How does Jannik Sinner compare to Djokovic, Nadal and Federer after Italian Open win? - BBC

Sinner makes history in Rome

Jannik Sinner is continuing to write his name into the record books at a pace rarely seen in the modern men’s game.

By winning the Italian Open in front of an adoring home crowd on Sunday, 24-year-old Sinner completed the full set of nine ATP Masters 1000 titles - known as the ‘career Golden Masters’.

Novak Djokovic, the inimitable 24-time Grand Slam champion, is the only other man to achieve the feat.

World number one Sinner has now won a record six Masters titles in a row after beating Norway’s Casper Ruud in the Rome final.

The controlled manner of Sinner's 6-4 6-4 victory - resiliently recovering from falling an early break down, showing his variety by unpicking Ruud with the drop-shot, then solidly rolling his way through the second set - underlined why he has a tight grip on the men's tour.

"I'm really, really happy - it's been an incredible last two and a half months," said Sinner, who has also won the Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo and Madrid Masters titles this season.

"There has been a lot of tension - especially here in the final. But it's a learning process. I can't know everything at 24 years old."

Jannik Sinner has won four Grand Slam titles and 10 ATP Masters events before he has reached 25 years old

Listen: 5 Live special - The Making of Jannik Sinner

The speed with which Sinner has completed the Golden Masters is startling.

Sinner only won his first Masters title - the tier of tournaments ranked below the majors - as recently as the 2023 Canadian Open.

Securing the clean sweep at a considerably younger age than Djokovic further adds to the Italian's accomplishment.

Djokovic was 31 when he created history by winning the 2018 Cincinnati Open, before he repeated the feat - winning all nine events at least twice - aged 33 in 2020.

"With the level of competition, the physical and mental demands, changing surfaces, travelling the world, winning all these matches is incredible," Britain's former world number four Tim Henman said on Sky Sports.

"It emphasises how complete a player Sinner is."

After Rome, all roads now lead to Roland Garros - where Sinner can create even more history at the upcoming French Open.

What else has Sinner got left to win?

Despite his relatively-tender years, the scale of four-time Grand Slam champion Sinner's achievements has already assured him a place as a future hall of famer.

Completing the Golden Masters so early in his career begs an obvious question: how much more can he go on to win?

Having already claimed the Australian Open (twice), Wimbledon and the US Open, Sinner could take another giant stride to tennis immortality in the next few weeks.

Continuing his momentum on the clay and winning the French Open, which starts next Sunday, would see him become only the 10th man to complete the career Grand Slam.

Who can stop Sinner? At this stage it is difficult to see anybody beating him.

With his generational rival Carlos Alcaraz injured, and most of the top 10 floundering, Sinner goes to Roland Garros as the heaviest favourite since the great Rafael Nadal.

Nothing can be taken for granted, of course.

Sinner's physical and mental freshness will be tested in the pressure-cooker atmosphere of a Grand Slam fortnight.

If Sinner does lift the Coupe des Mousquetaires on 7 June, it will leave him only an Olympics gold medal away from completing the full house of the sport's biggest individual prizes.

How Sinner's trajectory compares to the Big Three

Following his Rome triumph, Sinner has now won 16 of the sport's 'big titles’ - which comprises of the four Grand Slams, nine Masters 1000s, the year-end Tour Finals and the Olympics.

The rate which Sinner is achieving greatness - before he turns 25 in August - is comparable to the legends who went before him.

At the same age of 24 years and nine months old, Djokovic had won 17 of these distinguished tournaments.

The Serb's embryonic body of work came in one of the strongest eras of the ATP Tour, however.

Gatecrashing the duopoly of Roger Federer and Nadal, as well as jostling with Andy Murray, Juan Martin del Potro and Stan Wawrinka in a talented generation, makes Djokovic's early haul even more impressive.

Federer had claimed 19 titles at the same age as Sinner. He had Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick and Lleyton Hewitt to contend with in his formative years, then Nadal - and later Djokovic - emerged.