What Sinner did this season that only Federer has done
Italian Jannik Sinner enjoyed a historic season in which he rose to World No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings and collected eight tour-level trophies, including his first two major titles.
Across 79 matches this year, spanning countless kilometres, surface changes, and elite competition, Sinner also achieved a feat previously accomplished only by Swiss legend Roger Federer. The 23-year-old never lost in straight sets.
Sinner and Federer are the only players in the Open Era to achieve this feat (minimum 20 matches played). Sinner finished his standout year with a 73-6 win-loss record, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index.
“My goal was to understand what I can achieve this year,” Sinner said after winning the Nitto ATP Finals, his eighth title of the year. “There was no specific goal of winning a Grand Slam or being No. 1 or whatever. It’s going to be the same next year: Whatever we can catch, we take, and the rest we learn.
“I think that was the mentality we approached this whole year [with] trying to raise my level in specific moments, which I’ve done throughout this year.”
Comparing Sinner’s 2024 season versus Federer’s 2005 season
| Stat | Sinner (2024) | Federer (2005) |
| W-L | 73-6 | 81-4 |
| Win % | 92% | 95% |
| Titles | 8 | 11 |
| Record v. Top 10 | 18-5 | 15-2 |
| Straight-sets losses | 0 | 0 |
A dive into the results shows how difficult it is to dethrone the man atop the PIF ATP Rankings. Five of Sinner’s six losses came to Top 10 opponents. His lowest-ranked loss was to then-World No. 12 Stefanos Tsitsipas in Monte-Carlo, where the Greek went on to capture the title.
Sinner’s great rival Carlos Alcaraz was a perfect 3-0 against the Italian this year, accounting for half of the six losses. When Alcaraz defeated Sinner, he eventually lifted the trophy, triumphing in Indian Wells, at Roland Garros and Beijing (where they met in the final).
Alcaraz and Tsitsipas’ victories mean that four of Sinner’s six losses came to the eventual champion.
How does this compare to Federer’s 2005 season? The Swiss went 81-4 that year and three of his losses came to the eventual champion at best-of-five tournaments. Federer also won two major titles in 2005 to bring his Slam tally to six.
Sinner has already solidified his place in the record books and if this season is an indication, he is setting the stage for an even brighter future.
[ATP APP]“Going into my offseason, starting next year, I feel like I have a good idea of what things I need to improve on, but I also feel like I’m playing very good tennis,” Sinner said.
“Back when I was 5 [in the world], I didn’t feel like I was 5. Now I’m ranked where I’m at, I feel like I belong. It’s a different feeling. It’s been a great year. That gives me a lot of confidence to have that belief. That’s a huge part of having the big results.”
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