Novak Djokovic admits he 'made a mistake' with advice given to Jannik Sinner

World No. 7 Novak Djokovic has admitted that he may have made a mistake by giving Jannik Sinner advice earlier in the Italian’s career.

Despite Djokovic being part of the GOAT (greatest of all time) debate alongside Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, there is no doubt the Serbian’s powers have waned in recent years, as he has been without a Grand Slam title since the 2023 US Open.

In recent years, Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz have dominated the majors, while Alexander Zverev finally got in on the act by winning the 2026 French Open.

Last time out, Djokovic was hoping to win his 25th major at Wimbledon, but his run was halted by Sinner, who won 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 in the semi-finals.

Sinner currently has the edge over the veteran, winning seven of their 12 contests despite Djokovic winning four of their first five meetings.

READ NEXT: WTA makes controversial decision directly impacting female players ahead of the US Open

Although Sinner won at Wimbledon, Djokovic knocked him out of the Australian Open semi-finals earlier in 2026 before the 39-year-old lost to Alcaraz in the final.

Speaking on Andy Roddick’s Served podcast last year, Darren Cahill, who has coached the Italian, revealed how Novak was open to offering advice to younger players like Sinner.

“I saw Novak, and he’s always great with this, he’s always been incredible when you tap him on the shoulder,” said Cahill. “And I said, ‘Hey listen, I’ve just started with Jannik, don’t tell me anything you don’t want to tell me, but can I ask what you were feeling out there?’ And he was incredible.

“He basically said, ‘Hey listen. Good luck with working with him. Hits the ball great, but there’s no variation. So you know, there’s no shape on his shot. There’s no height over the net. Doesn’t come to the net. He’s not trying to bring me in, I know that he returns well, but he’s not attacking my serve on the return of serve.’

“So, he went through his whole game and broke it down. It wasn’t like it was revelations to what we didn’t know about Jannik and what we were trying to change in his game.

“But when you take that conversation and sit down with a young man like Jannik Sinner and say, ‘Hey, listen, I just spoke to Novak and this is what he thinks’, that leaves a big impression on a young player. So for Jannik, it’s: ‘Right, give it to me. Let’s start doing these changes’.”

Novak Djokovic on Jannik Sinner 'regret'

However, it appears that Djokovic slightly regrets giving out the advice to Sinner’s team.

Speaking at Fanatics Fest in New York earlier in July, he jokingly admitted: “I gave him all the spill of everything I noticed on the court: his weaknesses, his strengths, things he has to work on, and then, the next three years, he beats me at Wimbledon every freaking year! So, maybe I made a mistake, I don’t know.”

The US Open first round gets underway on August 30.