World number one Yannick Sinner became the third tennis player in history to reach the semifinals of the first four Masters events of the season. Before him, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal managed to do so.
Sinner defeated 19-year-old Spaniard Rafael Hodara in the quarterfinals of the ATP 1000 tournament in Madrid to reach his fourth consecutive semifinal at the “thousands” level. Before that, the Italian won three consecutive Masters titles since the start of the season – in Indian Wells, Miami and Monte Carlo.
By reaching the semifinals, Sinner repeated the achievements of Federer and Nadal, who did so in 2006 and 2011, respectively. However, the tennis player himself said after his round of 32 match with Elmer Möller on April 26 that he does not compare himself to the “Big Three”, which also includes Serbian Novak Djokovic.
“Honestly, I don't think about it much. I've always said and will continue to say that I can't compare myself to names like Djokovic, Nadal or Federer. They've achieved a lot in their careers; there are different levels. I'm happy to play as many matches as possible, but what they did was something else. I try to give everything I have, 100%, in every match. If I win, great, if not, I try my best and I don't regret it,” Punto de break quotes Sinner.
Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer during a doubles match at the Laver Cup, September 2022. AP/Kin Cheung
In addition, the Italian extends his winning streak in ATP 1000 tournaments to 26 matches – the last time the tennis player lost in the third round of the tournament in Shanghai. Sinner also became the sixth tennis player to reach the semifinals at all nine Masters events since 2009, after the tournament in Shanghai appeared.
Which tennis players reached the semifinals at all Masters?
- Rafael Nadal (Spain) – 2009 Nadal achieved this feat earlier, in November 2007 at the Paris Masters, but the ATP 1000 tournament in Shanghai has been held in China since 2009 after changing the city from Madrid, where the Spaniard won the title in 2005. , ATP 1000 tournament in Shanghai
- Novak Djokovic (Serbia) — 2009, Paris
- Roger Federer (Switzerland) — 2010, Paris
- Andy Murray (Great Britain) — 2015, Paris
- Alexander Zverev (Germany) — 2026, Indian Wells
- Yannick Sinner (Italy) — 2026, Madrid
For a place in the final, Sinner will play the winner of the pair between Frenchman Arthur Fis or Czech Jiri Leheckova. If the Italian wins, he will become the author of another achievement – as a tennis player who reached the finals of all nine Masters.