This time last year, Jannik Sinner was in a very different place. After missing several tournaments, he didn’t begin his clay-court season until the Italian Open. Even then, he made a remarkable run all the way to the final, where he eventually fell to Carlos Alcaraz. This year, though, Sinner has been writing a very different story, one entirely on his own terms. By reaching four straight Masters 1000 finals in a single season, he’s put together a run that few players ever manage.

But success like that comes at a cost. Since January, Sinner has barely had a chance to pause, moving from one big tournament to the next with little time to recover. And after his semifinal win in Madrid, he admitted that the physical toll is starting to add up, even raising some uncertainty about whether he’ll be ready to compete at the upcoming Italian Open.

The 24-year-old pointed out that he has played a lot of tennis in the last few weeks and has reached the later stages of every tournament he has participated in. While the results have been great, the fatigue is starting to take a toll on his body.

“Rome will be a different story. For my part, I’m trying to recover a lot on nights of sleep. Last night was a great night’s sleep for me, I slept many hours, and I felt very fresh this morning. I’ve played a lot in the last month and a half, going very far in all the tournaments; Sure, it’s a great sign, but at the same time you tend to get a little more tired,” he had said during the post-match press conference.

The 4x Grand Slam champion hasn’t had much time to recover from the tiredness due to his constant participation in the tour. With the French Open being on the horizon, Sinner wouldn’t be willing to take any risks and thus, his participation for the Rome Masters is still uncertain.

“I think and believe that, when you play big matches like finals or semifinals, there is also a part of adrenaline that pushes me and motivates me. Between this tournament and Rome, I will try to recover again, and we will see,” he added.

Sinner’s main focus at the moment will be the Madrid Open final. He has never reigned supreme on the clay-courts of the Spanish capital and will be aiming to finally end the long wait this time around. He will be taking on Zverev in what will be their fourth meeting of the season so far.

Notably, the World No. 1 has claimed victory in all his matches against Zverev this year. The two had first met in the semifinals of the Indian Wells where the World No. 1 had racked up a comfortable 6-2, 6-4 victory. Then they both met in the last 4 of the Miami Open where Sinner had triumphed 6-3, 7-6. Following this, Zverev suffered a 6-1, 6-4 defeat to the Italian in the semis of the Monte Carlo Masters.

Sinner currently has a 9-4 lead in the H2H record and has come out victorious in his last eight meetings against Zverev.

Zverev’s last win in the matchup had come in the R16 of the 2023 US Open. And he is very well aware of his painful record against Sinner and has now broken his silence about the same.

Alexander Zverev opens up on his dismal record against Jannik Sinner

When reminded about his four career wins against Sinner, Zverev admitted the reality of their recent clashes.

“Yeah, but that was… not the last 8 times. The last 8 times, I didn’t win much,” he said.

The World No. 3 also believes that Sinner won’t be feeling pressure coming into the final as he is used to playing at that level. He further acknowledged that the Italian is a very composed person and has been winning matches effortlessly as of recent.

“I don’t know. I don’t think so because if you’re World No. 1, you have pressure every single week. I think he’s used to it. He’s quite a relaxed guy about it. I think he’s just enjoying tennis right now. I think tennis is very, very easy for him right now, the way he’s playing,” he said during the post-match interview.

Regardless of his poor record against Sinner, the German understands what it will take to triumph in the final and has a clear approach heading into the match.

“I’ll try not to let Jannik play his game. Maybe on Sunday, I’ll manage to make it a bit more difficult for him. He’s the best player in the world for sure. I’m just gonna try to give him a tough battle,” he said.

Will Sinner continue his sensational form and clinch his maiden title in Madrid, or will Zverev spoil all his plans and capture his first singles title of the season?