Jannik Sinner becomes first player in a decade to win opening 12 matches of an ATP season

He is also in elite company with the tennis’ big three.

Jannik Sinner added the Rotterdam Open title to the top prize he won at the season-opening Australian Open. The win at Melbourne fetched the Italian his maiden Grand Slam win, making him the first from his country to win a major since Adriano Panatta won at Roland Garros in 1976. He defeated Alex de Minaur 7-5, 6-4 to win the Rotterdam Open title for the first time to maintain his perfect 7-0 record against the Australian. 

Sinner sent down 22 winners and won 78% (35/45) of his first serve points to win his 15th tour-level win in a row after spending two hours and five minutes on court. The Italian has reached a career-high ranking of No. 3 in the ATP rankings, something no Italian man has ever achieved. He has now won three consecutive ATP 500 events, including Beijing and Vienna, towards the end of 2023.

The Italian dropped just one set at the hard-court tournament for his 12th tour-level title. This was also his 12th win from as many matches this ATP season, putting him in illustrious company. Only the big 3 – Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have achieved the same feat. Djokovic did it three times (2016, 2020, 2023), and Federer and Nadal once each in 2018 and 2022 respectively. 

So strong was the grip of the big three in the sport that Sinner is only the second man to triumph at Melbourne Park since Stan Wawrinka won in 2014. He is also the second man after legendary Swede Bjorn Borg to win a Grand Slam title before his 23rd birthday. 

The 22-year-old Jannik Sinner also become the first man since Lleyton Hewitt to win an event on debut as Grand Slam champion — a feat not seen on tour since 2001. He also notched his 200th win as a professional tennis player in the recently concluded Rotterdam Open. The Rotterdam was also his 12th title win on the ATP Tour since turning pro in 2020, with his first being the Sofia Open.

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The newly crowned Australian Open champ is on the player list at the Indian Wells Masters and is likely to be in action at the BNP Paribas Open when it gets underway on March 6. World No. 1 Novak Djokovic will also be returning after a brief hiatus to the tour at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden during the first ATP 1000 event of the 2024 season.

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