Jannik Sinner became just the second player in the history of tennis to win the Career Golden Masters after triumphing at the Italian Open – and added to his enormous earnings for the year so far. The four-time Grand Slam winner defeated Casper Ruud with a straight-sets victory at the Masters 1000 event in Rome.
It was the first time Sinner had won his home event and in doing so has become just the second player to win the Golden Masters since Novak Djokovic. But beyond the trophies, Sinner’s tournament wins have also come with an added financial bonus.
The victory in Rome earned Sinner just under £1million in prize money, meaning he has now accumulated a gobsmacking £5m from tournaments in the last 137 days alone. Unsurprisingly, Sinner leads the way for the year so far, with second-placed Carlos Alcaraz trailing behind with earnings just under £3.5m.
Alexander Zverev (£2.3m) and Daniil Medvedev (£1.7m) are the only other players outside the big two to have earned over £1.5m so far. Sinner will have the chance to add even more prize money to his tally when the French Open gets underway later this month.
A whopping £2.4m alone is available to the victor at Roland-Garros, with Sinner, last year’s runner-up, the overwhelming favourite to take the title. Not least because Alcaraz, last year’s victor, is set to sit out the tournament because of an injury he picked up earlier in the season.
Speaking on court after winning the Italian Open, Sinner remarked: “I don’t know. It’s tough to say. I mean, I think this year was the 50th year since an Italian won [the tournament], and really, really happy, a lot of tension on both sides.
“It was not perfect, perfect tennis for both of us, but I’m really, really happy. Incredible, incredible last two-and-a-half months. Yeah, I try to put myself in the best possible position every time, trying to do the best I can, and not every day is simple, but I’m really, really happy.”
Before adding: “Yeah, I mean, physical… you know, physical, very, very tough, but very happy. I try, as I said, there’s a big thanks to my physical team, physio and physical trainer, and those I have with me all year long, trying to keep up my body, which is as important as the tennis coaches, and yeah, so I’m really, really happy.”