Jannik Sinner Brings 'Big 4' Energy to ATP Masters Events

World No. 1 Jannik Sinner has been playing like a man looking to make up for lost time. After missing Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo, and Madrid last year due to suspension, he is close to a 4-for-4 run in 2026, with a potential title in Spain within reach.

That would give him five titles on the trot at the 1000 level, dating back to Paris 2025. It’s truly been an impressive run, but success at this level isn’t without precedent.

After all, it wasn’t so long ago that the “Big 4” of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, and Andy Murray made nine of the biggest events on the ATP Tour their own personal playground, pulling off feats similar in weight to what Sinner is on the cusp of accomplishing. Here’s a look at several of those achievements.

The ‘Golden’ Ticket

Given that Djokovic is the all-time Masters title leader with 40, it might be hard to imagine that any venue ever vexed him. However, Cincinnati did, and by the time the 2018 tournament rolled around, he had been defeated in five finals there—while winning everywhere else.

This time, he managed to defeat Federer for the title, completing the “Golden” Masters task by winning all the tournaments at least once and becoming the first player to do so.

The Prime Years

On rare occasions during the Big 4’s collective Masters dominance, an unexpected player would sneak in and win a title, like Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in Paris in 2008 or Ivan Ljubicic at Indian Wells in 2010. However, for more than a decade, those occasions were few and far between.

And, in fact, in 2011, ’13, and ’15, outsiders were strictly prohibited from the champion’s podium as the top four kept the big titles between them—with Murray beating Nadal in Madrid in ’15 a prime example.

Feat of Clay

When it came to Madrid, Monte Carlo, and Rome, Murray, Djokovic, and Federer managed to claim titles and make finals here and there, but there was no question who truly reigned on the red clay. Of Nadal’s 36 career Masters titles, 26 came at those three locations and Hamburg, Germany, Madrid’s predecessor on the calendar.

After his French Open winning streak was broken in 2009, the Spaniard came back in 2010 with a sweep across the three clay Masters events and another Roland Garros title.

Going Streaking

If there’s one thing the former top four had down pat, it was compiling winning runs across multiple 1000-level tournaments. Sinner is close to putting some distance between himself and the legends, but what they accomplished set the standard for sustained dominance.

Case in point: Before Sinner’s “Sunshine Double” sweep of Indian Wells and Miami this year, Federer was the last male singles player to pull off the feat in his comeback season of 2017.

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