Jannik Sinner may have just ended a 50-year wait for an Italian man to win the Rome Open, but it will be the next tournament he plays in, Roland Garros, that means the most to him.
The 24-year-old continues to break records in the sport. His straight sets win over Casper Ruud in the Italian Open final on Sunday made Sinner the second man to win every Masters 1000 tournament at least once since the series was created in 1990. The first to do it was Novak Djokovic, who was seven years older when he reached the milestone.
Sinner is without a doubt the dominating force in men’s tennis with the absence of Carlos Alcaraz due to injury. After a somewhat timid start to the season with runs to the semi-finals of the Australian Open and the quarter-finals of an ATP 500 event in Qatar, he has won five consecutive events. Looking specifically at his performance at Masters 1000 events, Sinner has won 34 consecutive matches, dropping only three sets.
“I can take a break for two or three days, that happiness will last for two or three days,” Sinner said after his Rome triumph.
“After Monte Carlo, it wasn’t like that, because we went straight to Madrid. If you’re happy but then you arrive at a tournament, you lose that feeling: it’s just a fleeting moment in our sport. I do believe, however, that happiness shouldn’t be tied to winning.” He added.
Winning your home tournament is special for every player, but Sinner makes no apology for saying it is the Parisian clay at Roland Garros where his season goal lies. The French Open is the only major event he hasn’t won, and it is where he suffered one of the most heartbreaking defeats of his career.
12 months ago, in the final against Alcaraz, Sinner was a game from victory in the fourth set and had three championship points that he failed to convert. He ended up losing 4-6, 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-6(3), 7-6 (10-2) after five hours and 29 minutes in what was the longest French Open final in history.
“I said before the year started that my goal was Paris,” he states.
“What I’ve done here in Rome and throughout the rest of the year is incredible. I realize that, but mentally I know that now I have to do all the right things. It’s good to rest, but also to stay in shape because the most important tournament of the year for me is coming up soon.
“I don’t want to put too much pressure on myself, because that comes naturally. I know the most important thing to do now is to take a break, not think too much about tennis, and then get back to doing the right things.”
There is no doubt the Sinner will be the outstanding favourite in Paris, but he can encounter blips like any other player. Against Daniil Medvedev in Rome, he was struggling physically but managed to fight through in an encounter affected by the rain.
Sinner elevated his game against Ruud in the title match, who told reporters ‘You can’t just choose to make the match long against Jannik. Typically, he goes out and kills everyone 2-1 in an hour.’ Sinner has dropped only three sets across his last five tournament plays.
“The most important thing is staying in good physical shape,” said Sinner.
“If you’re not in good physical shape, you won’t get anywhere. That’s why I want to thank my team—the guys who handle the physical side of things: Umberto (Ferrara), Alejandro (Resnicoff), and Andrea (Cipolla)—we’re working really hard.
“The most important thing is the body. Everyone plays well in tennis: the hard part is staying physically fit all the time.”
Everything is going swimmingly for Sinner, but even he admits there will be a lull at some point as he plays down the possibility that he could become the first player in history to win every Masters 1000 event in the same year. Although he has a high chance of breaking the record for most Masters titles won in the same year, which is currently six.
“We’ve won in Rome and we’re happy, but it’s impossible to play the way I’m playing for the entire season.” He concluded.
The French Open starts on Sunday.
