Jannik Sinner chases Career Golden Masters in Rome as Novak Djokovic returns | ATP Tour

Inspection Report

Scouting Report: Sinner chases Career Golden Masters in Rome, Djokovic returns

The ultimate summary of what every fan should know about the ATP Masters 1000 event

May 04, 2026

The third and final ATP Masters 1000 clay action of the season takes place in Rome, where the ATP Tour’s top seed will battle it out at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia.

Jannik Sinner has a chance to make history on home soil at the Foro Italico, where the main-draw starts from 6 to 17 May: If the number 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings can lift the Rome title for the first time, he will complete the Career Golden Masters (winning all nine Masters 1000 events). However, the only man to have achieved that so far, Novak Djokovic, is among those in the field aiming to deny Sinner a sixth consecutive Masters 1000 title.

ATPTour.com takes a look at 10 things to watch during the 2026 Internazionali BNL d’Italia.

1) Can Sinner complete the set?: Soni on Sunday became the first player to win five consecutive Masters 1000 titles by edging past Alexander Zverev to win the Mutua Madrid Open. The 24-year-old Sinner has now won eight different Masters 1000 tournaments, with only Rome (where he will reach the final in 2025) missing from his resume. If Sinner can go one step further at the Foro Italico this year, he will join Djokovic as the only player to complete a career Golden Masters (Djokovic has won all nine events at least twice).

2) Djokovic returns: The 38-year-old Djokovic has not competed since Indian Wells in early March due to injury, but is now set to return to action at the event where he is a six-time champion. Djokovic, who reached the final in January at the Australian Open and is 7-2 this season, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, has opened for Marton Fucsovics or the qualifier. He is in the same draw as second seed Alexander Zverev.

3) Quick response to Zverev’s eyes: Zverev has been a consistent player so far in 2026, but the German was disappointed after playing what he described as ‘terrible tennis’ in the Madrid final on Sunday. Zverev has many fond memories in Rome, where he won the first of his seven Masters 1000 crowns in 2017 and again in 2024.

4) Former list of Medvedev: The former third and last champion (after Zverev and Djokovic) in Rome to be beaten this year is Daniil Medvedev. The self-proclaimed ‘hard court specialist’ stunned to lift the trophy at the Foro Italico in 2023, and comes having already won ATP Tour crowns in Brisbane and Dubai in 2026.

5) Italians want to end the wait for the title: Sinner will be leading the charge to become the first Italian men’s singles champion in Rome since Adriano Panatta in 1976, but there are plenty of local prospects also hoping to build on the success on home soil. Among them are Lorenzo Musetti, Flavio Cobolli and Luciano Darderi, who joined Sinner as the losers of the tournament.

6) Form Files: 15th-ranked Arthur Fils has gone 9-1 in clay so far this year. Despite his loss to Sinner in the Madrid semi-finals, the 21-year-old Frenchman heads to Rome as one of the most in-form players on the Tour. The Barcelona lineup, which is ranked fourth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, could face a Lexus ATP Head2Head rematch with Sinner in the fourth round.

7) Demon vs. Jodar, Part II?: Alex de Minaur will look for a quick answer to his defeat in the opening round of Madrid to Rafael Jodar, and the Australian may have the opportunity to quickly take revenge on the star of the #NextGenATP and in Rome, where the pair are destined to meet in the third round: Before that, De Minaur must defeat Matteo Arnaldi or Jaumer, while Jodar faces Nuno Borge.

8) Shelton wants to emulate the American greats: No American has lifted the trophy on the clay of Rome since Andre Agassi in 2002. Ben Shelton will be leading the way in trying to match that record this year, when he competes as the fifth player. Shelton, who won the biggest clay-court title of his career in Munich last month, is asking to join members of the ATP No. 1 Club Agassi, Pete Sampras and Jim Courier as the only American Rome champions in the ATP Tour era (since 1990).

9) Fonseca chases first Roma win: 19-year-old Jodar Fonseca will also compete as a seed in the Italian capital. World No. The 29-year-old is chasing his first match win in his second attempt at the Foro Italico and could face another former Next Gen ATP Finals champion, Hamad Medjedovic, in his opening match (the Serbian meets Valentin Royer first).

10) Arevalo/Pavic Defend the Crown: Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic started well in 2026 but the pair arrived in Rome to lift the trophy this season. The 2025 champion’s rivals in the draw include in-form Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten, who won in Madrid and are number one in the PIF ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings.