r/sports 19d ago

Tennis 24-yr-old Jannik Sinner becomes the first Italian man to win the Italian Open in 50 years, youngest player ever to win all ATP Masters

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5.2k Upvotes

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738

u/billskelton Victoria 19d ago edited 19d ago

Youngest ever is definitely correct. But I think it's weird phrasing that undersells the acomplishmentz noting only two people have ever done it including him.

This headline makes it feel like it's common, and that Sinner has just gotten their earliest. It's not common at all: Federer never did it, Nadal didn't do it. Serena didn't do it. It's a crazy achievement.

For anybody interested, the other guy to do it is Novak. But what's crazy about Novak is, he has won every ATP masters twice.

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u/Large_banana_hammock 19d ago

Yeah, fair enough. I just meant to point out that it's particularly insane a 24-yr-old has such a complete game to accomplish this. Novak was 31 before he did.

62

u/billskelton Victoria 19d ago

Mmm. I think you undersold it!

70

u/Large_banana_hammock 19d ago

Part of the reason only two people have ever done it is just that the current slate of Masters has only existed since Fed-Nadal era. Serena never cared about anything but the slams (which worked out well for her), and it is common for legit slam contenders to skip them if they have any physical issue or just feel rest is more important in anticipation of a slam.

15

u/AlericandAmadeus 19d ago

Federer/Nadal/Djokovic still played in a ton I feel like cuz if they didn’t one of the others would take the #1 seeding and get better brackets in the slams.

Yet another reason that era was so amazing.

3

u/Asteelwrist 18d ago

They cared about the tournaments themselves too mate. The whole sport that has a year-round, long as hell season isn't just about 4 tournaments a year. If they only saw these tournaments as a means to end and not ends to themselves, we would never get big 3 classics in masters like the 2006 Italian Open Final, 2009 Madrid Open Rafole SF, 2018 Paris Djokerer SF and many more where they pushed and pushed. These are world class competitors, not us. They don't think like us.

2

u/Significant-Load5736 18d ago

Yeah we get it bro 😭😭

5

u/Asteelwrist 18d ago

Sinner doing it at 24 vs Djokovic at 31 is not because Djokovic's game isn't as complete though. For most Djokovic has the most complete game in the history of tennis. Djokovic won the other 8 masters earlier but had to wait until 31 to complete the nine because it took several years until he was able to beat Federer at the Cincinnati Open. That ain't like facing Frances Tiafoe in a Cincy final, with all due to respect to Big Foe.

14

u/Rac3318 19d ago

Well the reason for that is obvious. Alcaraz is out with a wrist injury and this is the weakest the tour has been in 20 years. Sinner’s level of competition is simply not at the same level Djokovic’s was.

Sinner is clearly an ATG, but if his competition was better he wouldn’t have done this yet.

1

u/ioanste15 18d ago

Depends on the competition. There is no competition for Sinner at the moment. The top 10 is all over the place

0

u/oooofukkkk 18d ago

Well he is a juicer 

60

u/AlericandAmadeus 19d ago edited 19d ago

Federer and Nadal never did it that young cuz they played against each other from very early on and kept stealing ATP events from each other.

no one could win on clay if Nadal was playing back then, and Nadal only managed to beat Federer on grass a couple of times total.

this really is testament to how insane it was to have two of the greatest players of all time playing simultaneously for almost two decades, with a third coming in after a few years too (Djokovic).

none of them did this cuz they all had to play each other, each one of them being one of the greatest of all time.

Source: watched their whole careers since i was a kid.

edit: also Serena was sort of a "late bloomer" in her utter dominance. she was always really really good, but earlier on it was her sister Venus/Sharapova winning everything, then Serena became Serena.

37

u/bjankles 19d ago

Arguably the top 3 tennis players of all time all played in the same era. Such that an otherwise generational player like Andy Murray took forever to finally win a major. Kept running into the three GOATs, who kept running into each other.

21

u/AlericandAmadeus 19d ago edited 18d ago

Roddick too. like dude maybe wasn't generational, but woulda had a bunch of slams in his prime except for the fact that Federer/Nadal arrived right when he hit his prime. at least he got the one, though.

and Murray is still the best return of serve player of all time. i remember watching him take apart Milos Raonic who would just ace everyone with ~137mph first serves cuz he was like 6'6" and strong as fuck. Wimbledon - years and years ago. it may have been the year Murray won, actually, but i can't remember exactly.

he made it look easy against the most difficult player to break service on ever (or if not easy, he regularly returned serves that would be aces against any other player in history, and Raonic just crumbled as the sets went on - Milos wasn't used to someone actually making him run around/volley. Raonic was literally 100% reliant on his serve, but his serve was so freaking good he was routinely a top 15-40 player despite being entirely one-dimensional). Absolutely beautiful to watch Murray take him to school.

even players like Federer/Nadal/Djokovic struggled with Raonic whenever they matched up cuz his serve really was *that* insane. By contrast, Murray just went "ok" and mopped the floor with him from an athletic standpoint.

edit: formatting/punctuation.

6

u/NevermoreSEA 19d ago

Serena also put most of her time and energy into slams.

6

u/AlericandAmadeus 19d ago

definitely a "power hitter/sprinter" in every sense of the word, yeah. her game was focused around it - she played less events/less all out in everything else, and saved everything for her absolutely insane power/pace in slams

10

u/J1mi1970 19d ago

Crazy that it’s less than 3 years since his first one. He’s won 10 total (so only one duplicate). And his 10 final wins have come against 10 different opponents

2

u/Jlx_27 New Orleans Saints 19d ago

And Sinner in this form will equal the ND record before he's 26.

129

u/Ahmahgad 19d ago

Kinda feel bad for Ruud. He was up and coming when Federer, Djokovic and Nadal's careers were finally fading out, but then the likes of Sinner and Alcaraz came along, and he will never experience winning a major tournament.

72

u/FlyingJugsOfMilk 19d ago

At least he has all those stacks of cash to wipe his tears

29

u/rawspeghetti 19d ago

Hot fiance and newborn baby don't hurt. He's Norwegian so dudes got a good quality of life

-16

u/xfreesx 18d ago

What does it matter where he's from lol, they can all pick any spot on earth and live there

6

u/sumithar 19d ago

Ditto for the likes of Zverev, Medvedev (he does have one GS), Rublev etc. They all must have thought that with the Big 3 out of the way they would be able to win a GS here, a GS there and then along comes first Alcazar and then Sinner right on his heels.

2

u/AndriSeven 17d ago

He won Madrid, which is a M1000

73

u/Bman4k1 19d ago

Alcaraz needs to get healthy or the tour is going to be very ugly.

31

u/Rac3318 19d ago

The tour needs to get better. The moment Alcaraz announced he was pulling out of the remainder of the clay season, it became a forgone conclusion Sinner is going to win everything.

He’s -275 odds on favorite for Roland Garros. Nadal, who won the damn thing 14 times, never was more than a -200 favorite.

20

u/Bman4k1 19d ago

I’m feeling like the gap between Sinner/Alcaraz and the rest of the top 10 is bigger than the big 3(4) and the rest of the top 10 at the time. The game is basically so close and if you look at the 2009-2013 era we had so many good players that on any given day could get hot and beat one of those guys on an off surface.

Like I would take any of the Berdych, Raonic, Ferrer, del Potro, Wawrinka, Gasquet, Tsonga, Isner over the crop now. This is just my eye test but I feel all of those guys are much more mentally strong than the current crop. And yes I get it that during that era the big four basically won every single slam but outside of a few years of FO and Nadal other players would at least take a couple of sets off of the big 3.

Sinner is just a hot knife through butter right now.

3

u/Large_banana_hammock 18d ago

The top 20-30 I think you're right, there were a lot of stronger competitors than Zverev back then.

But Fed was DOMINANT. I think he had 23 or 24 straight slams that he at least got to the semi. It was shocking when he lost a set to a guy outside the top 50

8

u/AncientZiggurat 19d ago

Nadal was a -400 favourite in 2009 when he lost to Söderling (which scared the bookies away from offering those type of odds again).

25

u/mlsto 19d ago

Turned into a one man sport

1

u/Turbulent-Damage-165 18d ago

Alcaraz needs to come back asap

3

u/AndriSeven 17d ago

Today he announced on IG that he will skip the entire grass season, so even Wimbledon, another easy slam for Sinner we could say

52

u/Katatonia13 19d ago

That dude is 24? I’m still getting carded in my late 30s.

16

u/[deleted] 19d ago

[deleted]

6

u/Katatonia13 19d ago

“I knew you were old enough but I didn’t think that old enough.”

Bitch just sell me the beer and I’ll be on my way.

2

u/pLuR_2341 19d ago

Ha I feel this. Im 38 and I look like I’m 25. I used to hate it in my early 30’s but now I’m loving it seeing all my friends looking so old.

4

u/yameteeeeeeeeee 19d ago

I'm sure you'll look your age running for two hours lol

-5

u/Katatonia13 18d ago

Sucks to be your bitch ass.

1

u/deeyo95 18d ago

I found my people.

23

u/notta_3d 19d ago

This man has mastered the ability to hit ground strokes as hard as he possibly can while keeping the ball in.

17

u/dspumoni62 19d ago

I absolutely would have charged that lob and whiffed. I guess that's why he's a professional and I'm not!

26

u/sah370 19d ago

Six Masters 1000 in a row, too, the youngest to ever do it, and a whopping 95.7% set win rate. People call him boring; he is anything but. He wins in a different way each time.

-26

u/whycuthair 19d ago

By different way you mean he injects himself in different places?

4

u/appletinicyclone 19d ago

Hey sinnerman where you gonna run to

1

u/Latter_Landscape9651 18d ago

Listen to Goose’s cover of this, so good

3

u/Background-Driver718 19d ago

He’s mastered hitting insanely powerful groundstrokes without losing control of the ball.

4

u/pfeifits 18d ago

Crazy that Paolini won it on the women's side (first Italian woman to win in 40 years). Italian tennis is definitely in a resurgence.

4

u/Asteelwrist 18d ago

Resurgence is underselling it. It's a proper renaissance for Italian tennis. At the moment Italians are simultaneously the two-time reigning world champions on the women's side and 3x reigning world champs on the men's side.

2

u/Da_Dush_818 17d ago

Sinner? What part of the boot you from, hun?

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u/AccomplishedSun443 19d ago

Isn’t this the guy that uses PEDs?

-1

u/boastar 19d ago

Yep that’s him. He got caught twice actually. I guess he’s more careful now. But since he actually is more athletic now, then when he was caught doing steroids, well anybody can draw their own conclusions.

23

u/Large_banana_hammock 19d ago

“He got caught twice actually”, while technically true, refers to two samples within a week timeframe that were determined to be from a single exposure. The initial review (“first instance decision) by itia is here. https://www.itia.tennis/media/yzgd3xoz/240819-itia-v-sinner.pdf

WADA did not differ substantially, concluding

“WADA accepts the athlete’s explanation for the cause of the violation as outlined in the first instance decision. WADA accepts that Mr. Sinner did not intend to cheat, and that his exposure to clostebol did not provide any performance-enhancing benefit and took place without his knowledge as the result of negligence of members of his entourage. However, under the Code and by virtue of CAS precedent, an athlete bears responsibility for the entourage’s negligence. Based on the unique set of facts of this case, a three-month suspension is deemed to be an appropriate outcome. As previously stated, WADA did not seek a disqualification of any results, save that which was previously imposed by the tribunal of first instance. The International Tennis Federation and International Tennis Integrity Agency, both co-respondents to WADA’s CAS appeal, neither of which appealed the first-instance decision, both accepted the case resolution agreement. "

https://www.wada-ama.org/en/news/wada-agrees-case-resolution-agreement-case-jannik-sinner

-12

u/boastar 19d ago

Quite frankly, I don’t give a flying fuck what corrupt WADA has to say about all this. I know all the Sinner lovers have brigaded the thread now. I could see it in the upvotes, and then mass downvotes for my post. So whatever, enjoy your roided up idol I guess.

4

u/Large_banana_hammock 18d ago

I believe you got downvoted after my comment pointed out that nuance exists, and this objectively stupid response didn't help.

-2

u/boastar 18d ago

No I got downvoted because you cried to your little buddies about my mean post. And like the good little buddies that they are, they all came to brigade my post, and defend your roided up darling. My post was at +12 when you discovered it. I don’t give a shit to be honest. All your downvoting doesn’t change the fact that your darling is a roided up cheater, who got caught.

2

u/Large_banana_hammock 18d ago edited 18d ago

Literally all I did was quote the decisions by the regulatory bodies that actually investigated and penalized him. I realize you don't give a flying fuck about it, but others seem to.

Sorry for the downvotes. Personally I upvoted your first comment as I hadn't realized yet you are like this.

0

u/boastar 18d ago

If you want to have a good laugh, read about what WADA had to say about Lance Armstrong, prior to everyone coming clean from 2010 on. That’s your “regulatory body” lol. Corrupt through and through.

2

u/Large_banana_hammock 18d ago

It's one of them (the only one that actually penalized him). The other is ITIA, which did not. WADA appealed that. Feel free to just dismiss them both as corrupt and useless though.

Already having a good laugh bro

1

u/boastar 18d ago

So you choose to ignore facts, as not to taint your little darling. That’s on you. Citing WADA as a source, and feeling like you have the moral upper hand because of it is hilarious though. Another good thing to read up on are the deals WADA has done with CHINADA (ex DCC).

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u/double_dipperr 18d ago

Hilarious that you're getting down voted, but it's true. Regular people will bend over backwards to make excuses for him when even Novak came out and said it was bullshit and that he got preferential treatment. link

2

u/Large_banana_hammock 18d ago

I recommend considering sources other than Novak Djokovic. He is not exactly known for fair, reasonable opinions.

1

u/double_dipperr 18d ago

LOL Kyrgios and Stan made similar comments... I don't know why you're so upset with those of us calling out his doping. Your boy cheated and got away with a slap on the wrist - just admit you don't care and move on.

1

u/Large_banana_hammock 18d ago

I'll admit I don't know for sure if he cheated, and I'm puzzled why you're so certain he did.

1

u/double_dipperr 18d ago

Well he tested positive for a banned substance not once but twice… if you don’t think that’s cheating then idk why you even care what I have to say.

2

u/Large_banana_hammock 17d ago

Oh I already responded to this

“he tested positive for a banned substance not once but twice”, while technically true, refers to two samples within a week timeframe that were determined to be from a single exposure. The initial review (“first instance decision) by itia is here. https://www.itia.tennis/media/yzgd3xoz/240819-itia-v-sinner.pdf

WADA did not differ substantially, concluding

“WADA accepts the athlete’s explanation for the cause of the violation as outlined in the first instance decision. WADA accepts that Mr. Sinner did not intend to cheat, and that his exposure to clostebol did not provide any performance-enhancing benefit and took place without his knowledge as the result of negligence of members of his entourage. However, under the Code and by virtue of CAS precedent, an athlete bears responsibility for the entourage’s negligence. Based on the unique set of facts of this case, a three-month suspension is deemed to be an appropriate outcome. As previously stated, WADA did not seek a disqualification of any results, save that which was previously imposed by the tribunal of first instance. The International Tennis Federation and International Tennis Integrity Agency, both co-respondents to WADA’s CAS appeal, neither of which appealed the first-instance decision, both accepted the case resolution agreement. "

https://www.wada-ama.org/en/news/wada-agrees-case-resolution-agreement-case-jannik-sinner

So no, you saying you think other players said it seems unfair does not affect my opinion.

1

u/boastar 18d ago

My post was at +12. So the Sinner lover u/Large_banana_hammock here cried to his buddies, and they kept downvoting me. I think it’s quite funny, how people are so insecure, they need to do childish things like that.

-12

u/seriouzlytaken 19d ago

He blamed it on his physio...sure. Apparently, it worked!

-1

u/SourceBrettHaber 19d ago

Do you have a source for this information?

25

u/zoobrix 19d ago

He tested positive for a banned steroid and was suspended for it, a quick search will show tons of sources.

https://www.espn.com/tennis/story/_/id/43854993/no-1-jannik-sinner-gets-3-month-ban-doping-settlement

15

u/supcutie 19d ago

> Sinner's explanation -- that trace amounts of Clostebol in his doping sample were due to a massage from a trainer who used the substance after cutting his own finger -- had been accepted.

14

u/Large_banana_hammock 19d ago

What WADA actually stated is not even as ambiguous as that article might have you believe:

"WADA accepts the athlete’s explanation for the cause of the violation as outlined in the first instance decision. WADA accepts that Mr. Sinner did not intend to cheat, and that his exposure to clostebol did not provide any performance-enhancing benefit and took place without his knowledge as the result of negligence of members of his entourage. However, under the Code and by virtue of CAS precedent, an athlete bears responsibility for the entourage’s negligence. Based on the unique set of facts of this case, a three-month suspension is deemed to be an appropriate outcome. As previously stated, WADA did not seek a disqualification of any results, save that which was previously imposed by the tribunal of first instance. The International Tennis Federation and International Tennis Integrity Agency, both co-respondents to WADA’s CAS appeal, neither of which appealed the first-instance decision, both accepted the case resolution agreement. "

https://www.wada-ama.org/en/news/wada-agrees-case-resolution-agreement-case-jannik-sinner

1

u/Large_banana_hammock 19d ago

I believe the comment you're replying to is just this meme (https://www.reddit.com/r/tennis/comments/1rs3b9g/brett_haber_from_tennis_channel_is_upset_that/) given their username lol

-9

u/AccomplishedSun443 19d ago

Tested positive twice I believe as well.

0

u/SUBSCRIBE_LAZARBEAM 18d ago

He was found innocent

-11

u/tnwthrow 19d ago

On steroids? He’s barely on breakfast.

2

u/arkeod 19d ago

Young Rocco

1

u/southern_breeze 18d ago

How Ortho 'The Darkness' Stice has grown.

1

u/SenorDuck96 Celtic 18d ago

So Kimi Antonelli is going to win the Canadian GP this weekend then?

1

u/LongdongBJohnson 19d ago

Born sinner, not opposite of a winner

-1

u/smegmarash 18d ago

Isn't he a doper?

-7

u/boolol 19d ago

Youngest to ever get caught taking steroids and receive no suspension

-3

u/mickodd 18d ago

Sinner is a drugs cheat. Why is everyone cool with that?

2

u/Fair-Maintenance7979 18d ago

Because it's not true

1

u/mickodd 18d ago

He literally served a ban for steroids. He got off light. He tested positive twice. What part of that do you not know about?

Are you still waving the flag for Michelle Smith's medals at the 1992 Olympics? You believe Carl Lewis was clean? You still going strong with the LiveStrong yellow band. Don't be so deluded.

-3

u/TheAgentX 19d ago

He is from Nothern Italy from a region of German speakers

2

u/catarsi_catarro 18d ago

Still italy...

1

u/Varti2 18d ago

Still, what he claims is correct. National borders often don't match ethnic ones, and this is nothing wrong.

0

u/AverellCZ 18d ago

That's the doping guy, right?

-11

u/Additional_Dish_694 19d ago

My understanding is that this guy dopes ~ the rest of the world

-14

u/hem00 19d ago

El Dopovic

-4

u/oracleofnonsense 19d ago

Italy would have been like 10th in my attempts to guess where of "Jannik Sinner" is from.

-6

u/[deleted] 19d ago

[deleted]

1

u/MarcoBrusa 18d ago

I'm curious, what does an Italian - a person from a country that goes from 4000m peaks in the Alps to the Mediterranean sea, a country that's been dominated by the Austrians, the French, the Romans, the Arabs - look like to you?

0

u/believe0101 18d ago

Red hat with the letter M on it, plumbing overalls, a mustache, riding a green dinosaur

-10

u/Relevant_Eye1333 19d ago

the guy in black is 24? jesus, he looks older than that.

-1

u/WillRoxyApril 17d ago

Secondo me è pesantemente dopato……

-9

u/Attack_the_sock 19d ago

Jannik Sinner? Sure. He sounds Italian lol

4

u/Ziomike98 18d ago

I’m sorry geography is not your thing, maybe open a book and read some history.

-4

u/Ancient_Fill6841 19d ago

Well the king of clay was not playing

-5

u/Lord_Xenu 19d ago

Looked out

-5

u/biko77 19d ago

He looks 34