Jannik Sinner becomes first Italian man in 50 years to win Italian Open

Jannik Sinner continued his dominance on European clay courts, overcoming a slow start to defeat 23rd seed Casper Ruud 6-4, 6-4 at the Italian Open in Rome, making history as the first Italian man in 50 years to win the title.

The scale of Sinner’s achievement is difficult to overstate. He became only the second man ever to win all nine ATP Masters 1000 titles, a feat first accomplished by Novak Djokovic in 2018 at age 31. Sinner completed his set at just 24, with what appears to be much more ahead of him.

Sinner also extended his record for consecutive Masters 1000 wins, becoming the first man to win six straight titles overall and the first to win the first five in a season. He is the only player besides Rafael Nadal in 2010 to win all three clay-court Masters 1000 events in a year. On a personal level, Sinner is the first Italian man to triumph in Rome since Adriano Panatta in 1976.

“There’s no better place to complete this set,” said Sinner. “It has been a very, very interesting tournament already back in the years. 2019, making my debut here on this court. I always felt a lot of, like in a different way, a very positive but different way, a lot of attention, a lot of emotions going through. It means a lot. I believe for an Italian, it’s one of the most special places we play tennis. To win at least once in my career means a lot to me.”

In the absence of Carlos Alcaraz, who was sidelined by injury and had beaten Sinner in Rome and at Roland Garros last year, no player has shown they can consistently compete with the world No. 1, who continues to perform at an incredible level with every match. Although Sinner is still seeking his first French Open title, he heads to Paris as a heavier favorite than any player in recent memory except Nadal.

The significance of the occasion was evident in Italy. President Sergio Mattarella watched from behind the baseline, and along with Panatta, entered the court after the match to personally present Sinner with the trophy.

“It’s amazing the support an Italian gets here, especially in Rome,” said Sinner. “Many important people were coming today. I tried to not look a lot outside of the court and trying to be as focused as I could. But, for sure, they gave me very positive feelings.”