Jannik Sinner overtakes Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal in race for 50 wins as world number one after recent triumph at Rome Open

Italy’s Jannik Sinner has achieved an incredible feat while taking part in the ongoing Rome Open. The 23-year-old, who is already regarded as one of the best players currently playing in men’s tennis in the singles category, is taking part in the Rome Open.

Sinner has managed to cement his spot in the quarterfinals of the event after beating Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo in straight sets with a score of 7-6, 6-3. With that win, Sinner achieved an incredible feat of winning 50 matches as world number one in just 53 matches. He equals Bjorn Borg’s record.

That feat is so special as Sinner has managed to achieve at a better rate than the likes of former world number one Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. The Swiss legendary tennis star, who was the first player to win more than 15 Grand Slam titles in men’s tennis in the Open era, achieved 50 wins as the world number one in 54 matches whereas Nadal achieved it in 56 matches.

After winning the contest, Sinner was ecstatic. “He’s a very tough competitor,” said Sinner of Cerundolo. “It’s a great challenge for me, especially now in this moment, trying to get used to so many difficult situations on the court.I knew before the match that it was going to be very tough. It was a long day for both of us. Now we know each other a bit better because we played the last time we were here and a couple of times before that. I broke him in the first and it was a very long game, and when he broke me back I just tried to stay there mentally and play every point. But I’m very happy because today I felt that I raised my level. Game-wise, I felt a little bit better, which I’m very glad and happy [about]. It was very heavy conditions and it was a very long day. The crowd helped me so much today. I’m happy to go through. I have to do many things and try to recover in the best possible way. But exactly as I said, I need this.”