The ascent of Jannik Sinner to the pinnacle of men's tennis is a story filled with dramatic moments, but perhaps none more telling than the 2019 match that was so demoralising it prompted his seasoned opponent to immediately call his agent and threaten to quit the sport for good.
The Match That Broke a Professional
This pivotal moment occurred at the 2019 Rome Masters, where a 17-year-old Sinner, then ranked a lowly No. 263 in the world and with just two ATP-level matches to his name, faced former American No. 1 Steve Johnson. On paper, it was a mismatch in favour of the experienced Johnson. On the court, it was a different story entirely.
Johnson recently recounted the experience on his 'Nothing Major' podcast, revealing his initial thoughts upon seeing his teenage opponent. "I walk out there and the kid's like 6'3, 112 pounds, like super skinny and you're just like, 'Oh, this could go bad for me. You gotta win, right?' Because this is a bad look on centre court," Johnson said.
A Stunning Collapse and a Teenager's Resolve
The match started perfectly for Johnson, who cruised through the opening set 6-1. However, the momentum shifted violently. Johnson admitted he then played "horrible tennis," dropping the second set by an identical 6-1 scoreline. The pressure mounted in the deciding set.
"And then the third set rolls around. I'm just like, 'Please win, you've got to win this, just find a way,'" Johnson recalled. Despite having chances to close out the match, either serving for it or holding match points, Johnson faltered. It was the young Italian who showed immense composure, clinching the third set 7-5 to seal a stunning victory.
The Aftermath: A Meltdown and a Prophecy
The defeat sent Johnson into a tailspin. He described his reaction as immediate and drastic. "I called my agent and my coach wasn't even there at the time, he was flying in the next day, but I'm like, 'I just lost to - this kid sucks, he's terrible. I'm literally quitting tennis,'" Johnson confessed.
Fortunately for Johnson, his support network saw what he could not. His agent and other coaches urged patience, predicting a bright future for Sinner. "They're like, 'Give it time. This kid is going to be unreal,'" Johnson remembered. His response at the time was dismissive: "You guys are so stupid, this guy is never going to make it anywhere. He's going to have one win and it's going to be me."
History, of course, has proven Johnson spectacularly wrong. Jannik Sinner has become one of the two dominant forces in men's tennis alongside Carlos Alcaraz, with the pair claiming the last eight Grand Slam titles between them. Sinner's trophy cabinet now includes four Grand Slam singles titles, 24 career titles overall, and over £40 million in prize money.
Johnson, humbled by the outcome, reflected on his misjudgement, stating, "Little did I know like four years from then, he's going to be making $100m a year winning Slams and being by far and away the No. 1 player." In the end, Johnson did not retire immediately after that match; he continued competing until March 2024, finally calling time on a career that later saw him inducted into the ITA Men's Collegiate Tennis Hall of Fame.
