Djokovic invites Sinner to ‘exclusive’ club after Italian Open win | Tennis | Sport
Novak Djokovic has welcomed Jannik Sinner to an “exclusive” club after the Italian joined him as the only player to win all nine Masters 1000 tournaments. Sinner’s 6-4, 6-4 victory over Casper Ruud in Sunday’s Italian Open final saw him become the first man from Italy to win the event since Adriano Panatta in 1976.
The world No.1 has enjoyed a dominant run of form in recent months having won a record six straight Masters, five of which have come this year alone. The 24-year-old has won Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo, Madrid and Rome so far in 2026 – becoming the first player since Rafael Nadal in 2010 to win all three clay court masters in the same season.
And victory in Rome has also seen Sinner join 24-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic as the only player to win every Masters title – a feat the Serb has achieved twice. And Djokovic has now congratulated the Italian with a post on his Instagram stories.
He said: “Welcome to the exclusive club, Jannik,” followed by a smiling face with sunglasses emoji. The 38-year-old is only one of two players to have beaten Sinner so far this year having come out on top in five sets during a thrilling Australian Open semi-final in January.
The other player to get a win over the Italian this year is Jakub Mensik who won a three-set battle in the Qatar Open quarter-finals back in February. Sinner has won every match since and dropped just three sets during his dominant run.
The four-time Grand Slam champion expressed his pride at making Italian tennis history after lifting the trophy in Rome.
He said: “Incredible. It’s been a long time since an Italian won — 50 years. I’m happy one of us was able to take advantage of this great period for Italian tennis.”
Sinner will next look to join Djokovic in having won all four Grand Slam titles when he travels to Roland Garros. And he will be the heavy favourite to lift the Coupe des Mousquetaires in Paris – a trophy he came agonisingly close to claiming last year when he lost to Carlos Alcaraz after having three Championship points.
