Jannik Sinner says WTA teenager compared to Carlos Alcaraz is ‘very talented’ and ‘very different’

Lilli Tagger has emerged as one of the stories of Indian Wells, even though her tournament came to an end in the third round.

She earned her spot in the draw as a lucky loser, replacing 14th seed Victoria Azarenka. Tagger went on to win two rounds and made headlines by taking a set off Naomi Osaka before eventually falling short.

Osaka praised Tagger after their match, and she isn’t the only big name in tennis who’s been impressed. Jannik Sinner has also backed her potential.

Sinner is coming off his title run at Indian Wells and looking to become just the eighth man to complete the Sunshine Double at the Miami Open. He’s already made a solid start, beating Damir Dzumhur 6-3, 6-3 in his opening match.

After that first win in Miami, Sinner spoke about Tagger, recalling when they first trained together while she was just 14 years old. “We were practising together when she was still like, let’s say very young,” he said via Tennis.com.

Lilli Tagger gets praise from Jannik Sinner

Much like Sinner, 18-year-old Tagger has a background in winter sports, having spent time skiing and playing ice hockey before focusing on tennis.

Speaking to the media after his match, Sinner highlighted what sets the Austrian apart, noting that her one-handed backhand is a rare sight in the women’s game.

Sinner also pointed out that skiing gave him more mental toughness than physical balance, stressing that dealing with pressure and setbacks in other sports helped shape his tennis career.

“I know her very well, she’s a very talented player, very talented, very different than we see now, especially in women’s tennis,” said Sinner. “She is someone who likes to play tennis; you see the passion and I think that’s the main thing a player should have.”

“Yeah, she’s in that process of understanding what her playing style is, what the right one is, but she’s still very young.”

Why has Lilli Tagger been compared to Carlos Alcaraz?

Last year, Tagger made history by becoming the first Austrian to win a junior title at Roland Garros.

With former French Open champion Francesca Schiavone in her corner, those parallels started being drawn to Carlos Alcaraz.

Alcaraz was coached by Juan Carlos Ferrero from age 16 up until recently, and podcaster Roddy Reynolds once mentioned the similarities between the two during an episode of The Grind podcast.

“Massive Alcaraz, Juan Carlos Ferrero energy, 100 per cent,” Reynolds said about Tagger.

“There’s this story of… Juan Carlos Ferrero got offered to coach, I can’t remember who it was at the time, but let’s say it was a top 50 player, a top 20 player, and he turns around and goes ‘no, I’m good, I’ve got this kid.’

“He gets offered to coach a [inaudible] player, and Juan Carlos Ferrero goes ‘no, I’ve got this kid, he’s 16. He’s a freak. We’re going to be fine.’”

Tagger has also drawn comparisons to Ash Barty early in her career and has put together some solid performances during the sunshine double.

After picking up main draw wins at both Indian Wells and the Miami Open while still just a teenager has shown she already belongs on tour. Now climbing towards world number 106 in live rankings will be considered a bonus for such an early breakthrough campaign.

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