Jannik Sinner is on top of the tennis world after defeating Carlos Alcaraz to win the Wimbledon title.
The Italian’s rivalry with Alcaraz, described as ‘special’ by Jim Courier, has seen them combine to win the last seven Grand Slams. Novak Djokovic was the last player not named Sinner or Alcaraz to win a Grand Slam title, at the 2023 US Open.
Sinner, who beat Alcaraz on Centre Court by a scoreline of 4-6 6-4 6-4 6-4, has now won three of the last four Grand Slams, having captured the 2024 US Open and 2025 Australian Open.
However, the Italian came oh so close to achieving something only Novak Djokovic and Rod Laver have completed in the Open Era.
Jannik Sinner was one point away from holding all four Grand Slams at once
The Open Era began in 1968, allowing professional players to compete with amateurs at Grand Slam tournaments for the first time.
Since that moment, only two players have held all four Grand Slams at one time, Novak Djokovic and Rod Laver.
Djokovic achieved the feat in 2016, winning all four majors from Wimbledon 2015 to the 2016 French Open. Remarkably, Rod Laver achieved this feat by winning all four majors in 1969, and he remains the only man in the Open Era to ever do so.
This is where Jannik Sinner enters the conversation. He was just one point from joining Novak Djokovic and Rod Laver on the pantheon.
In the fourth set of the French Open final, Sinner spurned three straight championship points against Carlos Alcaraz before losing in a fifth-set tiebreak to the Spaniard.
Following his victory at Wimbledon, it has become clear that the world number one missed this opportunity to join an exclusive list of tennis greats and cement himself in tennis history.
‘Am I still dreaming?’
On Monday, Sinner posted a message on X [Twitter] which encapsulated the Italian’s feelings after his historic triumph on Sunday.
Sinner posted a photo with coaches Simone Vagnozzi and Darren Cahill, saying: “Am I still dreaming?”
The world number one has every right to feel that way. Not only did he achieve sporting greatness, he broke a five-match losing streak to Alcaraz, going back to 2023.
The Italian will surely be the favourite for the US Open title, where he will also play in the mixed doubles competition with Emma Navarro.
