‘Sinner will be one of greatest players we’ve ever seen’

Each time Jannik Sinner enters a tournament, records seem to tumble.

The world number one’s commanding 6-3 7-6 (7-4) 6-3 win over second seed Alexander Zverev in the Australian Open final meant Sinner became Italy’s first three-time Grand Slam champion.

The 23-year-old has started the season in the same imperious form as he ended the last, extending his career-best winning streak to 21 matches.

But while uncertainty around his ongoing doping case remains, on the court, Sinner remains an unstoppable force.

“Sinner, if he’s not already, is going to be one of the greatest players we have ever seen”, former Wimbledon champion Pat Cash told BBC Radio 5 Live.

Many people would not anticipate that the wheelie bin symbolise the beginning of a new era of dominance for men’s tennis.

However, the picture, which he battled illness at the China Open in October 2023, has become synonymous with Sinner’s transformation into a serial title winner.

He would go on to win that match. And that tournament. and the most matches he has won in the previous 15 months.

Since the start of the Beijing competition, Sinner has won 98 games and suffered just nine defeats, including three losses to Carlos Alcaraz, a four-time Grand Slam champion.

In June of this year, Sinner replaced Novak Djokovic as men’s world number one, and he has since won a record-equalling 47 of his first 50 matches while remaining top-ranked. He is now level with Jimmy Connors and Bjorn Borg.

Since winning his first Slam in Melbourne a year ago, he has also won 30-2.

Cash claimed that Sinner and Alcaraz are “almost unmatched.”

It’s a two-horse race until other young men enter, he says. We saw that for a while with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, then]came] Andy Murray, Djokovic and Stan Wawrinka.

Before Sinner became the youngest man since 1993 to win back-to-back Australian Open men’s singles titles, co-coaches Simone Vagnozzi and Darren Cahill identified Sinner’s maturity as key to his progress.

Australian Cahill, coach to former top-ranked players Andre Agassi and Andy Murray, said: “He’s just 23 but sometimes it feels like he’s much older and wiser than we are.

” He’s an incredible young man. He’s matured, for sure, not just on the court but certainly off it as well.

Sinner moves exceptionally well for his 6ft 3in frame, marrying court-consuming agility with robust endurance.

His serve has also improved. Sinner won 91.4% of his service games in 2024, his 563 aces representing a 29% increase on the year before and more than 50% on 2022.

He led the Tour in second serve points won (57.9%) and made it the only player in 35 years to not fall short of a major final break point.

Sinner’s resilience in high-pressure situations is perhaps what sets him apart from most people. He placed second in terms of tie-breaks won (75%), and he saved an unmatched 73% of the break points he faced in 2024.

Additionally, Sinner attributed pre-match naps to being a key component of his success.

“Usually I’m quite relaxed until 20 minutes before the match”, Sinner said.

Since 1973, the ATP rankings were established, and Sinner is the first player to have won 10 straight sets against top-10 opponents.

However, he faces uncertainty about his future despite beginning the year in the same dominant way he ended the previous year.

After twice testing positive for the banned substance clostebol in March of this year, a separate tribunal found no wrongdoing for Sinner.

The World Anti-Doping Agency will file an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport on April 16 and 17 to contest that ruling.

It is unknown whether a verdict will be rendered before Roland Garros, the second Grand Slam of the year, will be held at a hearing that will take place more than five weeks prior.

“I think Jannik likes this situation, the pressure point, to be in a storm, in a difficult moment. In this moment, he]plays] the best tennis”, his coach Vagnozzi said.