What Jannik Sinner has done this season only Roger Federer has done | ATP Tour

Jannik Sinner

What Sinner has done this season has only been done by Federer

The Italian becomes the second player in the Open Era to achieve…

November 27, 2024

Italian Jannik Sinner enjoyed a historic season in which he rose to World number 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings and collected eight tour-level trophies, including his first two major titles.

In 79 matches this year, spanning countless miles, changing terrain, and elite competition, Sinner has achieved a feat only accomplished by Swiss legend Roger Federer. The 23-year-old has never lost in straight sets.

Sinner and Federer are the only players in the Open Era to achieve this (minimum of 20 matches played). Soni ended his dominant year with a 73-6 losing record, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index.

“My goal was to understand what I can achieve this year,” Sinner said after winning the Nitto ATP Finals, his eighth title this year. “There was no specific goal of winning a Grand Slam or being No. 1 or anything. It will be the same next year as well: Whatever we can catch, we take, and the rest we learn.

“I think that's the mindset we've had all year [with] I'm trying to raise my level from time to time, which I've done all year.”

Comparing Sinner's 2024 season to Federer's 2005 season

A dive into the results shows just how difficult it is to demote a man in the PIF ATP Rankings. Five of Sinner's six losses have come against Top 10 opponents. His lowest ranking loss was to World No. 12 Stefanos Tsitsipas in Monte-Carlo, where the Greek went on to take the title.

Sinner's arch-rival Carlos Alcaraz has gone 3-0 against Italy this year, including half of his six losses. When Alcaraz defeated Sinner, he ended up lifting the trophy, winning at Indian Wells, Roland Garros and Beijing (where they met in the finals).

Alcaraz and Tsitsipas' wins mean that four of Sinner's six losses have come against the champion.

How does this compare to Federer's 2005 season? The Swiss went 81-4 that year and three of his losses came to the eventual champion in best-of-five tournaments. Federer won two more major titles in 2005, bringing his Slam tally to six.

The striker has already cemented his place in the record books and if this season is any indication, he is gearing up for an even brighter future.

“Going into my first season next year, I feel like I have a good idea of ​​what things I need to improve on, but I also feel like I'm playing good tennis,” Sinner said.

“Back when I was 5 years old [in the world]I didn't feel like I was 5. Now I'm ranked where I am, I feel like I belong. It's a different feeling. It's been a good year. That makes me very brave to have that belief. That is a big part of having big results.”