How Jannik Sinner may become the fifth player to accomplish the uncommon achievement, joining Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic
With his thrilling victory at the 2024 Australian Open this month, Jannik Sinner became the first new Grand Slam men’s singles champion since Carlos Alcaraz in 2022.
The Italian extended his winning streak, which began at the Davis Cup Finals in November, to 15 games by winning the Rotterdam Open earlier this month, following up his first major victory.
After his victory in the Netherlands, Sinner surged to a career-high world ranking of No. 3, and if he continues to improve, he will have the opportunity to join an elite group.
The Indian Wells Masters in California, which takes place from March 6–17, 2024, is where the 22-year-old will compete in his third tournament of the year.
Sinner would only be the fifth player to win the inaugural ATP Masters 1000 event following a debut Grand Slam victory if he can claim the victory in Indian Wells.
Since the inception of ATP Masters 1000 level tournaments in 1990, the following four players have achieved this extraordinary achievement.
1992 saw Andre Agassi
In his fourth major final at the 1992 Wimbledon Championships, Andre Agassi defeated Goran Ivanisevic 6–7(8–10), 6–4, 6–4, 1–6, 6–4 to win the first of his eight Grand Slam titles.
Agassi participated at the Canadian Open in July, which was the inaugural ATP Masters event (formerly known as the ATP Super 9 series) following Wimbledon.
The American won the first of his three Canadian Open titles in the championship match in Toronto, defeating fellow tennis legend Ivan Lendl 3–6, 6–2, 6–0.
Muster, Thomas – 1995
Thomas Muster, known as the “King of Clay” for his on-court success, defeated 1989 Roland Garros champion Michael Chang 7–5, 6–2, 6–4 in the final to win the lone major championship of his career at the 1995 French Open.
The Austrian then competed in an ATP Masters event at the Eurocard Open in Essen, Germany in October, which was then called as the Championship Series.
The forty-year-old clay-court champion defeated Malivai Washington, the runner-up at Wimbledon in 1996, 7–6(8–6), 2–6, 6–3, 6–4 to claim his lone carpet court championship.
Rafael Nadal, 2005
In the 2005 Roland Garros final match, Rafael Nadal defeated Mariano Puerta 6–7(6–8), 6–3, 6–1, 7–5, to win the first of his 22 Grand Slam titles and 14 crowns at Roland Garros.
The legendary Spaniard participated in an ATP Masters Series event at the Canadian Open in August following the French Open.
Nadal, who has since adopted the nickname “King of Clay,” defeated Agassi 6–3, 4–6, 6–2 in the Montreal final to win his maiden ATP hard-court championship, a tournament he has subsequently won five times.
2008’s Novak Djokovic
At the 2008 Australian Open, Novak Djokovic defeated Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 4–6, 6–4, 6–3, 7–6(7–2) in the championship match to win the first of his record 24 majors. Djokovic went on to win 11 trophies overall from the tournament.
After winning in Melbourne in March, the Serbian great made his debut at the ATP Masters 1000 in Indian Wells. In the championship match, Djokovic defeated American local favorite Mardy Fish 6–2, 5–7, 6–3 to capture the first of his five Indian Wells titles.
