Italian tennis player Sinner completed the Career Golden Masters at the age of 24, breaking Novak Djokovic's record of 31 consecutive wins at Masters 1000 tournaments and replicating the clay court feat previously only achieved by "King of Clay" Rafael Nadal.
More importantly, a new feeling is emerging in the ATP: after the Big 3 era and the expectations surrounding the "Big 2" Sinner and Alcaraz, men's tennis is gradually entering the era of the "Big 1" named Jannik Sinner.
Sinner is the current ATP champion.
Two years ago, Jannik Sinner was still seen as a great talent of the next generation. A player with a modern technical foundation, a cool mentality, and top-tier baseline game in the ATP.
Italian tennis player Sinner completed the Career Golden Masters at the age of 24.
But at that time, he was still considered a competitor to Carlos Alcaraz. Men's tennis, after the Big 3 Federer - Nadal - Djokovic, was expected to enter a new era of "two-horse" competition.
Things are changing very quickly now. The 2026 Rome Masters could be the biggest turning point in Sinner's career. Not only because he won on home soil, but because what he achieved at Foro Italico shows a player entering a period of historical dominance.
Sinner is no longer just a challenger for the ATP throne; he is the throne of the ATP. What sets Sinner apart is that he no longer has weaknesses on any surface. For many years, clay courts were considered the most difficult surface for Sinner.
Sinner plays fast, flat shots, leaning towards early ball pressure, a style generally more suited to hard courts than clay. Even last year, Sinner lost to Alcaraz in the Rome final, a clay court where everyone acknowledged Alcaraz as the current number one player.
But after just one year, everything completely reversed. This year's clay court season, Sinner won: Monte Carlo, Madrid, and Rome. He became only the second player in history, after Rafael Nadal, to win all three Masters 1000 clay court tournaments in the same season.
What's even more remarkable is how Sinner won. While Nadal dominated this surface with powerful topspin shots, high bounces, and extraordinary physical fitness, Sinner achieved it with a more modern style of tennis.
Sinner always seeks to get close, touching the ball as early as possible to maintain constant pressure on his opponent. He changes direction quickly, accelerates unexpectedly, and intersperses drop shots, giving his opponent almost no time to recover. While Nadal exhausts his opponents, Sinner suffocates them.
That's the difference between the two generations of tennis.
From the "Big 2" to the feeling of being "Big 1"
Carlos Alcaraz remains Sinner's biggest rival at the moment. The Spanish player Alcaraz's talent, explosiveness, and entertainment value are still exceptional. But the difference is gradually emerging in terms of consistency.
Sinner is seen as a great talent of the next generation.
While Alcaraz still has tournaments with fluctuating form or fitness issues, Sinner is progressing towards near-flawless form. 10 Masters 1000 finals wins, not a single set lost. 32 consecutive Masters 1000 wins, losing only two sets in that entire streak. That's not just high form anymore. That's a sign of dominance.
More importantly, Sinner created a feeling that the ATP hadn't seen in years: the feeling of a player stepping onto the court with an almost unbeatable presence.
Previously, that feeling belonged to: Federer in 2004-2007, Nadal on clay, Djokovic in 2011 or 2015. Now it's starting to appear around Sinner. But Sinner is progressing faster than the legends. The most astonishing thing is the speed of his development.
In 2023, Sinner won his first Masters 1000 tournament in Toronto. Three years later, Sinner completed the Career Golden Masters, boasting 10 Masters 1000 titles, setting a record of 32 consecutive wins, and mastering hard courts, composite courts, and clay courts. Remarkably, all of this happened when Sinner was just 24 years old.
Even Novak Djokovic needed to be 31 years old to complete his collection of 9 Masters 1000 titles. This doesn't mean Sinner has surpassed the "Big 3" in terms of legacy. The gap is still very large. But for the first time in many years, the ATP has a player who has reached historical milestones on par with legends.
Currently, Sinner hasn't reached his peak. He doesn't feel like he's transcending his limits. On the contrary, Sinner is still improving: his serve is becoming more consistent, his movement on clay is better, his transitions are smoother, his tactical reading is better, he's more flexible, and his ball handling is more refined.
Sinner is no longer just a challenger for the ATP throne; he is the reigning champion of the ATP.
Typically, when a player reaches a level of dominance, they reach a point of perfection. Sinner, however, hasn't. That's something the rest of the ATP should be worried about.
Because if he can maintain his fitness and motivation over the next few years, men's tennis might not enter the "Big 2" era as many people think, but rather the era of the "Big 1". And that name right now is Jannik Sinner.
For over 20 years, men's tennis has lived under the enormous shadow of Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic. Everyone thought it would be a long time before the ATP saw a player who could create a similar sense of dominance. But Rome 2026 could be the moment everything changes. Because Jannik Sinner is not just winning now. Sinner is forcing the entire ATP to adapt to a new standard of top-level tennis.
Jannik Sinner's achievements
- 10 Masters 1000 titles: Canadian Open 2023; Miami Open 2024, 2026; Cincinnati Open 2024; Shanghai Masters 2024; Paris Masters 2025; Indian Wells 2026; Monte Carlo Masters 2026; Madrid Open 2026; Italian Open 2026
- Djokovic broke his record of 32 consecutive wins at Masters 1000 tournaments, surpassing his 2011 record of 31 wins. Third is Djokovic's record of 30 wins, followed by Roger Federer (29 wins) and Rafael Nadal (23 wins).
- The first player to win 5 consecutive Masters 1000 titles.
Completed the Career Golden Masters at the age of 24 , seven years younger than Djokovic when he reached this milestone . Won all 10 Masters 1000 finals , never losing a set in any of the Masters finals he won . Along with Nadal, he is one of only two players to have won Monte Carlo, Madrid, and Rome in the same season.
Source: https://nld.com.vn/tu-big-3-den-big-1-thoi-cua-rieng-jannik-sinner-196260518112213461.htm
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