Jannik Sinner Wins Rome, Ends 50-Year Sinners Drought
Jannik Sinner beat Casper Ruud 6-4, 6-4 in the Italian Open final in Rome, and the win made sinners history on home clay. He became the first Italian man in 50 years to lift the trophy, while also completing the set of all nine ATP Masters 1000 titles.
Sinner In Rome
The World No 1 handled the 23rd seed in straight sets, ending the final with the same scoreline in both sets. Sinner had made his debut on that court in 2019, and the trophy stayed with him after a match that closed one of the longest title gaps in the tournament’s men’s draw.
Adriano Panatta had been the last Italian man to win the Italian Open, doing it in 1976. Sinner’s victory on the Rome court broke that 50-year run and put him alone in a line that reached back to Panatta, then forward to a new benchmark for Italian tennis.
Masters 1000 Company
The Rome title also pushed Sinner into a small group that now includes Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal. Djokovic first completed all nine ATP Masters 1000 titles in 2018 at age 31, while Nadal won all three clay-court Masters 1000 titles in a year in 2010; Sinner matched both ranges in his own way by becoming the second man to win every Masters 1000 event and the only player besides Nadal to sweep the three clay Masters in one year.
He also became the first man to win six consecutive ATP Masters 1000 titles and the first to take the first five in a season. After the final, Sinner said, “There’s no better place to complete this set,” and added that making his debut on the same court in 2019 made the moment more meaningful. He also said, “It means a lot.”
Mattarella And Panatta
Italian president Sergio Mattarella watched from behind the baseline, and he joined Panatta on the court after the match to personally present Sinner with the trophy. Sinner said, “It’s amazing the support an Italian gets here, especially in Rome,” and added, “Many important people were coming today.”
For Sinner, the final turned a home crowd and a familiar court into a line of numbers that now defines his season: 6-4, 6-4 for the title, all nine Masters 1000 events, six straight Masters 1000 wins, and a national drought ended in Rome.
