Former French Open Champion Thinks Compatriot Jannik Sinner Has ‘Hidden Goal’ for 2026 Season

Jannik Sinner's first goal of the 2026 season is to lift his third consecutive Australian Open title.

Former French Open Champion Thinks Compatriot Jannik Sinner Has ‘Hidden Goal’ for 2026 Season

Jannik Sinner (Image via ATP/X)

Last year, Jannik Sinner, despite his three-month doping ban, continued to produce consistent performance. The most impressive thing about his 2025 season was that he became the youngest man in the Open Era to reach the finals of all four Grand Slam events, winning at the Australian Open and Wimbledon, and losing the French Open and the US Open finals (both to Carlos Alcaraz).

His compatriot and 1976 French Open champion, Adriano Panatta, thinks Sinner has a “hidden goal” for this season. That goal is to complete the Calendar Grand Slam- winning every Major in a calendar year. During the Panatta & Bertolucci Tennis Heroes on Sky Sport, Panatta said Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic couldn’t achieve the aforementioned feat because of intense competition from each other and other players.

In my opinion, Jannik has a hidden goal inside himself, which is to win the Grand Slam. The decision to continue with Cahill in 2026 is a sign that he’s really thinking about it… There’s a reason they (the Big 3) didn’t manage it. There were many competitors, including [Andy] Murray. Today, there are two of them, and this, in effect, doubles the chances.

Panatta backed the World No.2 for this feat ahead of Carlos Alcaraz because the Spaniard, if compared to Sinner, is less consistent. Sinner and Alcaraz won six titles from 10 finals and eight titles from 11 finals, respectively, last year. In 2024, while the four-time Grand Slam champion won eight titles from nine finals, Alcaraz’s tally was four trophies from five finals.

As a type of player, Sinner is better equipped than Alcaraz to win a Grand Slam because he’s more consistent and solid. Carlos, however, has moments when he becomes unplayable. Obviously, these are considerations that are made without considering injuries and health problems.

Adriano Panatta added

Alcaraz made three Grand Slam finals last year. Although Djokovic knocked him out in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, he defeated Sinner in the French Open and the US Open.

Adriano Panatta on who can challenge Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz

During that aforementioned interview with Sky Sports, Adriano Panatta said he doesn’t think anyone can challenge the dominance of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, not even compatriot Lorenzo Musetti. The 23-year-old lost three matches to Sinner and trails 1-7 in the head-to-head matchups against the six-time Grand Slam champion.

Lorenzo Musetti US Open 2025
Lorenzo Musetti (Image via ATP)

Musetti is currently lacking in serve. He doesn’t have the solidity of Sinner and Alcaraz’s serve, and he also needs to improve his position on the court. He moves forward against strong players, but he shouldn’t take a step back against weaker ones. If he beats them more easily, he gains confidence.

Adriano Panatta said

Musetti had a topsy-turvy 2025 season. He made his career’s second Grand Slam semifinal at the French Open but failed to end his trophy drought, losing three finals- the Monte Carlo Masters to Alcaraz, the Ningbo Open to Alejandro Tabilo, and the Hellenic Championship to Djokovic.

Because of the Serb’s withdrawal from the ATP Finals, Musetti got the chance to make his ATP Finals debut, but he couldn’t progress to the semifinals. Musetti, in fact, last won a title at the 2022 Tennis Napoli Cup.

The 2026 season has started, and Sinner and Alcaraz will first be featuring in an exhibition event in Incheon, South Korea. Following this, they will be participating in the Australian Open, where Sinner will be bidding to win his third consecutive title, while the 22-year-old will be aiming for his Career Grand Slam (he has never reached the semifinal). If Sinner wins, he will become the second man in the Open Era to complete the three-peat in the Melbourne Major, following Djokovic.

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