Jannik Sinner produced the most dominating performance since his return with a 6-0, 6-1 demolition of Casper Ruud in the Rome Masters quarterfinals.
This was unplayable, flawless tennis from a player who seems to have used his time away from the sport to go to the next level and there is no doubt that this display will be remembered as one of the most complete seen in the modern era of the sport.
Sinner’s domination of world No. 7 Ruud was so complete that when the battered loser finally won a game in the second set, he raised his arms as if he were an amateur trying to win a point or two against a professional.
Yet this is a player who won his first ATP 1000 title in Madrid earlier this month and has been a finalist at the French Open on two occasions.
This is an opponent who will be one of Sinner’s big rivals when we get to Roland Garros and the second major of this tennis year later this month and on the evidence of this performance, there will only be one winner in Paris.
From the moment these two started trading blows in an Italian Open quarter-final that will have sent shockwaves through the men’s locker room, it was clear that Sinner was on a different level.
The weight of his shot, the depth he could keep with every blow, the thud of his serve and the complete nature of this display confirmed that Sinner is now the firm favourite to win his first French Open title because if he plays like this at Roland Garros, no one will get near him. This looks like a player being propelled by something special and it may be that the extra ingredient driving him to what is undoubtedly the best performance in a single match of this tennis season so far is frustration.
The three months Sinner spent on the sidelines could have taken the edge off his sharpness, but it seems the break has added fuel to his fire as he targets a perfect tennis year.
Sinner has now extended his winning record against Ruud to 4-0 and he explained that his experience of beating the Norwegian in the past game gave him inspiration to reach new heights in this meeting.
“Every one of us has one or two opponents where we struggle a bit more. I tried to replicate what I’ve done in the past today on a different surface,” said Sinner.
“I was hitting the ball very well. These conditions, playing at night against Casper, are a bit better in my point of view because he can’t make the ball bounce as much.
“Everything went my favour today. Some net cords. Some lines. The match can change very quickly… if I didn’t serve well at 2-1, we’re even again. Could’ve been a game changer. I’m happy with how I handled the situation.”
This was as complete a performance as Sinner has ever delivered on a clay court against one of the grittiest players currently competing on this surface.
It banished any doubts about Sinner’s form after his lay off and if he continues to play at this level, the prospect of the Italian hero winning all four Grand Slam titles in 2025 will begin to loom large.
