one hand you had family and friends in the stands. On the other, there are always those who don’t forgive you for playing for Italy.
— No, nothing. Honestly, I have many friends and a lot of family there. I felt good, really. Playing there was special for me because I trained there as a kid. And those who boo me, honestly, I don’t care. I’m being sincere — it doesn’t matter to me.
— A dream for 2026?
— To break into the Top 10.
— And what needs to happen for that to come true?
— Many things. A lot of consistency, no injuries, having good tournaments, taking opportunities, doing things right and having a bit of luck.
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— What are you working on in your game in particular? Any shot you need to improve?
— Attacking. More attacking to be able to win on hard courts, which is the key nowadays. There are more hard-court tournaments than clay during the year. I think that’s what can raise my level to reach the Top 10. Obviously I’m going to have a very good clay swing, which could also help.
— How do you see Musetti? He’s been close to big finals lately, but he’s had physical issues.
— Yes, it’s difficult. Physically and mentally, because it’s not only physical, it’s also mental. The mental side also leads to the physical. Musetti is world No. 5. Ahead of him are Alcaraz and Sinner, who are two aliens, Djokovic who is a legend, and Zverev. Musetti, like everyone, is more playable than Sinner and Alcaraz, but he has an incredible ranking. To reach that — Grand Slam semi-finals, a Masters 1000 final — is an extremely high level.
— A few years ago coaching was allowed in tennis. Some people don’t like it, because they say what made tennis special was that the player had to solve everything alone. Do you think allowing coaches to give instructions during matches was a good decision?
— Yes, of course. I think it’s an important decision. Obviously you play alone on court, but you make the decision yourself when you’re playing. Even if the coach tells you one thing or another, it can help you. That’s what the coach is there for. Otherwise, why bring him? Just to watch the match? It makes sense that, even if it’s only during changeovers, they can talk to you. That you have a minute in that changeover to make things clear in your mind. Then on court you decide and make the right decisions. But if you practise things in training, when you get on court sometimes that help is useful. I think that’s important.
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