Jannik Sinner Leaves Paolo Maldini Impressed with His Performance at Italian Open

Jannik Sinner clinched an easy 6-2, 6-4 win over Andrey Rublev in the Italian Open quarterfinals and broke Novak Djokovic‘s all-time record of 31 consecutive Masters 1000 match wins. The Italian will next be locking horns with Daniil Medvedev, who knocked out Martin Landaluce in three sets.

Sinner will aim to improve his head-to-head record over the 2021 US Open champion to 10-7, with their last meeting being the final of this year’s Indian Wells, which Sinner won, and later completing the Sunshine Double by beating Jiri Lehecka in the Miami Open final.

Watching his latest match from the stands of Campo Centrale at Foro Italico was Paolo Maldini, the former AC Milan player. The four-time Grand Slam champion also met Maldini, who later revealed what he and Sinner talked about.

It serves programming; in tennis, they have done everything that soccer has lacked. I think having a No. 1 increases interest. But so many Italian players in the top 100 are not chance… Seeing him live is impressive. There are no more words for him, but I would dwell on the person: that’s what makes the difference. What did we talk about? Soccer, tennis, recovery, so many things.

Paolo Maldini told Super Tennis

If Sinner wins, he will become the first man in history to emerge victorious in six consecutive Masters 1000 events. Before arriving in Rome, the World No.1 lifted the Madrid Open for the first time by defeating Alexander Zverev. He reclaimed his No.1 ranking from Carlos Alcaraz after stopping him from defending his title at the Monte-Carlo Masters, lifting his second clay-court title.

The win in the third Masters 1000 on clay will also make him the second man, after Djokovic, to complete the Career Golden Masters. The last time Sinner lost a Masters 1000 match was in the third round of the 2025 Shanghai Masters, where he handed the walkover to Tallon Griekspoor due to cramps. He later lifted the Paris Masters by defeating Felix Auger-Aliassime.

Tim Henman on Jannik Sinner’s decision to skip the Halle Open

After the Italian Open, Jannik Sinner will be aiming to become the seventh man in the Open Era to complete the Career Grand Slam. He squandered a two-set lead and three match points against Carlos Alcaraz in last year’s French Open final.

Sinner, who has been playing non-stop tennis since the Indian Wells, won’t be competing in a warm-up tournament on grass before starting his Wimbledon defense. He will be skipping the Halle Open, which he won in 2024 but couldn’t defend last year, losing to eventual champion Alexander Bublik in the round of 16. Former ATP player Tim Henman backed Sinner’s decision to skip the Halle Open to manage his schedule.

I think it makes perfect sense. It’s based on the assumption that he’s going to have a great performance in Paris. If something unexpected were to happen and he were to lose early, maybe that would change. When you’ve played as much tennis as he has and you have so much confidence, you are in great shape for the matches, so the most important thing for him is to make sure he arrives in Paris with his physical and emotional energy at 100%. If he does, he will be hard to stop.

Tim Henman said on Sky Sports

Last year in the Wimbledon final, Sinner secured a four-set win over Alcaraz, denying him the three-peat. Alcaraz will miss the French Open due to a wrist injury, but he is expected to return for Wimbledon. The main draw of the grass-court Major starts on June 29.

Also read: Former Grand Slam Champion Slams Alexander Zverev for ‘Reacting Like a Child’ After Rome Exit: “I Get Bored”