World No. 1 Jannik Sinner added another incredible notch in his young career at the 2025 US Open. With a four-set win over Canada's Denis Shapovalov (5-7, 6-4, 6-3, 6-3) in the third round, the Italian not only secured a spot in the round of 16 but also became the fourth youngest man in history to achieve 20 career wins at all four Grand Slam tournaments.
Sinner's victory underscores his consistency and dominance on surfaces. Only two weeks past 24, he now joins Rafael Nadal, Boris Becker and Novak Djokovic as the only players to achieve this feat prior to their 25th birthday.
In doing so, Sinner also broke Roger Federer's record, which was set by the Swiss great as he reached the French Open final in 2006 closer to his 25th birthday. What is more impressive is that Sinner's consistent level on hard courts: his second-round win earlier this week tied Federer for the best beginning to a Grand Slam career on hard courts, as both players shared identical 41-9 marks in their first 50 matches.
This consistency not only highlights Sinner's maturity but also indicates how rapidly he is etching his name alongside tennis legends.
While Sinner has already etched his name in the record books, the spotlight now shifts to his arch-nemesis, Carlos Alcaraz. The Spaniard already boasts 20 victories at Wimbledon and Roland Garros, and is three short of 20 at the US Open. If he makes the semifinals in New York this season, Alcaraz will be alongside Sinner on that list.
Nevertheless, the Australian Open is still his greatest challenge. With only 11 Melbourne wins, the soonest Alcaraz can achieve 20 wins in Melbourne is in 2027. Even then, he would not yet be 24 years old, providing him with the chance to surpass Sinner's record.
For the time being, Sinner's eyes are still on New York. His round of 16 tie will be against Kazakhstan's Alexander Bublik significantly the lone player other than Alcaraz to beat him since August 2024.
After his latest win, Sinner spoke and recognized the physical and mental toll of the US Open and stated that he would recover from the time off before his next match.
With his recent success, Sinner has bolstered his status as one of the greatest Grand Slam performers of his generation and, in doing so, added his name to the same page as Federer, Nadal and Djokovic.
