The 24-year-old Italian, who ranks No. 1 in the world, started his unprecedented streak in France by winning the Paris Masters on November 2. He set the record there for losing the fewest number of games (29).
Sinner won the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells in March, where he became the first player not to lose a set in two consecutive ATP Masters 1000 events. He followed that by claiming the Miami Open, the Monte-Carlo Masters and now the Mutua Madrid Open. The last four victories have come in a nine-week span.
In Sunday’s win over the second-seeded Zverev, Sinner never faced a break point while converting all four of his break points against Zverev. Of his 29 first serves that landed, he won the point on 27.
Sinner needed just 25 minutes to complete the first set and 31 minutes to take the second set and wrap up his ninth consecutive win over Zverev. The German sensed the match might go this way.
“Super sorry for the final,” Zverev told the crowd. “Was not my best day. But congratulations to Jannik. Best player in the world, by far, at the moment. No chance for most of the people, for us, at the moment against you.”
“My team, thanks for pushing me, thanks for believing in me,” Sinner said as he addressed the crowd after the match. “I know we are doing something incredible, so thank you so much.”
Now Sinner, Zverev and the rest of the world’s top players – minus Carlos Alcaraz, who’s nursing a wrist injury – move on to the Italian Open in Rome.
If Sinner can claim the championship there, then he will join Serbia’s Novak Djokovic as the only players to win all nine ATP Masters 1000 tournaments.
“I think there is a lot of work behind it,” Sinner told reporters afterward. “A lot of dedication and sacrifice I put in every day. Obviously, it means a lot to me, seeing these results.” (Reuters)
