Game recognizes game. Days before Jannik Sinner took on Casper Ruud in the Italian Open final, on Sunday, the world no 1 broke Novak Djokovic’s Masters record. And fans couldn’t help but talk about the Serbian great’s past praise for Sinner.
Jannik Sinner breaks Djokovic’s record
Sinner’s win against Andrey Rublev in the Italian Open quarter-finals took him to 32 consecutive wins at Masters 1000 tournaments – the longest winning streak in the category’s history. He extended it with a semis win and now can go past 34 wins after beating Ruud in the final.
Despite the achievement, the Italian downplayed the significance of the milestone afterward.
“I don’t play for records. I play just for my own story. And obviously at the same time it means a lot to me,” Sinner said after the match.
More history to be made
The 22-year-old now finds himself on the verge of another historic moment as he attempts to become the first Italian man in 50 years to win the Italian Open title. No Italian male player has lifted the Rome trophy since Adriano Panatta triumphed in 1976. Tournament organisers have reportedly invited Panatta to present this year’s trophy during Sunday’s final ceremony.
“It’s a special tournament for me,” Sinner said while speaking about competing in front of home fans in Rome.
Djoko’s old tweets about Sinner
Back in July 2025, during Wimbledon, Djokovic tweeted: “I want to congratulate Jannik on a great performance.👏 It’s been very special being back at SW19, sharing the buzz and having my family with me. Thank you Wimbledon, the tournament of dreams 🍓. And to the fans, your support means everything. You have my heart. 🫶🏼 See you soon.”
Earlier in the month, after his French Open exit, the Serb had congratulated Sinner.
“Paris, you have my gratitude. Thank you for your incredible support in a place that is very special to me 🇫🇷. Honestly some of the greatest support I’ve received in my career 🙏🏼. Bravo to Jannik. Merci to @rolandgarros. À bientôt,” he wrote on X, platform formerly known as Twitter.
Sinner’s road to the final
Sinner secured his place in the Italian Open final after overcoming Daniil Medvedev 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 in a rain-disrupted semifinal at Foro Italico in Rome. The world No. 1 needed two days to finish the contest after persistent rain forced officials to suspend play late Friday night with the match locked in a deciding set.
Sinner appeared in complete control early in the semifinal, cruising through the opening set 6-2 with aggressive baseline play and sharp serving.
However, Medvedev responded strongly in the second set and managed to break Sinner in the 12th game to steal the set 7-5 and push the clash into a decider.
Shortly afterward, worsening weather conditions in Rome forced tournament organizers to halt play until Saturday.
When the players returned to Campo Centrale the following day, the match resumed only briefly before Sinner closed it out. Although Medvedev saved two match points, the Italian quickly regained composure and sealed victory minutes later.
Sinner opens up on mental challenge
Following the match, Sinner admitted the overnight interruption created an unusual mental battle.
“It was a very different challenge and a tough challenge. Usually, during the night, I don’t struggle to sleep but this time it was not easy,” Sinner said after the match.
“You are in the third set, nearly done but you still have to show up again and you never know what is happening. It is like the start of the match as there are nerves again.”
The Italian also expressed satisfaction with how he handled the difficult situation.
“I am very happy with how I handled this situation and that I back in the final,” he added.
