Jannik Sinner has etched his name into the tennis history books by becoming the youngest man to reach the final of all nine Masters 1000 tournaments. The world number one achieved this milestone after a commanding 6-2, 6-4 victory over Arthur Fils in the semifinals of the Madrid Open.
At just 24 years old, Sinner now joins the elite company of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer in having contested finals at every Masters 1000 event. Remarkably, he has accomplished this feat at a younger age than any of those legendary players, surpassing Djokovic's record by a full year.
The Italian has been candid about struggling with the conditions at the Caja Magica, but he has been in formidable form throughout the tournament, dropping only one set en route to the final. Against Fils, who has been one of the most in-form players on tour, Sinner was utterly dominant, not facing a single break point in the entire match.
"Obviously, very, very happy," Sinner told Sky Sports. "One more final here, it's an amazing result. For me, the most important was trying to raise my level today, which I've done, especially first set – very, very aggressive and I'm changing direction very well. I'm very happy to close it out in two and it means a lot to me, of course."
Sinner has been on a remarkable run since his unexpected defeat to Jakub Mensik in Doha back in February. Since then, he has captured titles in Indian Wells, Miami, and Monte Carlo, extending his winning streak to 22 matches. In the final, he will face Alexander Zverev, who defeated unseeded Belgian Alexander Blockx 6-2, 7-5. Sinner has won his last eight encounters against Zverev and holds a 9-4 head-to-head advantage overall.
Raducanu Reunites with Coach Richardson
Meanwhile, Emma Raducanu is set to return to action at the Italian Open next week, and she has been working again with the coach who guided her to the US Open title in 2021. The British number one faced heavy criticism when she parted ways with Andrew Richardson shortly after her stunning victory in New York, where she became the first qualifier to win a Grand Slam singles title.
Raducanu's camp confirmed that she spent time training with Richardson last week at the Ferrer Tennis Academy near Alicante, Spain, where he is based. Richardson, who also coached Raducanu during her junior years, had reportedly wanted to continue their partnership after the US Open, but she opted to hire a more experienced tour coach in Torben Beltz.
That decision proved to be one of several brief coaching appointments in Raducanu's career. Her most recent split came after the Australian Open when she parted ways with Francisco Roig. Currently, there are no plans for Richardson to have an ongoing role, according to PA Media. Raducanu has been working mainly with hitting partner Alexis Canter since her split from Roig, though she briefly turned to Mark Petchey again during Indian Wells in March.
Raducanu has been absent from the tour since a heavy second-round defeat to Amanda Anisimova at Indian Wells. She subsequently withdrew from tournaments in Miami, Linz, and Madrid, citing the lingering effects of a virus she contracted in early February. It was unclear whether she would compete in the Italian Open, which begins on Tuesday, but having returned to training, Raducanu is hopeful of playing and will practice at the Foro Italico on Saturday.
