"An extraordinary champion the whole world envies”: Italian Federation President praises Jannik Sinner's legacy

The President of the Italian Tennis Federation, Angelo Binaghi, has praised the legacy of Jannik Sinner, who at 23 years old continues to make history on the Tour. Sinner's dominance over the last couple of seasons puts his numbers close to those of the Big 3.

2024 was simply an extraordinary season for him, with a record of 73-6 (92%)—three of those defeats coming against Carlos Alcaraz—and finishing the year as world No. 1 for the first time. He won his first two Grand Slam titles, three Masters 1000 events, and the ATP Finals, for a total of eight titles.

In 2025, he has only played in five tournaments, winning the titles at the Australian Open and Wimbledon (his third and fourth major titles, respectively), in addition to reaching the finals of the Italian Open and Roland Garros.

Sinner has now spent 60 weeks as world No. 1, despite being absent for three months between February and May due to a doping ban. This places him as the 12th player with the most weeks at the top, ahead of players like Jim Courier, Guga Kuerten, and Andy Murray.

Sinner has not only been very successful on the court but has also become a fan favorite and one of the most recognizable faces in the tennis world today. His rivalry with Alcaraz has escalated, especially after two Grand Slam finals against each other. Sinner got his revenge in their last encounter at Wimbledon after five consecutive losses to the Spaniard.

Sinner chose to skip the Canadian Open this year and will return to action at the Cincinnati Open, where he is the defending champion. The Italian decided to recover fully after Wimbledon and stay in Europe for a week longer before traveling for the North American hardcourt swing, where he will also defend his US Open title.

While Sinner awaits his return, the President of the Italian Tennis Federation, Angelo Binaghi, gave an interview paying homage to the current world No. 1—the first Italian male tennis player to reach the top of the rankings. With four major titles at age 23, Sinner has already established himself as the greatest tennis player his country has ever produced.

"In addition to being an extraordinary champion that the whole world envies us, Jannik transmits a positive example and improves the image of Italy abroad," Binaghi commented in a recent interview with Sky Sports Italia. "He is a boy of humble origins from a family of sound principles, which taught him the right values. When he gets a huge win, his first thought is back to work to improve even more. He has become the driving force behind an entire generation of young talent."

Sinner's return is expected next week in Cincinnati, where he will be the first seed. The world No. 1 has a record of 26-3 this season and hopes to maintain his momentum if he doesn't want to lose his spot as No. 1 in the coming months. While he currently maintains a significant points lead over Alcaraz (around 3,500), Sinner will be defending 3,000 points in the next two tournaments (Cincinnati and the US Open).

Meanwhile, Alcaraz is defending very few points over the next few weeks until the Asian swing, giving him the opportunity to close the gap considerably. The Spaniard is also first in the ATP Race—with more than 1,500 points ahead of Sinner. The Race only measures points earned in the current calendar year—2025—and not the last 52 weeks like the rankings. It will be key to determining the year-end No. 1 ranking, so at the moment, Carlos has the advantage to finish the year at the top. Without a doubt, Cincinnati and the US Open will be key for both.