Rafael Nadal’s place as the greatest clay-court player in tennis history remains untouched. But Jannik Sinner is beginning to move into territory that makes even Nadal’s most dominant seasons part of the conversation.
The world No. 1 arrives at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia as the overwhelming favorite, with the Rome Masters 1000 opening Tuesday for the women and Wednesday for the men. It is the final major clay-court event before Roland Garros, and this year it begins with one clear question: can anyone stop Sinner before Paris?
Carlos Alcaraz, the defending Rome champion and Sinner’s most obvious clay-court rival, is absent through injury. That leaves Sinner with a rare opportunity at home, where he has never lifted the title. Last year, he reached the final at the Foro Italico before losing to Alcaraz in what became one of the defining matches of the clay season.
Now the mood around Sinner is very different. The 24-year-old Italian is no longer proving he belongs among the game’s elite. He is setting the pace for everyone else.
Sinner made history Sunday in Madrid by defeating Alexander Zverev 6-1, 6-2 in a one-sided final that lasted less than an hour. The victory gave him a fifth consecutive Masters 1000 title, following Paris last year and Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo and Madrid this season. No man had previously won five straight Masters 1000 events.
That is where the Nadal comparison begins to matter. Nadal won a record 63 clay-court titles and remains the standard by which every clay player is judged. In 2010, he completed one of the great clay swings in modern tennis, winning Monte Carlo, Rome, Madrid and Roland Garros in the same season.
Sinner is not close to Nadal’s clay résumé. Nobody is. But he is now threatening to assemble the kind of spring run that once seemed reserved for Nadal alone.
Sinner Looks to End Italy’s Long Wait
For all of Sinner’s success, Rome still carries unfinished business. The last Italian man to win the title at the Foro Italico was Adriano Panatta in 1976. Sinner has a chance to end that 50-year drought in front of a home crowd that has watched him become the central figure in the men’s game.
A Rome title would also complete Sinner’s collection of all nine Masters 1000 events. Novak Djokovic is the only man to have achieved the Career Golden Masters, winning every tournament at that level. Sinner has already won eight of the nine, with Rome the only missing piece.
Sinner enters Rome on a 28-match winning streak at Masters 1000 level. If he extends that run at home, the record book will shift again.
Still, Sinner has tried to keep the conversation away from history.
“I don’t play for records. I play for myself, for my team, for my family,” he said after winning Madrid. He also warned that the grind is beginning to show, with 23 matches played across 57 days.
His Rome draw gives him time to settle in. After a first-round bye, Sinner will open against either American Alex Michelsen or Austria’s Sebastian Ofner. A possible third-round match against Jakub Mensik could be dangerous. Mensik handed Sinner one of his rare defeats this season in Doha.
Arthur Fils could await later in the draw. The Frenchman, back inside the world’s top 20 and one of the form players of the season, reached the Madrid semifinals before Sinner stopped him 6-2, 6-4.
Novak Djokovic, a six-time Rome champion, is also in the field after being away from tour action since Indian Wells. He can only meet Sinner in a potential final. ([ATP Tour][5])
Alcaraz’s Absence Changes the Clay Swing
Alcaraz’s withdrawal has reshaped the entire clay season.
The Spaniard was expected to defend titles in Rome and Roland Garros, but his absence removes the one player who has most consistently tested Sinner on clay. Without him, Sinner’s path to a first Roland Garros crown looks far clearer than it did a month ago.
That does not make Rome simple. The Foro Italico has often produced awkward conditions, emotional matches and surprise results. Playing at home brings energy, but also pressure. For Sinner, this may be the one tournament where expectation is heavier than anywhere else.
His Madrid final suggested he is handling it well. Zverev, the world No. 3, had no answer. Sinner controlled the baseline, protected his serve, and gave the German almost no room to breathe. It was less a final than a warning.
Women’s Draw Looks More Open
The women’s event enters Rome with less certainty.
Jasmine Paolini, last year’s champion, returns home without the same momentum she had in 2025. The Italian, ranked No. 8, has struggled for consistency across the spring, with early exits in Indian Wells, Miami, Stuttgart and Madrid.
Aryna Sabalenka also arrives with questions despite a strong start to the season. The world No. 1 won three titles and reached another final in her first four tournaments, but Madrid ended in disappointment with a quarterfinal loss.
The player carrying the most momentum may be Marta Kostyuk. The Ukrainian won her first WTA 1000 title in Madrid by defeating Mirra Andreeva 6-3, 7-5, adding that trophy to her recent title in Rouen. She has now won back-to-back tournaments and looks like a serious threat heading into Rome.
For the men, however, Rome begins with one storyline above all others.
Sinner is at home, Alcaraz is missing, Djokovic is returning, and Nadal’s clay-court shadow is again part of the conversation. The Italian does not need to chase records publicly. At the moment, they are coming toward him anyway.
