Jannik Sinner’s biggest opponent is off the court after astounding rise to the top | Tumaini Carayol

At the end of the 2023 tennis season, as Jannik Sinner had elevated his game to new heights and his Italy team to their first Davis Cup title in 46 years, there was one comparison to note. Thirteen years earlier, Novak Djokovic had found his way after a difficult period by winning the Davis Cup, a victory that provided a platform for one of the greatest tennis seasons in 2011 and the start of his decade-plus reign.

Sinner’s first triumph for Italy at the Davis Cup has similarly preceded a staggering breakout season and, one year on, he ends 2024 as by far the best and most consistent tennis player in the world.

The numbers alone are astounding. Sinner finished the year with a 73-6 (92%) win-loss record and eight ATP titles, including the Australian Open and US Open. No other player has ever won two grand slam titles, the ATP Finals and the Davis Cup in one year. Not only is this the best season by miles from a player born after Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Djokovic, this is plainly one of the best seasons in tennis history.

The sight of Sinner smothering opponents over the past year has been even more striking. He is not merely a better tennis player than most of his rivals, he has been better than them in almost every department. Sinner’s massive improvements to his first serve have been instrumental in his success, but he has also long been one of the best returners in the world. His destructive, clean ball-striking abilities off both wings have always been the focal point of his game but he has also evolved into one of the best athletes in the world.

Alongside his coaches, Simone Vagnozzi and Darren Cahill, Sinner has built such a well-rounded game and he has been able to replicate his high level with total consistency. He can skewer all opponents with his massive weapons but he can also now grind them to dust, eliminating errors from his own game in key moments and making it so difficult to put the ball past him. This year, he has found the perfect balance between those assets and he has managed the biggest moments with supreme composure.

Even as Sinner has been so impressive on court, this has been also an uncomfortable year for tennis. Sinner spent the clay and grass seasons competing despite twice testing positive for the banned substance clostebol in April after he successfully appealed both immediate provisional bans. In August, Sinner announced his anti-doping case after an independent tribunal ruled that he bore no fault or negligence for the positive tests and was free to continue playing. Less than three weeks later, he won the US Open.

The World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) has since appealed against the ruling to the court of arbitration for sport (Cas), with a date for the hearing yet to be announced. If the biggest question on the ATP tour is whether anyone can consistently halt Sinner’s momentum, the answer is startling. Sinner’s most significant opponent is Wada and potentially the Cas tribunal itself, which could opt to ban him from even entering an official tennis stadium next year.

On the court, Sinner’s success places his chief competitive rival, Carlos Alcaraz, in a fascinating position. Alcaraz has also won two grand slam titles this year and he has been sublime during parts of this season. He remains a singular talent, his peerless athleticism, shotmaking and deep toolbox of varied shots distinguishing him from all other players. At the height of his powers, Alcaraz is probably the best player in the world and he has compiled a 3-0 record against Sinner this year.

However, tennis is not merely about how a player performs when everything is flowing perfectly. So far in the 21-year-old’s career, his stratospheric highs have also come with some significant lows. Alongside his moments of genius, Alcaraz can be inconsistent and rash with his decision- making. Despite his two major titles this year, his relatively inconsistent results have left him third in the ATP rankings, a significant 900 points behind the “slamless” Alexander Zverev.

While Alcaraz may have the higher ceiling in his game, Sinner has by far the higher floor. No matter the day, conditions or how he is feeling, the 23-year-old has shown that he can always produce an extremely high level of play and he is incredibly difficult to defeat on any day. Alcaraz is still two years younger than Sinner with four grand slam titles to the Italian’s two. Time is on his side. However, his rival has set the bar incredibly high after a monumental season and in order to scale it himself, Alcaraz must now learn how to adapt his game and mentality in order to perform at a consistently lofty level from January to November.

After years of anticipation, this season marked a true changing of the guard. While Sinner and Alcaraz split the major titles equally between them, Nadal and Andy Murray finally retired. Djokovic, now bizarrely Murray’s charge, has also seen his status shift. No longer at the top of the pyramid, the 37-year-old is now an ageing challenger fighting to compete for the biggest titles for as long as he can.

Other talented young players, including the 22-year-old Briton Jack Draper, will try to enter the fray. As the new era of ATP tennis take shapes, Sinner will continue to adjust to his new standing as he navigates the sport with the biggest target on his back.