In the Open Era, only three players have played four finals in four in the same year
The court will decide. The final judge. The wait is almost over, after a week spent taking restorative naps to recover from the Cincinnati virus, evenings organized by sponsors with ping pong matches against Osaka, relaxing with Lego, and above all, increasingly intense training sessions, the true barometer of the condition of the world’s strongest player: today, at around 7:30 p.m. Italian time, Sinner begins his title defense in New York against the Czech Kopriva, whom he has never faced before. And as a first statistic, history reminds him that the men’s title at the US Open has not been retained since 2008, when Federer won his last title (of five) in the Big Apple.
By nature and vocation, Jannik is used to staying focused on the here and now, especially now with doubts about his physical condition, which only the first competitive test can dispel. Kopriva, ranked 89th in the world, a ranking built mainly on Challenger clay courts, should not pose too much of a challenge to a healthy Jannik, but in the meantime, yesterday, the No. 1, leaving no stone unturned, trained with Russia’s Safiullin, who has similar characteristics to his opening opponent in the tournament. However, the draw, leading up to the (universally predicted) final with Alcaraz, would see him face Popyrin, Shapovalov, Paul, Draper, and Zverev in succession, a tricky path for a Red Fox who is not at his best.
legendary steps— In any case, the setback in Cincinnati has not changed the convictions of insiders and bookmakers, for whom the world No. 1 remains the tournament favorite. Translated for the record, this means that Sinner, already winner of the last three Slams on hard court and therefore on a 21-match winning streak, would become the eighth player in history to reach four Slam finals in a year if he were to repeat his success at Flushing Meadows: the first was the American Crawford in 1933. But if the benchmark is to be the Open Era, so as not to quibble over who was there and who wasn’t, as was the case before 1968, only three phenomena have achieved this feat: Rod Laver in 1969 (when he won his second Grand Slam), Federer (2006, 2007, and 2009), and Djokovic (2015, 2021, and 2023). In short, we are entering a magical realm populated only by legendary champions.
In addition to them, only three others in the Open Era have lifted a Major trophy three times in the same season: Connors, Wilander, and Nadal. And if another title match between him and Alcaraz were to take place, according to the most popular hype of the tournament, it would only be the second time since 1964 (Emerson vs. Stolle) that the same two players would face each other in three Slam finals in the same year (although Djokovic and Nadal met four times in a row between Wimbledon 2011 and Roland Garros 2012). Sinner, however, could become the only player in history to win three Slams in a year and lose the fourth after having match point in the final (damn Roland Garros…). Yet, remembering what he revealed on the eve of the final, perhaps it will not be that memory that upsets him: “When I was young, I told my parents that if I wasn’t at least in the top 200 in the world by the age of 23-24, I would quit for financial reasons. Traveling and having a coach is very expensive, and if I hadn’t achieved results, my family couldn’t support it. I was lucky to start earning money at the age of 18. As a child, I dreamed of reaching the top 100, now everything else is a great bonus.” Which led him on the path to legend.
