Jannik Sinner’s win on Sunday, March 15, at Indian Wells didn’t merely add another title to his growing résumé. The win is one that very well could, one day down the road, help make his case as the best hardcourt player in the history of the game.
It’s not hyperbole. Novak Djokovic is widely regarded as the game’s best hardcourt player, for good reason. Djokovic holds all the major hardcourt records. But with Sinner’s 7-6(6), 7-6(4) win over Daniil Medvedev in the BNP Paribas Open final, Sinner is on a trajectory to potentially challenge Djokovic as the hardcourt GOAT.
Until Sunday, Djokovic was the only player to complete the entire hardcourt super set, winning the Australian Open, U.S. Open, ATP Finals, Indian Wells, Miami, Cincinnati, Shanghai, Paris and the Canadian Open. Djokovic ultimately won each of those multiple times, but he didn’t complete the set until the age of 31.
With his win Sunday, the Italian tennis star has now completed the set at just 24.
"I'm very happy," Sinner told reporters after the match. "Obviously it was a great week. We tried to come here very early. I knew that this was a tournament I haven't won, so I wanted to come here and prepare it in the best possible way, as professional. Having now this achievement means a lot to me."
