Jannik Sinner, Like Federer and McEnroe: 2026 Is Already Part of Tennis History
Jannik Sinner continues to rewrite the record books. The world No. 1 is having an extraordinary season and, by the numbers, is already on the heels of two true tennis legends: Roger Federer and John McEnroe. The Italian’s performance in 2026 is, in fact, among the best ever recorded in the Open Era and suggests that more records could fall between now and the end of the year. So far, Sinner has won six titles, including five consecutive Masters 1000 events and the second Wimbledon title of his career, winning 44 of the 47 matches he has played. His record stands at just three losses and a 93.6% win rate, a statistic that places him among the absolute elite in tennis history.
The only setbacks of his season came under very unusual circumstances. At the Australian Open, he was eliminated in the semifinals by Novak Djokovic after leading two sets to one, before losing in the fifth set. In Doha, he was stopped in the quarterfinals by Jakub Mensik, who delivered an exceptional performance on serve with 11 aces and 82% of points won on his first serve. Finally, at Roland Garros, a physical setback forced him to lose in five sets to Argentina’s Juan Manuel Cerundolo after dominating for two sets and holding a 5-1 lead in the third. These three losses do not overshadow what has been a dominant season so far.
With a 93.6% win rate, Sinner has already secured a spot among the top 5 best seasons of the Open Era in terms of winning percentage. Ahead of him lie only seasons that have gone down in legend. Roger Federer closed out 2006 with a 94.8% win rate, racking up 92 wins and just five losses, including the defeat in the Roland Garros final against Rafael Nadal that prevented him from completing the Grand Slam. The Swiss player did even better in 2005, when he reached a 95.3% win rate thanks to 81 wins and just four losses, two of which came in Grand Slam finals against Marat Safin at the Australian Open and, once again, Nadal in Paris.
Ahead of Federer is Jimmy Connors, who in 1974 posted an impressive 95.9% win rate, with 94 wins, four losses, and a staggering 15 titles. The all-time benchmark, however, remains John McEnroe. In 1984, the American had a nearly unparalleled season, finishing with an incredible 96.5% win rate thanks to a record of 82 wins and just three losses. Among those matches, however, is one that remains to this day one of the most painful finals of his career: the French Open final against Ivan Lendl, which he lost in the fifth set after leading by two sets.
For Sinner, too, the French Open is still an open wound. But the Italian champion’s journey shows how the great seasons of top players are often accompanied by disappointment on the clay courts of Paris. The difference is that 2026 is still a long way off, and the world No. 1 still has several tournaments ahead of him to further improve his performance and close in on records that, until recently, seemed unattainable.
