Two more games to win and Jannik Sinner could take two more important steps towards immortality.
If the South Tyrolean were to beat Karen Khachanov in the round of 16 and then one of Casper Ruud or Felix Auger-Aliassime in the quarter-finals, Sinner would become the second player in history to reach at least the semi-finals at the Australian Open and then the first 4 Masters 1000s of the season. Sinner won the Australian Open, then made the semi-final in Indian Wells, won Miami and made the semi-final in Monte Carlo.
In 2006 Roger Federer won the Australian Open, then triumphed in Indian Wells and Miami, lost in the final in Monte Carlo and then wasted two match points in the final in Rome, which in those days was played before Hamburg. Since then, no one has managed to reach the semi-finals in the first 5 major tournaments of the season.
But there’s more. If Sinner reaches the semi-finals in Madrid, the South Tyrolean he is 1000 points behind Djokovic and therefore in Rome, in theory, he would have the opportunity to overtake him and become world number 1 for the first time in his career.
