Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
Riccardo Piatti has had a major impact on the careers of two world No 1s as he has coached Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner.
The renowned coach was Djokovic’s mentor at the age of 18, but they parted ways in 2006 as the Italian didn’t want to take up the role on a full-time business.
But spending countless hours on the court with a young Djokovic meant he learned a thing or two about the Serbian’s game, both mentally and physically.
Fast forward to 2013 and Piatti started working with a teenage Sinner and naturally he used Djokovic – who was a six-time Grand Slam winner at the time and had already reached the top in the ATP Rankings– as a reference when he started guiding the young Italian.
And just over a decade later, Sinner is now the player to beat in men’s tennis as he has won three Grand Slams and currently sits at No 1 in the rankings.
The 23-year-old has also won his last three encounters, including the 2024 Shanghai Masters final, against Djokovic and they are now tied 4-4 in their head-to-head rivalry.
Piatti, who has also worked with the likes of Ivan Ljubicic and Milos Raonic, says he always follows the same blueprint when it comes to coaching and that involves helping someone to beat the best in business.
Asked by Tennis Majors if Sinner and Djokovic played the same brand of tennis, he replied: “Actually, it’s that Alcaraz and Sinner had Nadal and Djokovic as goals.
“It was all about how they could beat them. My goal when I was coaching Jannik, and because I coached Djokovic back in the day, was to find how Jannik could beat Djokovic.
“I was watching Nole a lot, I worked with him, and so the idea is always to find someone who can beat a guy like this. I didn’t have an opportunity to coach [Rafael] Nadal or [Roger] Federer, or the process would have been different.
Djokovic has always been known for his incredible mental strength as he produces brilliant moments when up against it during matches or when the crowd gets on his back.
Sinner appears to have a similar mentality as he rarely gets distracted by on-court or off-court events.
“They’re very different but also very similar in a way. I think Jannik is stronger than Novak now because he’s younger,” Piatti said.
“Sometimes I forget how Novak was when he was younger, but what is clear is that he went through a lot of tough situations with having Roger and Rafa in front of him.
“But yes, mentally, they’re both very strong. And when I talk about a strong mind, I mean they’re both very clear about what they need to do. They immediately understand what’s needed, and they do it.”
