Jannik Sinner may have been beaten in the semi-finals at the first Grand Slam of the year, but since his defeat to Novak Djokovic in Australia, he has been almost flawless. He last tasted defeat back on the 19th of February, at the Qatar Open. He was surprisingly beaten by Czech player Jakub Mensik in the quarter finals of that ATP 500 event on the hard courts of Doha.
However, since then, he won back-to-back ATP 1000 events to complete the Sunshine Double, his triumphs at Indian Wells and then Miami achieved without the loss of a single set. Following his victory at the end of last year in the Paris Masters, when he also won the tournament without dropping a set, the young Italian surged past a record that Djokovic had held for a decade.
He beat Corentin Moutet at the Miami Open to create a new record of 26 consecutive sets won at Masters 1000 events. But he didn’t stop there, surging further and further clear of the Serb’s old mark as he went all the way in Miami and then moved to the clay courts of Monte Carlo.
All Good Things Come to an End
At the Monte Carlo Masters, he dispatched Ugo Humbert 6-3, 6-0 in the first round. Next up was Czech world number 53 Tomas Machac, and it looked like business as usual when Sinner took the first set 6-1. But the underdog somehow managed to do what nobody had done for so long at this level of the game and won a set against the Italian.
Machac won the second set via a tiebreaker, and just like that, Sinner’s incredible run was over. Amazingly, the four-time Grand Slam champion had won 37 sets in a row in ATP Masters 1000 tournaments. To lend some perspective to that, his new mark is more than 50% higher than the Djokovic record that lasted for 10 years. Only one other player has ever won more than 19 sets in a row in Masters 1000 tennis, Carlos Alcaraz having won 21.
- Jannik Sinner – 37 consecutive sets in ATP Masters 1000 events
- Novak Djokovic – 24
- Carlos Alcaraz – 21
- Novak Djokovic – 19
- Andy Murray and Jannik Sinner – 18
That record of 37 sets in a row is highly likely to last for many, many years. It is, in some regards, a rather niche achievement and not the sort of stat anyone would ordinarily pay too much attention to. However, in its own way, it is perhaps one of the greatest accomplishments ever in tennis, given the margin by which Sinner has extended the old mark. And the fact that the previous best was set by the game’s greatest ever player and had lasted a decade.
Record Run Ends But Title Still to Be Won
No player is ever going to lie on their deathbed talking about the number of sets they won in a row. Players care about winning Grand Slams, being ranked number one in the world and winning titles. There was no Grand Slam up for grabs in Monte Carlo, but having seen his record run end, Sinner was not put out. He quietly went about winning his match, then went on to beat his greatest rival in the final and, in so doing, returned to the number one ranking.
Sinner beat Machac 6-3 in the decider to set up a quarter-final against Felix Auger-Aliassime, ranked number seven in the world. He beat him – in straight sets, of course – before seeing off Alexander Zverev in straight sets to set up a final against Alcaraz. Zverev must certainly be sick of the sight of Sinner, the Italian now having beaten him in four consecutive ATP Masters 1000 semis!
Beats Alcaraz for Perfect Start to Clay Campaign
Tennis fans have grown accustomed to seeing Sinner and Alcaraz battle it out in finals. The brilliant duo met each other in the final of the last three Grand Slams of 2025. However, Djokovic beat Sinner at the 2026 Australian Open, and the Italian had managed to win three Masters 1000 tournaments in a row without having to face Alcaraz.
We had seen some upsets in the previous Masters 1000 events, but this one largely went with ranking and meant that the game’s big two met in the final. This was, in fact, their first meeting since Sinner won the ATP Championship in straight sets in November. However, Alcaraz has won the French Open twice and, like many of the best Spanish players, is excellent on clay. Sinner is yet to claim the French Open, the one major he is yet to lift.
As such, many felt Alcaraz would prevail but it was Sinner who won in Monte Carlo, sending out a real message to his rival that he is ready for Paris. The Italian won 7-6 (7-5), 6-3 in a match in which neither player was quite at their very best. The champion won’t care about that, though, as he won his fourth Masters 1000 event in a row.
The win moved him back to the summit of the world rankings, with Alcaraz dropping to second. The Spaniard has occupied top spot since early November last year, but this win showed that Sinner is ready to challenge him on all surfaces in 2026 as their mesmeric rivalry continues.