Italian Open: Novak Djokovic sends 6-word message to Jannik Sinner after historic feat

Shahida Jacobs 18 May 2026 7:15 AM

Jannik Sinner with inset of Novak Djokovic

Jannik Sinner joined a very exclusive list when he won the Italian Open as he became the second man to complete the Career Golden Slam and the first man to achieve that feat was quick to welcome him to the club.

World No 1 Sinner has been – and still is – on a dazzling run at ATP Masters 1000 level for the past six months as he has won six consecutive tournaments with his run starting at the Paris Masters last November.

He continued his title-winning form at the Sunshine Double in March as he lifted the Indian Wells Open and Miami Open before kicking off his clay-court season with the Monte Carlo Masters and Madrid Open.

With his trophy in Madrid, he became the first player to win five consecutive Masters tournaments, surpassing the great Novak Djokovic. The Serbian won five in a row in 2011 and 14-15, but they were non-consecutive as he missed one event during those runs.

During his Italian Open run, he also broke Djokovic’s record for longest match-winning streak at ATP 1000 level as his win in the quarter-final was his 32nd consecutive win.

Sinner then had the chance to not only join Djokovic in the exclusive Career Golden Slam club, but also outperform him in terms of age.

Italian Open News

Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner compared to ‘Big 3’ by former Grand Slam finalist

Jannik Sinner’s prize money and ranking points revealed as he matches Novak Djokovic record

Djokovic completed the Masters set – winning all nine tournaments on the calendar – at the age of 31 when he won the Cincinnati Open in 2018 and the Italian delivered in front of his home fans at Foro Italico in Rome on Sunday as he defeated Casper Ruud 6-4, 6-4 in the final to win his 10 Masters title.

Five of those have come this year (Indian Wells Open, Miami Open, Monte Carlo Masters, Madrid Open and Italian Open) while he won the Paris Masters in 2025, the Miami Open, Cincinnati Open and Shanghai Masters in 2024 and the Canadian Open in 2023.

When asked about how special it was to complete the Career Golden Slam in front of his home fans, Sinner replied: “Yeah, there’s no better place to complete this set. It has been a very, very interesting tournament already back in the years. 2019, making my debut here on this court.

“I always felt a lot of, like in a different way, a very positive but different way, a lot of attention, a lot of emotions going through. It means a lot.

“I believe for an Italian, it’s one of the most special places we play tennis in. To win at least once in my career means a lot to me.”

Sinner beat Djokovic’s age record by quite a few years as he is only 24 years old, compared to the Serbian’s 31 back in 2018 while he is now also on a 34-match winning streak.

But they are the only men to have achieved the incredible feat and Djokovic took to Instagram to salute the new member to the club.