Jannik Sinner: History Man But Still Young and Vulnerable
Locker Room
May 3, 2026
Jannik Sinner stood on the verge of fresh history this weekend.
He had the chance to become the first man in tennis history to win five Masters 1000 titles in a row – with Paris, Indian Wells, Miami and Monte-Carlo already in the bag.
And the remarkable thing is, no one seemed surprised that another historic milestone was just around the corner.
In fact, the only shock we ever feel is when this extraordinary winning machine fails to do what is expected of him.
Jannik Sinner will be favourite for Wimbledon 2026. But sometimes we forget how vulnerable he can be.
The mood before the Madrid showpiece – and indeed during the early build-up to Wimbledon 2026 next month – speaks of the huge level of expectation the Italian has created for himself.
Even his opponent in the Madrid final sounded almost beaten before the match started.
A;lexander Zverev had lost his last eight matches to Sinner. No wonder he sounded resigned.
“Sascha” explained: ‘He’s world number one and hasn’t lost a match since the beginning of February.’
The German didn’t even want to be reminded of his four victories over Jannik in the past.
‘I didn’t beat him the last eight times. The last eight times, I didn’t win much,’ he pointed out pessimistically.
But there seems to be a dangerous assumption that Sinner is becoming superhuman at the relatively tender age of 24.
We forget how he lost to an ageing Novak Djokovic in Australia earlier this year. We forget how he is sometimes prone to wilting in the heat.
And above all, we forget how Jannik Sinner almost crashed out at the All England Club last year.
Remember how he was on the verge of being knocked out of Wimbledon by the veteran Bulgarian, Grigor Dimitrov?
Only a sudden injury to Dimitrov enabled Sinner to progress further than the last sixteen. Then Jannik recovered his form and won the entire tournament.
Jannik Sinner is favourite for Wimbledon 2026 – but definitely not a certainty to retain his title.
Nothing was certain about the way the Madrid final would unfold over the weekend, either.
That’s because, despite the apparent inevitability, Jannik Sinner remains young and vulnerable. And only when we remind ourselves of that reality can we truly appreciate the incredible consistency of this awesome sportsman.
Jannik Sinner will be a sheer delight at Wimbledon 2026 – but still just a human being. That’s what makes his growing list of achievements so phenomenal.
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