Todd Woodbridge believes Jannik Sinner will be on an equal footing with Novak Djokovic in the coming years. The former world number one in doubles explained on the Australian Open’s YouTube channel: “I want to see Sinner against Djokovic in 2026 because that’s exactly what drives him.” He added: “This is the rivalry I want to see more of in 2026. Nole is the biggest we’ve ever seen in terms of numbers and Sinner, I think, will really challenge those numbers.”
Jannik has not lost in the last five duels against Nole and leads in direct comparison with 6:4. In 2025 he defeated him in straight sets in the semifinals of the French Open and at Wimbledon. For Woodbridge, the duel is similar to previous fights between Djokovic and greats like Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal: “You could see that they hoped he wouldn’t win – and then he did. And now Sinner will do the same.”
Jannik believes Woodbridge can win many Wimbledon titles
Woodbridge also sees Jannik as having greater potential on grass: “At Wimbledon this year I thought that was it [Carlos] Alcaraz’s tournament. But Jannik won it. Looking back, I think he will win more Wimbledons. Five, six, maybe seven if everything goes well.”
At the same time, the 22-time Grand Slam double winner believes that Nole will do everything in his power to correct the negative record against Jannik: “You can love Novak or not, but what I love about him is where he gets his energy, his motivation. He gets it from these rivalries, from these moments when he doesn’t want others to get what he sees as his.”
Finally, Woodbridge said: “Even if it’s only in a small way – he wants to turn this negative balance against Jannik. You can bet on that.”
