On Sunday 28 January, in front of an enthralled crowd on Rod Laver Arena in Australia, Rolex Testimonee Jannik Sinner wrote the next chapter in tennis history by winning his maiden Grand Slam® title. Sinner became the first Italian player to win the Australian Open and only the third in the men’s game to achieve Grand Slam® glory – the last of which came almost 50 years ago.
Demonstrating extraordinary composure and steely resilience, Sinner recovered from two sets down to earn an emphatic victory, with a score of 3–6, 3–6, 6–4, 6–4, 6–3 in 3 hours and 44 minutes. His tournament was a showcase of the 22-year-old’s impressive form, physical strength and immense talent; Sinner reached his first Australian Open semi-final without dropping a set, before defeating the defending champion.
In the quest for perpetual excellence in all its endeavours, Rolex recognizes today’s champion and tennis heroes past and present as they perpetually push the boundaries of performance on court, having been Official Timekeeper of the season-opening Grand Slam® since 2008.
Discussing what it means to achieve this historic victory at Melbourne Park and to follow in the footsteps of many Rolex tennis legends who have achieved so much in the sport, Sinner says:
“It means a lot to win. The champions who have gone before me are still much, much bigger than I am, but it’s nice that my small name is next to them as they are truly an inspiration for me. It has always been so nice to be part of the Rolex family – it’s something special.”
In winning the 2024 Australian Open, Sinner built on his momentum from the end of last season, when he reached the final of the Nitto ATP Finals in November and guided Italy to a spectacular victory in the 2023 Davis Cup Finals. Sinner turned professional at the age of 17 and won the Next Gen ATP Finals the following year, in 2019. His game continues to go from strength to strength and the young Italian joined the Rolex family of Testimonees in 2020, before entering the ATP Top 10 a year later. Serve, forehand, backhand, Sinner’s game masters the entire range of tennis strokes and he has patience to defend, but also the skill to attack and dictate the points.
Sinner joins fellow members of the Rolex family of Testimonees and an esteemed list of legends who have secured victory at the Australian Open: Rod Laver, Chris Evert, Stefan Edberg, Jim Courier, Roger Federer, Justine Henin, Li Na, Angelique Kerber and Caroline Wozniacki.
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