Jannik Sinner had a classy response when asked to compare himself to the greatest tennis players of all time after breaking Rafael Nadal's record.
There can be no doubt that current world no.1 Sinner is well on his way to cementing himself as one of the best tennis players in recent years.
Following his latest performance in the third round of the Madrid Open, some tennis fans have even gone as far as to suggest that the 24-year-old could go on to establish himself as the greatest of all time.
The Italian beat Elmer Moller 6-2, 6-3 to reach the fourth round in Madrid, marking his the 24th consecutive win that at Masters 1000 level.
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In doing so, Sinner surpassed tennis legend Nadal’s best streak of 23 wins in a row, with the impressive run of form seeing him win titles in Paris, Indian Wells, Miami and the Monte Carlo Masters.
It leaves him just a couple more wins away from and Roger Federer’s record of 29 and Novak Djokovic's record of 31, the most consecutive wins of any player.
However, when asked about his achievement, Sinner played down the comparisons with the 'big three' of Nadal, Djokovic and Federer.
“No, not really,” Sinner claimed when asked if he also compares himself to the greats.
“I always said, and I continue to say, I don’t, I cannot compare myself with these names. They did so much stuff in their career, I’m just in the beginning. Yeah, they are different level, you know.
“For me, I’m happy to be here. I’m happy to play as many matches as possible. But what they did, it’s something else. I just try to give everything I have a hundred percent in every match. If I win, good. If not, I tried my best and I don’t have regrets. So that’s it.”
As it stands, Sinner remains the firm favourite to win the Madrid Open title, following the withdrawal of main rival Carlos Alcaraz.
If he were to go on to win the competition it would take him to 28 consecutive Masters 1000 wins, placing him within just one of Federer.
But he faces a tough test in his next match in Madrid, as he faces British star Cameron Norrie on Tuesday for a place in the quarterfinals.
Topics:Â Jannik Sinner, Tennis, Rafael Nadal
Ben McCrum