Jannik Sinner highlights the blocks behind the M1000 record: ‘I love the journey’ | ATP Tour

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Moni highlights his blocks behind the M1000 record: ‘I love the journey’

World No. 1 defeated Zverev in Madrid for his fifth consecutive Masters 1000 crown

May 03, 2026

Jannik Sinner went where no ATP Tour star has gone before on Sunday afternoon at the Mutua Madrid Open.

By defeating Alexander Zverev to claim the trophy on the clay court in the Spanish capital, Sinner registered his fifth consecutive ATP Masters 1000 title, a tally not even the ‘Big Three’ of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. However Sinner, who followed up his Paris title last November by claiming titles in Indian Wells, Miami, Monte-Carlo and Madrid this year, quickly dismissed any direct comparisons to his recent success.

“As I’ve always said, I can’t compare myself to Rafa, Roger, Novak,” said the 24-year-old player in a press conference after the match in Madrid. “What they did is amazing. I don’t play on these records, or I don’t play records in general. I play for myself. I play for my team, because they know what’s behind. And with my family, because with the success I’ve had, they’ve never changed the way they treat me … it means, of course, a lot, big numbers. But there’s a lot of sacrifice behind this.

“There are also daily routines that I put in. I’m the first person to get ready in the morning to wake up. I love the journey. I like to put myself in the best position to be the best version of myself. I don’t play other records. Like I said, what other players did in the past, and Novak is still doing, it’s an amazing thing that I can’t compare to them.

Sinner, who beat Zverev 6-1, 6-2 in the Madrid final, dropped just two sets in 27 games on his way to winning the Masters 1000. The No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings did not want to mention the ‘toughest’ match during his run, which encountered hard indoor courts, hard outdoor courts and clay.

“When we talk about difficult games, every game is difficult,” said Sinner. “None of them are easy.” And today, if I stop concentrating a little bit, I take a second step back, and, you know, everything starts all over again.

“So it’s hard to say, different conditions all the time. Paris is indoors. Then you go to Indian Wells, very bouncy. Miami is very low. Then you go and change the place, you go to Monaco, you go slowly. And then you go here, the altitude is very high, and if you work well you can do a lot. But it’s hard to say the same, and I don’t want to say it.”

Offender may seem unstoppable at this point, but that won’t stop the 28-time tour-level champion from looking to improve his game even further. In a game that doesn’t often stand out, he was determined to highlight the emergence of new talents and ended up aiming to push him to the top.

“There are great players, players we know, [and also players] who seem to be coming, and are actually already there. You will never know. Someone who likes [Rafael] Jodar, six months ago, no one saw, and now he is here next to the names. Maybe this will happen in a few months, there is a new player coming. [Alexander] Blockx made the semis here, and before he went a little undercover.

“It’s very difficult to say. I think they are very good players, all of them. You need to be ready. You need to know yourself. With all the words that will come, you need to be appreciated a lot. Yes, my work is always better as a player, because at the end of the day the results are the result of how much work you put in. We work very well, so people need to go down a lot, so we need to go down a lot, so people need to go down quickly. I’m very happy to continue working.”