Jannik Sinner has continued his magnificent streak at Masters 1000 tournaments, having beaten Elmer Møller earlier today in straight sets.
It marked another routine win for the world number one, who admittedly was not at his best.
However, given the talent at his fingertips and the huge gulf in quality between him and Carlos Alcaraz and the rest of the chasing pack, he very rarely needs to be.
He is now into the Round of 16 in Madrid, and will have justifiable expectations of claiming this title with those who are left in the draw.
To further emphasise just how impressive Jannik Sinner‘s achievements are, his latest win has actually seen him surpass an all-time Rafael Nadal record.
Jannik Sinner surpasses career-best Rafael Nadal record
The tennis world is well aware that what Alcaraz and Sinner are doing is not normal, and on pace to eventually challenge the accolades amassed by the Big Three before them.
However, it still seems impossible to imagine either of them actually surpassing these incredible records.
Can anyone now stop Jannik Sinner from winning Roland Garros after Carlos Alcaraz’s withdrawal?
If yes, who?
And yet, by winning his 24th-straight Masters 1000 win today, the Italian now has a better win streak at these events than Nadal ever managed in his entire career.
With Carlos Alcaraz ruled out for the foreseeable future through injury too, it’s unlikely that his winning run will be thwarted anytime soon.
Alas, he is not the only legend of the sport who should be fearing for his records, with Novak Djokovic’s seemingly unassailable tally of 31-straight Masters 1000 wins now firmly in Sinner’s sights.
Jannik Sinner speaks after his latest Madrid Open win
Speaking to Sky Sports afterwards, Sinner admitted that his level was not the highest it has ever been.
However, he still deemed it an improvement on his opening-round victory over Benjamin Bonzi.
The 24-year-old admitted, after suffering with physical issues during that match: “Yesterday was quite an easy day. One hour of practice, [it] was very slow and trying to recover. Today I played a little bit better.
“The conditions here are quite unique, you know. You need to have good energy on the first couple of shots, and then you have a little bit less control, so we try to maximise our potential here, but at the same time, I also need to listen to the body, what’s best and also for the future.”
He concluded by discussing his famed mental toughness, adding: “I think, you know, everything you need to work on, but at the same time, you know, the more you play, the more you know what’s best also, you know.
Who do you think will retire with more Grand Slam titles?
“And new players are coming, different kinds of players are coming, so you need to also mentally be ready, and I don’t mind it, to change a couple of things and also trying to understand, look what’s best in every situation.
“So I am quite calm, but not always. This is also normal. I’m a human, you know, so I also feel tension, I also feel, you know, the stress of a tournament, but I try to face it in a very good way, so.”
