Jannik Sinner raised eyebrows when he decided to withdraw from the Cincinnati Open final against Carlos Alcaraz. But the Italian made the move with the US Open in mind, aiming to arrive in New York in top condition. If he goes on to win the title at Flushing Meadows, Sinner would join an exclusive club alongside Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, and Rafael Nadal.
If the World No. 1 successfully defends the crown he won in 2024, he would become just the seventh man in the Open Era to capture three Grand Slam titles in the same season. That achievement has only been matched by Rod Laver, Jimmy Connors, Mats Wilander, Djokovic, Federer, and Nadal.
Should the Italian pull off the feat, he would also become the fourth player in Open Era history to win three majors and reach the final of the fourth in a single season — a mark previously set by Federer, Djokovic, and Laver.
Sinner has already put together an outstanding 2024 campaign. He opened the year by defeating Alexander Zverev to claim the Australian Open, then lost an epic Roland Garros final to Alcaraz after holding three championship points in what became the longest French Open final in history. Weeks later, he bounced back at Wimbledon, beating Alcaraz in four sets to win his first All England Club trophy.
Jannik Sinner raises the Wimbledon trophy after defeating Carlos Alcaraz. (Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
Laver remains the only man in the Open Era to win all four Slams in a single season, completing the calendar Grand Slam in 1969. Federer had two chances to do the same in 2006 and 2007 but fell to Nadal both times in the Roland Garros final. Djokovic has come closest in modern times, falling just short on three occasions — to Stan Wawrinka in the 2015 French Open final, to Daniil Medvedev at the 2021 US Open, and to Alcaraz at Wimbledon in 2023.
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Sinner joins Djokovic, Federer, Nadal and Murray in exclusive milestone during Cincinnati Open
Sinner’s road at the US Open
The main draw was released Thursday afternoon, and Sinner will open his title defense against Czech player Vit Kopriva, ranked No. 87 in the ATP standings, on Sunday, August 24. His section of the draw also features Jack Draper, Lorenzo Musetti, Tommy Paul, Alexander Bublik, and Denis Shapovalov.
Zverev anchors the other half of the top bracket and begins his campaign against Chile’s Alejandro Tabilo. His side of the draw also includes Alex De Minaur, Andrey Rublev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Karen Khachanov, Roberto Bautista Agut, and Francisco Cerundolo.
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