Legendary player Vilander highly praises Sinner: his technical skills are at least five to ten years ahead of today's men's tennis.

After this year's Wimbledon men's singles final, tennis legend Vilander gave an extremely high evaluation of Sinner's playing style, which sparked widespread discussion.

In the interview with L'Équipe, Vilander remarked on Sinner's playing style, saying, "Sinner's tennis technique is five to ten years ahead of this era. He can hit the ball during its ascent phase, completely not waiting for it to drop—this ability is something I've never seen anyone do before; I've never seen anyone hit such aggressive tennis like Sinner."

This comment may seem exaggerated, but it actually holds some truth. Data from the ATP post-match shows that in this Wimbledon final, Sinner's average contact point was 0.3 seconds earlier than Alcaraz, and this slight timing difference allowed him to hit 40 winners on grass. Additionally, Sinner won 21 points out of 27 net approaches.

Vilander believes that Sinner's "time-space folding" hitting style fundamentally disrupts the traditional tennis power chain.

"Traditional players rely on the spin and bounce of the ball during its descent phase to establish hitting rhythm, while Sinner completely transforms dynamic body coordination into a forward-pressing weapon," Vilander said. "In Djokovic's words: 'He compresses the opponent's living space, forcing you to make decisions while off balance.'"

After losing in the final, Alcaraz also admitted that Sinner's technical ability is indeed very strong, stating, "His shots seem to have eyes, always a step ahead of me."

In response, some fans believe that Sinner's hitting pressure mainly comes from his rhythm—fast serves, deep returns, and sharp changes in direction, like a programmed machine. "Sinner's ball speed is faster, and his contact points are more precise, while Alcaraz's soft and high balls get neutralized by the fast pace on grass. Sinner's performance in the final was indeed exceptional," said a netizen.

Vilander pointed out the key insight: "Sinner's progress over the past two years has far surpassed Alcaraz's; his aggressiveness is not brute force, but precise early shot choices."

From the perspective of us fans, Sinner's technique has indeed undergone a qualitative change in recent times: last year in the French Open semifinals, he fell into a trap of backhand errors and lost to Alcaraz. However, in this year's French Open final and Wimbledon final, Sinner's double-handed backhand was noticeably more stable, sacrificing much spin but gaining speed and control, increasing his average return speed by 15 kilometers.

With a powerful serve, calm mentality, and flawless forehand and backhand techniques, Sinner now seems close to perfection. However, this is not entirely the case, as Cahil mentioned in a pre-Wimbledon media day interview that Sinner's deeper hidden danger lies in the risk of technical simplification.

"His hitting is great, but lacks variation. So you know his hitting patterns; the height over the net is insufficient, making it impossible to hit to the net. He didn't try to limit my attack; I know his returns are good, but he didn't attack my serve on the return," Cahil responded to Djokovic's text message offering advice on Sinner's playing style.

And indeed, this is the case: Sinner's growth history has shaped his "linear thinking" playing style, and Vilander also admitted, "When Alcaraz is completely healthy, his ceiling may be higher."

Sinner's current playing style is about "trading time for space," but his shots are not only fast but also "heavy," emphasizing "forward pressure," which significantly enhances his aggression and pressure in matches. As a netizen put it, "While many players are still concerned about whether their movements are correct, Sinner has already reached a different level of understanding of tennis."

This perhaps explains why the Swedish legend dares to assert that Sinner is "ten years ahead": while most players are still optimizing their movements, Sinner has reconstructed his understanding of tennis time.

From the current perspective, Sinner's dominance is just beginning; whether his "playing style" can break through the constraints of clay courts may be the biggest highlight in the future! And how will Alcaraz counter with his techniques? This might be even more intriguing than the "advancement of technical ability." (Source: Tennis Home, Author: Lu Xiaotian)