Sinner’s feat in 2024 that only Federer had achieved in the Open Era | ATP Tour

Jannik Sinner

Sinner’s feat in 2024 that only Federer had achieved in the Open Era

Italian and Swiss, united by an incredible annual statistic

November 27, 2024

Italian Jannik Sinner enjoyed a historic season in which he rose to No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings and collected eight trophies at tour level, including his first two Grand Slam titles.

In 79 matches this year, spanning countless miles, surface changes and elite rivalries, Sinner also accomplished a feat previously only achieved by Roger Federer: the 23-year-old never lost in straight sets.

Sinner and Federer are the only players in the Open Era to achieve this feat (counting a minimum of 20 matches played). Sinner finished his year with a win-loss record of 73-6, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index.

“My goal was to understand what I could achieve this year,” Sinner said after winning the Nitto ATP Finals, his eighth title of the year. “There was no specific goal of winning a Grand Slam or being number one or whatever. Next year will be the same: what we can catch, we will catch, and we will learn from the rest.”

“I think that was the mentality we had throughout the year, [tratando de] raise my level at specific moments, which I have done throughout this year.”

Sinner’s 2024 season and Federer’s 2005 season

A look at the results shows how difficult it is to dethrone the man who tops the PIF ATP Rankings. Five of Sinner’s six losses came to Top 10 opponents. His loss to a lower-ranked opponent was to then-world No. 12 Stefanos Tsitsipas in Monte Carlo, where the Greek took the title.

Sinner’s great rival, Carlos Alcaraz, had a perfect 3-0 record against the Italian this year, accounting for half of the six losses. When Alcaraz defeated Sinner, he finally lifted the trophy, triumphing at Indian Wells, at Roland Garros and in Beijing (where they met in the final).

Victories for Alcaraz and Tsitsipas mean that four of Sinner’s six losses came to the eventual champion.

How does this compare to Federer’s 2005 season? The Swiss had a record of 81-4 that year and three of his losses came to the eventual champion in best-of-five tournaments. Federer also won two majors in 2005 to take his Grand Slam tally to six.

Sinner has already cemented his place in the record books and if this season is any indication, he is setting the stage for an even brighter future.

“Looking ahead to my preseason and next year, I feel like I have a good idea of ​​the things I need to improve, but I also feel like I’m playing really good tennis,” Sinner said.

“When I was in fifth place, I didn’t feel like it. Now I am in the ranking where I am, I feel like I belong. It’s a different feeling. It’s been a great year. That gives me a lot of confidence, having that belief is an important part of achieving great results.”