For the second straight season, Jannik Sinner is enjoying a blistering start to the campaign, with his results turning heads again. World no. 1 is 28-3 in 2025 after reaching the fourth round in Cincinnati.
Thus, the four-time Major winner embraced two incredible starts of the season, standing at 90% or above after the opening 30 encounters in 2024 and 2025. How rare is that feat?
Well, only eight players in the Open era have achieved that before Jannik, starting multiple seasons with a 27-3 record or better. Their names are nothing but spectacular, making Sinner's achievement even stronger.
Jimmy Connors did that four times between 1974 and 1978. Bjorn Borg added his name to the list with three consecutive strong starts to the season between 1978 and 1980.
John McEnroe embraced three season in the first half of the 1980s, including a 30-0 run in his historic 1984! Like Connors, his great rival Ivan Lendl also embraced four starts with at least 27-3 on his tally.
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Andre Agassi joined the legends with his performance in 1995 and 2003, becoming the fifth player on that list. Roger Federer started his run in 2004 and collected three straight seasons with notable starts.
His fourth came in 2017 at 35! Rafael Nadal notched three such seasons, including his memorable run in the first half of 2022. Novak Djokovic stands strong with four streaks between 2011 and 2020, including a perfect 30-0 in the first season.
Now, Jannik Sinner is the ninth player with multiple 27-3 or better starts to the season. The Italian became the world's best player in 2024, and it all started with his first Major crown in Melbourne.
He was 28-2 after his opening 30 matches of the season and embraced one of the greatest years in the Open era, crowned with eight trophies and the Davis Cup shield.
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Jannik defended the Australian Open title this January. However, he missed three months between February and May following his WADA deal. Did he run out of steam?
Not at all! Sinner returned and reached the final at the Rome Masters and Roland Garros, losing them to Carlos Alcaraz. His third loss of the season came to Alexander Bublik in Halle.
The Italian made no mistakes at Wimbledon, though, besting seven rivals and earning his first trophy at the All England Club. Jannik took a break and skipped the Canada Masters in Toronto.
He recharged his batteries and made a strong start in Cincinnati, beating Daniel Elahi Galan 6-1, 6-1 for a 27-3 start to the season and a place on the exclusive list.
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The most recent record demonstrates his ability to maintain such high-level performance across two seasons. Will he keep up with that pace for the remaining events of the year?
Only time will tell, but it will be hard to stop him, especially at the upcoming US Open.
