As Jannik Sinner chases more tennis history in Rome and Paris, the world No. 1 turns focus inward: "I don't play for records"

Standing alone at the top of men's tennis right now, Jannik Sinner says he's doing his best to block out the numbers.

History, he says, will remember him best if he focuses inward - even if those accomplishments feel otherworldly.

"I don't play for these records," the world No. 1 said Sunday (3 May) after his 28th career title in Madrid, which marked the first time any man had ever won five ATP Masters 1000 events in a row.

"I don't play for records in general; I play for myself," he added. "I play for my team... because we know what's behind [the success]. And also my family."

What awaits in Rome (the Italian Open) and Paris (Roland-Garros) could be more history: A title at both events would give him a clean sweep of the nine Masters events and four tennis majors.

Who else has done that? Only the GOAT, Novak Djokovic.

But Sinner, now 24, understands he can't just ignore what he is creating each time he steps on the court.

Yet it can't be his focus, he clarified.

"Look, it means a lot - the great numbers - but there is a lot of discipline, a lot of sacrifice and the daily routines that I put in," he said. "I like the journey; I like to put myself in the best possible position to be the best version of myself.

He added, "I don't play for all the records. What the other players have done in the past, and [what] Novak is still doing, it's something incredible. And I cannot compare myself with them."

That comparison - at least in a simple record-keeping sort of way - belongs to others, and has risen to a fever-pitch as Sinner's chief rival, Carlos Alcaraz, has been forced out of this month's French Open with a right wrist injury, their jaw-dropping championship match from last year not to be repeated in 2026.

So in both Rome and Paris, it's Jannik Sinner against the field. And, surely, Jannik Sinner against history.

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Jannik Sinner: "My job is to improve as a player"

Sinner batted away imaginative superlatives after his decisive 6-1, 6-2 win over world No. 3 Sascha Zverev in the Madrid singles final.

But they didn't come without reason: Zverev will be the No. 2 seed at Stade Roland-Garros.

How much better does Sinner feel than the rest of the tour? Could he go undefeated for the remainder of 2026? Does he get bored on court?

"It's unnecessary to talk about this," Sinner said in response to the "what if" undefeated question.

Having been pushed over the last few years by Alcaraz - and beaten in the semi-finals of this year's Australian Open by Djokovic - Sinner is clear that the margins are quite thin.

And that letting his foot off the gas isn't an option.

"My job is to improve as a player," explained Sinner. "At the end of the day, the result is only the consequence of how much you put in. And we are definitely working well, but we need to keep going... because if you drop a little bit, people are going to catch [up] very fast. So I'm very happy to keep working."

Sinner has continued a growing trend in tennis in employing two coaches for his team: Simone Vagnozzi, who handles the full-time, day-to-day; and Australian Darren Cahill, a sought-after coach who has previously worked with the likes of Lleyton Hewitt, Andre Agassi, Andy Murray and Simona Halep.

The team has been open about their aimed improvements - and Sinner has proved as much on court: A beefed-up and laser-like serve; more explosion out of the corners when he's pulled wide; an ability to transition well from the back of the court up to the net.

"I don't compare myself with other players," Sinner said in response to the aforementioned "how much better" question.

"I try to be the best possible version of myself and that's it," he continued. "But at the same time, it always depends, day by day; it's always different."

On his skiing roots and close family ties

"Maybe for the French Open, have a break?"

That was the joke quipped by Zverev during the Madrid trophy ceremony, and it will surely be Sinner taking on the other 127 players set to descend on the Parisian capital starting 24 May.

Much has been made about Sinner's childhood success as a skier - he grew up in the region that hosted the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 - becoming a national runner-up at the age of 11.

But while his long limbs used to the snowy Alpine terrain certainly don't hurt him on the tennis court, he actually thinks it's more of the mental fortitude that he gained from skiing that plays to his advantage on the tennis court itself.

"In skiing, if you crash, you hurt yourself," he said. "In tennis it's a bit different... there is no reason to be scared in certain moments. But at the same time, there is a lot of respect" for the opponent.

It's all rooted further, Sinner said, in his upbringing, by parents who worked at the ski hill when he was a kid, and who let him leave home for a national tennis academy at age 13.

And, who also still treat him exactly the same as they always have - even as he continues to make more history around the world as a tennis champion.

"With the success that I've had, they've never changed the way that they are towards me," Sinner explained. "They are simply parents. I feel very safe when I'm around them; we never talk about tennis when I'm around them. It's a great relationship... I consider myself very lucky."

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