ROME — Most tennis players — even some of the very best ones — have days where they struggle and don’t feel the ball the way that they want to.
For top-ranked Jannik Sinner, those types of days are getting rarer and rarer.
And with Carlos Alcaraz sidelined due to a right wrist injury, it doesn’t seem like anyone can beat the top-ranked Sinner as the heart of the tennis season approaches with the French Open and Wimbledon coming up over the next two months.
“He’s very stable. He doesn’t have dips. He doesn’t have phases where he goes down,” No. 3 Alexander Zverev said after getting routed by Sinner in Sunday’s Madrid Open final for his ninth straight loss to the Italian. “That’s why he’s world No. 1.”
Sinner’s title in the Spanish capital made him the first player to win five consecutive Masters 1000 events — the top tournaments outside of the Grand Slams — and extended his winning streak to 23 matches.
Sinner hasn’t lost since getting beaten by Jakub Mensik in the Qatar Open quarterfinals on Feb. 19.
“There’s a big gap between Sinner and everybody else right now,” Zverev said. “It’s quite simple.
And to think that at age 24, Sinner is still developing his game.
“He hasn’t reached his full potential yet,” said Simone Vagnozzi, one of Sinner’s coaches. “We’re sure of that. And that’s key, because when you feel like you’ve maxed out it’s tough to find the motivation to keep training.”
Up next for Sinner is his home Italian Open, which starts this week and also happens to be the only Masters Series event that he hasn’t won.
While there have been questions over whether Sinner might sit out Rome after his string of successes and choose to rest up for the French Open, which starts May 24, he dismissed that idea after beating Zverev.
“Playing at home is always very special,” Sinner said. “Physically, I’m good. There is no reason not to play Rome.”
Last year, Sinner lost the Rome final to Alcaraz in his comeback tournament after a three-month doping ban.
Now it doesn’t seem like there’s anyone to stop him from becoming the first Italian man to raise the trophy at the Foro Italico since Adriano Panatta 50 years ago. The same goes for the French Open, which is the only Grand Slam title that Sinner hasn’t won.
Sinner wasted three match points in a fifth-set tiebreaker loss to Alcaraz in last year’s Roland Garros final.
There are three other Italians in the top 20 of the rankings: No. 10 Lorenzo Musetti; No. 12 Flavio Cobolli and No. 20 Luciano Darderi. But guess what? Sinner’s career record against fellow Italians is a perfect 18-0.
Sabalenka, Swiatek and Gauff
On the women’s side, it’s a bit more difficult to pick out favourites during the clay season.
Like Sinner, top-ranked Aryna Sabalenka pulled off the “Sunshine double” on hard courts with titles in Indian Wells, California, and Miami. But then she was beaten by Hailey Baptiste in the Madrid quarterfinals after wasting six match points.
Also in Madrid, four-time French Open champion Iga Swiatek retired due to illness during a third-round match.
Marta Kostyuk of Ukraine took the trophy in Madrid by beating Mirra Andreeva for her first WTA 1000 title.
Last year in Rome, home player Jasmine Paolini swept the titles in both singles and doubles (with partner Sara Errani).
Coco Gauff was the runner-up in Rome last year and then went on to win the French Open.