Jannik Sinner’s exceptional season culminated in a resounding victory over Tomas Machac in the Shanghai Masters semifinals, propelling the Italian to the coveted year-end No. 1 ranking. This triumph sets the stage for a highly anticipated final showdown against the legendary Novak Djokovic, who is seeking his 100th ATP title.
Sinner first claimed the top spot during the French Open in June and has held onto it since, becoming the first Italian to achieve this remarkable feat. His 2024 campaign has been nothing short of extraordinary, marked by six tournament wins, including two Grand Slam triumphs at the Australian Open and the U.S. Open.
Sinner’s dominance was evident from the outset of the season, winning his first 16 matches and accumulating an impressive 64 wins against just six losses. When asked if he envisioned reaching the No. 1 ranking at the beginning of the year, Sinner revealed, “No, not really, because you cannot predict the future in one way. It also depends how you start a season. You know, if you start it in a good way like I did, you know, winning Australia, then you have much more confidence throughout the whole season.”
His exceptional season also saw him break the record for most wins by a male Italian player in a single season in the Open Era, spearheading a surge in Italian tennis that has seen the rise of stars like Jasmine Paolini, who reached the finals of both the French Open and Wimbledon this year.
“I’m very proud to be Italian, and just bringing back something for the fans. They are giving me so much love,” Sinner expressed. “But there is not only me, there are so many great (Italian) players we have in top 100, top 200, it’s amazing that the tennis is growing, and hopefully it can grow even bigger.”
However, Sinner’s journey wasn’t without its challenges. He found himself embroiled in a doping case in September after failing two drug tests in March. The World Anti-Doping Agency appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport against a decision to clear him of wrongdoing. Sinner explained that his physiotherapist had applied an over-the-counter spray containing clostebol to his own skin to treat a finger injury and later massaged him without gloves.
Despite this off-court turmoil, Sinner remains focused on the final battle against Djokovic, aiming for his 17th ATP title. He has a slight edge over the Serbian, having won three of their last four encounters, including a victory in the Australian Open semifinals earlier this year.
“… we always had some very tough matches in the past. It’s going to be a very tough one, it’s one of the biggest challenges we have in our sport,” Sinner acknowledged. “I’m happy that I can play against him in the final, it’s even more special, and it’s very tough to predict this one.”
The stage is set for a captivating final in Shanghai, as two of tennis’s greatest battle it out for the coveted championship.
