The 5 youngest men to reach four Grand Slam quarter-finals in same year – ft Jannik Sinner, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic
Despite a chaotic and controversial build-up to his US Open campaign, Jannik Sinner has thrived in New York this fortnight.
The world No 1 has dropped just one set on his way to the last eight and is continuing a stellar run of Grand Slam form.
Sinner is just the eighth man since 2000 to reach all four major quarter-finals in one year and is one of the youngest men to do that in the Open Era.
Here, we look at the five youngest ATP players to achieve the impressive feat.
5) Ivan Lendl, 1983 – 23 years, 267 days
Perhaps the dominant force of the men’s games in the 1980s, Lendl was just shy of his 24th birthday when he reached the last eight of all four Slams in the same season for the first time.
The Czech started the Grand Slam year by reaching a second French Open quarter-final, before progressing to the first of seven Wimbledon semi-finals.
Lendl then reached the US Open final for a second time, before making his first Australian Open final – though would lose both matches.
4) Novak Djokovic, 2010 – 23 years, 100 days
Much like Lendl, Djokovic did not win a Slam the first time he achieved this – but at 23 set the foundations for his imminent dominance.
The Serbian started 2010 by reaching a third straight quarter-final in Melbourne and then progressed to a fourth quarter-final at the French Open.
Djokovic would then reach his second Wimbledon semi-final in July, before reaching his second US Open final – and third major final overall – at the end of the summer.
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3) Jannik Sinner, 2024 – 23 years, 17 days
Just 17 days past his 23rd birthday, Sinner is now into his second US Open quarter-final – and has reached at least the last eight of every major in a season for the first time.
The season started in epic style for the Italian, lifting his maiden major title at the Australian Open, before progressing to a first semi-final at the French Open.
That was followed by a run to the last eight at Wimbledon – his third consecutive quarter-final at SW19 – before reaching that same stage, at the very least, in New York.
Sinner faces Daniil Medvedev – who he beat at the Australian Open but lost to at Wimbledon – in the last eight, looking to reach his first US Open semi-final.
2) Rafael Nadal, 2008 – 22 years, 83 days
Nadal’s 2008 season was one of the most successful of his career and saw the 22-year-old reach the last eight at all four Slams for the first time.
The Spaniard started the season by reaching the last four for the first time in Melbourne, before claiming a fourth straight Roland Garros title in Paris.
Nadal then won Wimbledon for the first time, completing the ‘Channel Slam’, before reaching a first semi-final at the US Open.
1) Pete Sampras, 1993 – 22 years, 18 days
Aged 22 years and 18 days, Sampras is the youngest man in the Open Era to reach all four quarter-finals in the same season – a record unlikely to be broken soon.
Having only played the tournament twice previously, the US star made his first Australian Open semi-final in 1993 and would reach a second straight quarter-final in Paris.
That was followed by the first of his seven Wimbledon titles later in the summer, before he claimed the second of his five titles in New York – capping off one of the most dominant spells of his career.
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