One of the hottest men in global sports this year is tennis player Jannik Sinner (25, Italy). He became the second player in history to achieve the "Career Golden Masters," winning all nine Masters 1000 events—a feat previously held by Novak Djokovic (39, Serbia) alone. Now he will challenge for the title at next week's French Open, putting him in pursuit of the "Career Grand Slam" across tennis's four major tournaments.
Sinner, the world No. 1 in the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) tour rankings, won the men's singles final at the ATP Tour Italian Open held at the Foro Italico in Rome on May 17, defeating Casper Ruud (No. 25, Norway) 2-0 (6-4, 6-4).
With this victory, Sinner swept all the "Masters 1000" tournaments. Masters 1000 is the tier just below the four majors, and a player who wins all nine events earns the title of Career Golden Masters. It is the second such record in history, following world No. 4 Djokovic, a living legend with 24 major titles. In particular, Sinner achieved the record at the age of 24 years and 9 months, seven years younger than the age of 31 at which Djokovic accomplished it. Starting with his Canadian Open victory in August 2023, Sinner claimed all nine tournament titles in less than three years. He is also extending records of six consecutive Masters 1000 wins and 34 consecutive match victories.
Sinner will now challenge for the Career Grand Slam—sweeping all four majors—at the French Open, the season's second major, which opens on May 24. After winning his first major at the 2024 Australian Open, Sinner also won the US Open that year, and last year he took the titles at the Australian Open and Wimbledon, bringing his total to four major wins. If he wins only the French Open, a clay-court (brick dust) tournament, he would become the tenth Career Grand Slammer among men's players in history while also reserving his place in the Hall of Fame.
In last year's French Open final, Sinner won the first two sets against his rival Carlos Alcaraz (Spain) but suffered a painful 2-3 comeback loss. This year, however, Alcaraz is absent. World No. 2 Alcaraz is skipping this French Open due to a right wrist problem he sustained in the first round of the Barcelona Open in early last month. Other top-10 players besides Alcaraz are also considered unable to match Sinner's current form, leading to assessments that his chances of winning are higher than ever.
Two years ago, Sinner twice tested positive for the banned substance clostebol in doping tests and was suspended from competition for three months last year. But over the past two-plus months, he has shown an "untouchable" level of performance, and the doping controversy has quietly faded.
Britain's Sky Sports commentator Tim Henman said, "The level of competition in modern tennis, the physical and mental strain, the various court environments, and the wins that keep piling up despite a grueling schedule of traveling around the world show just how close to perfect a player Sinner is."
World No. 7 Daniil Medvedev (Russia), who lost 1-2 to Sinner in the semifinals of the clay-court Italian Open, said, "Sinner seems to move even better on clay than on hard courts or grass courts. In a clay environment, the ball slows down compared to other courts, so there's a bit more chance to keep up with his shots, but his movement is so good that he quickly gains the upper hand in rallies." This is also a reason why his chances of winning the French Open are high.
Sinner plays "tennis of timing," striking the ball very quickly during the rising phase after it bounces. Experts analyze that his existing power-based play has been refined with mastery in depth, spin, and angle control, allowing him to play a complete form of tennis that recovers immediately even after being broken. In fact, in the Italian Open final that day, he was broken in a service game early in the first set but tenaciously recovered, dispatching Ruud with a variety of plays including exquisite drop shots.
Sinner kept a low profile, saying, "Today's final was also a learning process. I'm still only 24, and it's not an age where you're good at everything." His words, suggesting he will work even harder than now to fill the gaps, are likely to sound frightening to his competitors.
Meanwhile, some say it is too early to compare the syndrome Sinner is creating with Djokovic's performance at the same age. Britain's BBC said, "At the age of 24 years and 9 months, Sinner has won 16 big titles (4 majors, 10 Masters 1000, 2 season-ending Tour Finals). This is comparable to Djokovic's 17 wins at the same age," while adding, "However, it must be considered that Djokovic built these achievements during one of the most fiercely competitive eras in history, given the presence of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal."
