Jannik Sinner explained he was combatting dizziness and illness as he fell to an epic five-set defeat against Daniil Medvedev in the Wimbledon quarter-finals.

Top seed Sinner, who was forced to take a medical timeout midway through the third set, rallied brilliantly from that issue in the fourth to force a decider in a four-hour tussle on Centre Court.

However, the Italian ran out of steam in the fifth set, with Medvedev going on to clinch a 6-7 (7-9) 6-4 7-6 (7-4) 2-6 6-3 victory.

"Already in the morning I didn't feel great and had some problems," Sinner said after the match when he was asked about his struggles.

"Then with the fatigue, it was tough. 

"I went off the court actually. I didn't want to go off. The physio told me better to take some time because he watched me, and I didn't seem in shape to play. I was struggling physically.

"It was not an easy moment. I tried to fight with what I had.

"I was not feeling great. I didn't vomit. But took some time because I was dizzy quite a lot. Yeah, actually off court I had a little bit the toughest time maybe.

"I retired a lot two years ago. I don't want to retire if it's only a little bit of illness or sick or whatever."

Sinner stressed he did not want to detract from Medvedev’s victory and had been determined to see the match through to the end.

"Nothing to take away from Daniil – he played very smart, good tennis," added the Italian.

"I was still in shape to play somehow. The fifth set I felt a little bit better again. The energy level was a bit up.

"But the energy level was not consistent. It was up and down. Like this, it's also not easy to handle the situations on the court.

"It happens. I was never thinking about retiring. You don't want to retire in a quarter-final of a grand slam."

Sinner has made the last eight or better at each of the last three Wimbledon appearances, but is yet to reach the final.

Medvedev, meanwhile, will take on defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in the semis on Friday, having now matched his best career run at the All England Club.

Daniil Medvedev prevailed 6-7 (7-9) 6-4 7-6 (7-4) 2-6 6-3 over world number one Jannik Sinner to reach the semi-finals at Wimbledon.

In a four-hour epic, the Russian outlasted top seed Sinner to reach the last four at the All England Club for a second straight year.

Since 2000, Medvedev is only the fourth player to defeat the men's number one on three or more occasions at grand slams, along with Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Stanislas Wawrinka.

Sinner, who was forced to take a medical timeout due to illness midway through the third set, rallied brilliantly from that issue in the fourth to force a decider.

However, the Italian ran out of steam in the fifth set, with Medvedev going on to clinch victory with three match points to spare, briskly sending Sinner around the court before drilling a winner down the line.

"I knew if I wanted to beat Jannik it was going to be a tough match, he's not a guy you can beat easily, even if he wasn't feeling that good," said Medvedev.

"I managed to stay at a high level, a great match and I'm really happy with my game looking forward."

Asked what it was like to face Sinner after the medical timeout, Medvedev added: "It's actually very tough. One moment, I could see he wasn't moving well.

"It's tricky because you want to play more points to make him suffer more, but then at the same time, you know he will come back and go full power. In a way, I would prefer not to have this situation."

Medvedev will face either Tommy Paul or reigning champion Carlos Alcaraz in the semi-finals.

Data Debrief: Dragging on...

There have now been 36 five-set matches in the men's singles at Wimbledon this year, surpassing the 1983 US Open and 2024 Australian Open (35 each) for the most at a single grand slam event in the Open Era.

Medvedev, meanwhile, has now reached nine semi-finals at majors, though the 28-year-old has only progressed from two of those previous eight ties.

Daniil Medvedev will face Jannik Sinner in the Wimbledon quarter-finals after his last-16 opponent Grigor Dimitrov was forced to retire due to injury on Sunday.

Dimitrov was 5-3 down in the opening set when he was forced off, having slipped five games into the contest.

The Bulgarian received treatment on his knee during a medical timeout but moved awkwardly when he attempted to continue and only lasted 35 minutes on No.1 Court.

While the 10th seed's tournament ended in frustrating fashion, fifth seed Medvedev advances to the last eight for the second time, having made the semi-finals last year.

He will face a huge test against Sinner, who beat Ben Shelton in straight sets in his own round-of-16 match.

The world number one has won 42 of his first 45 ATP Tour-level matches of the year, becoming just the fourth player to achieve that feat this century after Roger Federer (2005-06), Novak Djokovic (2011, 2015-16) and Rafael Nadal (2013, 2018).

Data Debrief: Medvedev out for revenge

Medvedev has won six of his previous 11 meetings with Sinner, but each of the Italian's five victories over him have come in their last five meetings.

The 2021 US Open champion will be eyeing revenge on Tuesday.

Jannik Sinner breezed into the Wimbledon quarter-finals after easing past Ben Shelton in straight sets on Sunday.

The world number one produced arguably his best performance at the grass-court major this year, cruising to a 6-2 6-4 7-6 (11-9) victory on a jam-packed No.1 Court.

Sinner did not have to wait long for his first break against America's Shelton, winning on his opponent's serve to go 3-2 up and then repeating the trick to snatch a 5-2 lead before sealing the first set.

The 22-year-old needed just 29 minutes for that opening-set triumph against the 14th seed, who again struggled to hold his serve in the next set as Sinner reeled off seven games without response.

Shelton eventually ended that imperious Sinner streak by triumphing on his own serve, though the Italian remained perfect with the ball in hand to move within one set of victory.

Sinner lost the first three games of the third set, however, after an early Shelton break, only for the top seed to battle back in his usual fighting fashion.

Having squandered a set-point opportunity, Shelton collapsed to tee up a chaotic tie-break, where both players relinquished multiple chances during an eye-catching duel.

Shelton failed to take any of his three set-point chances, with Sinner also not grasping a match-point opening, though the latter eventually triumphed at the second time of asking.

Sinner's reward will be a last-eight meeting with either Grigor Dimitrov or world number five Daniil Medvedev.

Data Debrief: Super Sinner flying

Since 2000, Sinner is only the fourth player to win 42 or more of their opening 45 ATP matches of a season, along with Roger Federer (2005-06), Novak Djokovic (2011, 2015-16) and Rafael Nadal (2013, 2018).

He is also the fifth male aged under 23 in the past four decades to reach three consecutive quarter-finals at Wimbledon, along with Boris Becker (1988-90), Pete Sampras (1992-94), Andy Roddick (2003-05) and Nadal (2006-08).

The world number one is yet to lose any of his three round-of-16 clashes in SW19, reaching the last eight in 2022, the semi-finals a year later and recording this triumph on Sunday.

To win on grass, you have to be kind to the court, so quipped Jannik Sinner after his win over Miomir Kecmanovic at Wimbledon. 

Sinner breezed past Kecmanovic on Friday to claim his place in round four with a comfortable 6-1 6-4 6-2 victory.

The world number one continued his record of having never lost to Kecmanovic in what was the duo's fourth meeting.

After going four sets in rounds one and two against Yannick Hanfmann and Matteo Berrettini respectively, Sinner wrapped up this encounter in just one hour and 36 minutes.

The Australian Open champion reached the semi-finals at Wimbledon last year, and explained what he has learned from playing on the surface over the years. 

"To make friendship with the grass! Be very kind to the grass and something positive will happen," Sinner said with a smile.

"In the beginning, I was struggling a lot but every year I feel like I am improving so let's see what I can do this year but being happy on the court is the most important."

Sinner will now face the winner of Denis Shapovalov and Ben Shelton, with that tie among several that was interrupted by rain earlier in the day.

Data Debrief: Sinner's stroll in the park

Sinner's triumph on Centre Court was his 41st at ATP level this year, taking him beyond Casper Ruud (40) for the most outright wins of any player in 2024.

The Italian's dominance was demonstrated by the statistics, with Sinner winning 36 of his 42 first-serve points, striking 11 aces, 35 winners and converting five break points while offering up just one in return, which he saved.

Jannik Sinner battled his way into the Wimbledon third round after overcoming Matteo Berrettini in an all-Italian classic on Wednesday.

Centre Court was treated to a hard-fought spectacle between the pair as the world number one triumphed 7-6 (7-3) 7-6 (7-4) 2-6 7-6 (7-4).

The victory marked somewhat of a changing of the guard between the Italian duo, with Sinner rising to the top after a fine year that has also brought Australian Open glory.

Berrettini is no stranger to the SW19 stage, reaching the final of the grass-court major in 2021 and taking the first set before falling to Novak Djokovic, and proved a tough opponent for Sinner in an enthralling clash.

The 14-time ATP Tour champion struggled to assert his dominance early on, failing to snatch a set point in the first before eventually triumphing in a tie-breaker with a thumping backhand.

Sinner repeated the same dose in the second set, trading breaks to leave the clash level at 4-4 before the top seed's forehand exposed Berrettini in another tie-break decider.

Berrettini responded by breaking twice to take a 4-1 lead in the third, though, striking back to halve the arrears and offering his countryman a stark reminder of his quality on this surface.

The pair once again exchanged a break apiece in the fourth set before Sinner squandered a glorious match-point chance when 6-5 ahead.

Yet, as was the case in the first two sets, Berrettini skewed a forehand into the net as Sinner sealed victory on his third match point with another tie-break success, just before the curfew at Wimbledon.

Data Debrief: Super Sinner downs another Italian

Sinner, who reached the semi-finals at this tournament last year, is now 14-0 against fellow Italians.

The 22-year-old is just the third player in the Open Era to win his first 14 ATP matches against compatriots, after Australia's Bob Hewitt and Argentina's Guillermo Vilas.

Sinner hit 32 winners and committed 25 unforced errors en route to his 40th tour-level win of the season, teeing up a third-round meeting with Miomir Kecmanovic, who overcame Tallon Griekspoor.

Jannik Sinner made a winning start to his quest for Wimbledon glory, seeing off Yannick Hanfmann 6-3 6-4 4-6 6-3 on No.1 Court.

The new world number one is the first Italian to be the top seed in the men's singles event at SW19, and is fresh from landing his maiden ATP title on grass in Halle last time out.

Two break points were enough to put Sinner two sets to the good against Hanfmann, who was seeking his first victory in three main-draw appearances at Wimbledon.

The German responded in the third set to halve the deficit, but his opponent was not to be denied as he sealed the win in just under three hours.

Up next for Sinner is a mouth-watering all-Italian second-round clash against former Wimbledon runner-up Matteo Berrettini, who won 7-6 (7-3) 6-2 3-6 6-1 against Marton Fucsovics to progress.

Earlier in the day on the same court as Sinner, fifth seed Daniil Medvedev moved safely into the second round.

Despite some difficult preparation for the tournament, Medvedev defeated Aleksandar Kovacevic 6-3 6-4 6-2 in just one hour and 47 minutes, firing down 16 aces and not being broken throughout the contest.

Data Debrief: Sinner picks up the baton

Sinner hit 16 aces and 47 winners to 30 unforced errors, while converting four out of five break points as he saw off world number 110 Hanfmann.

In his first major outing since officially becoming world number one, he extended the Wimbledon winning streak of players atop of the ATP rankings to 22 matches.

The last such defeat came exactly 2,178 days ago, when Rafael Nadal was beaten by Novak Djokovic in the 2018 semi-finals.

Earlier on, Medvedev overcame Kovacevic to claim his 230th ATP match win since the start of the 2020 season - the most of any player during this decade, and six clear of nearest challenger Andrey Rublev (224).

Carlos Alcaraz will be the Centre Court star at Wimbledon when the Spaniard opens his title defence on Monday.

Alcaraz will be hoping to add to this year's French Open glory when he opens his All England Club campaign against world number 269 Mark Lajal.

The 21-year-old will play in the Centre Court opener as the grass-court major starts, with Alcaraz aiming to become the youngest player in the Open Era to win at Roland Garros and Wimbledon in a calendar year.

World number one Jannik Sinner meets Yannick Hanfmann in his first-round clash on the same day.

Sinner won his maiden grand slam title at the Australian Open in January, and heads to SW19 having won a further three Tour-level titles this year.

Daniil Medvedev reached the semi-final last year for his personal-best performance at Wimbledon before losing to Alcaraz, and the fifth seed faces American Aleksandar Kovacevic in his opener.

As for the women's draw, Emma Raducanu will follow Alcaraz onto Centre Court as one of the home favourites at Wimbledon.

Raducanu reached the last four at the Nottingham Open before claiming her first top-10 victory against Jessica Pegula at Eastbourne, with Ekaterina Alexandrova awaiting in the first round for the Briton.

Aryna Sabalenka has won the opening round in her last 15 grand slam appearances and the third seed will be seeking to extend that impressive record when she clashes with world number 107 Emina Bektas.

Coco Gauff will be another to keep an eye on when she wraps up Monday's Centre Court action with an all-American showdown against Caroline Dolehide.

Reigning US Open champion Gauff will be the youngest player to feature in the women's singles at Wimbledon seeded in the top two since Maria Sharapova in 2007.

Jannik Sinner is set to start Wimbledon with a slight advantage over defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in the race to be crowned 2024 winner.

That is the view of former Wimbledon runner-up Mark Philippoussis, who says the two young stars deserve to be seen as clear frontrunners, particularly with doubts over Novak Djokovic's fitness. 

Sinner is the world number one and earned his first grand slam title at the Australian Open this year, while Alcaraz comes into the tournament on a high after claiming his third major at the French Open.

Alcaraz's grand slam titles have come on three different surfaces, but Philippoussis – who lost the 2003 final at Wimbledon to Roger Federer – feels Sinner, who will start his campaign against Yannick Hanfmann, still deserves to start as the marginal favourite.

With the Italian being top seed, following on from Alcaraz having that status last year, this is the first time players aged under 23 have held the top seed in consecutive editions of the men’s singles at Wimbledon since Lleyton Hewitt (2003) and Federer (2004). 

"In my eyes, Sinner is the favourite," Philippoussis said to Stats Perform at the Giorgio Armani Tennis Classic at the Hurlingham Club.

"I'm not going to say he is a clear favourite, but he definitely is the favourite. And then I'd say Alcaraz. 

"For me, there's a question mark around Djokovic. I'm very surprised to see him here. Apparently he's supposed to be playing a match [on Friday], which is a great idea for him. I think he is definitely going to get a gauge of where he is physically. 

"But Sinner and then Alcaraz, like I said, they are the favourites."

With eight-time Wimbledon champion Federer retired and Djokovic now 37 as the likes of Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray near the end of their careers, Philippoussis is relieved to see tennis in safe hands with Sinner and Alcaraz, whose rivalry looks likely to dominate the sport for the rest of the decade.

The Australian added: "You have got Alcaraz and Sinner and we are lucky to have them. 

"They are incredible for the game, not just because they are the champions they are at such a young age and what they bring to the table as far as their professionalism, but it is also the ambassadors they are for the sport. 

"I see the way they are around kids, around fans – they are incredible. They give their time. They make sure they wait around after practice no matter how tired they are. They literally sign as many as they can, if not everyone. 

"They are incredible ambassadors for the game. We were worried, especially with Federer and Nadal, Federer gone, Nadal almost there. Who's going to be taking over? 

"But I think we are in very, very good hands and they are amazing to have for the game and I'm excited. 

"Dominating is a tough thing, there are going to be other guys stepping up as well, but they are the ones who will be spearheading the game in years to come."

Alcaraz, who was drawn against Mark Lajal in round one, could become the youngest player in the Open Era to win at Roland Garros and Wimbledon in a calendar year, but there is always the prospect of a surprise at Wimbledon.

Asked for some of the threats to upset the leading players and go all the way at Wimbledon, Philippoussis named Grigor Dimitrov and Matteo Berrettini.

Dimitrov reached the last eight at the French Open this month – his first major quarter-final since 2021 – while Berrettini recently made the Stuttgart Open final, three years on from reaching the Wimbledon final, which he lost in four sets to Djokovic.

"Dark horses for me, I'm going to say Dimitrov," added Philippoussis, with the Bulgarian 10th seed set to take on Dusan Lajovic in the first round.

"He has been impressing me. He is hitting the ball as well as I have seen for a very long time. 

"His hands and his slice backhand, the way he chips the ball back and moves on the grass and his volleys, he is definitely someone that I wouldn't want to see in my part of the draw. 

"And I'm going to also say Berrettini. He lost just over a week ago in the last grass court tournament before Halle in the finals.

"He is healthy now and he has got a huge game. He lost in the finals at Wimbledon years ago and he is a dark horse as well."

Among players with 10 or more matches on grass since 2020, Berrettini (84.8%) is one of only three to hold a match win percentage above 80, with the other two being last year's finalists Djokovic (95.2%) and Alcaraz (85%).

Top seed Jannik Sinner will begin his Wimbledon campaign against Yannick Hanfmann, while defending champion Carlos Alcaraz will face Mark Lajal in the first round.

Seven-time winner Novak Djokovic, meanwhile, has been drawn to face qualifier Vit Kopriva in the first round, having appeared to confirm his participation at the year's third grand slam after recovering from knee surgery.

Djokovic initially said he would only play in SW19 if he felt he had a realistic chance of winning the title after withdrawing from the French Open, but on Thursday he gave reporters a thumbs up when asked if he would participate.

The Serbian is the second seed in the men's draw, putting him on the opposite side of the bracket to both Sinner and Alcaraz – who beat him in last year's final.

Two-time champion Andy Murray, meanwhile, will face Czech Tomas Machac first if he is fit to play after undergoing surgery on a back cyst last weekend.

The 37-year-old, who is expected to retire at the end of 2024, has said he will wait until the last minute before making a decision on his participation. 

The Scot could make his 16th appearance in the men's singles draw at SW19, surpassing Jeremy Bates for the outright most by any British player in the Open Era.

Murray is on the same side of the bracket as Djokovic, with fourth seed Alexander Zverev also a potential opponent for the Serbian down the line. The French Open runner-up faces Roberto Carballes Baena in his first match.

In the women's draw, world number one Iga Swiatek will begin her hunt for a first Wimbledon crown against American Sofia Kenin, with 2018 champion Angelique Kerber a potential third-round opponent for the Pole after she received a wild card.

Kerber is one of four former grand slam champions to receive a wild card into the women's draw, alongside Emma Raducanu, Naomi Osaka and Caroline Wozniacki.

Raducanu will start her campaign against 22nd seed Ekaterina Alexandrova after missing last year's tournament through injury. Osaka will begin against France's Diane Parry while Wozniacki faces Alycia Parks.

Coco Gauff, seeded second, will take on Caroline Dolehide in an all-American first-round matchup, while world number three Aryna Sabalenka faces another American in Emina Bektas.

Jannik Sinner claimed his maiden grass court title in straight sets as he overcame Hurbert Hurkacz at the Halle Open. 

The world number one was made to work for the win, with both sets going to a tie-break, but the Italian emerged a 7-6 (10-8), 7-6 (7-2) victor in Germany. 

Both would settle quickly into the contest, with neither faltering in their serving as they sought to claim an early advantage. 

However, consecutive games for Sinner without a reply from his opponent would be the momentum he needed to win the first set, finally breaking the Pole's resistance. 

Hurkacz would almost suffer an early wobble in the second game as he saved break point in the second game, eventually taking the game to yet another tie-break to try and take the game to a deciding set. 

Sinner, however, had other ideas. The Italian stormed into an early lead, and it proved too big of a mountain to climb for Hurkacz, as Sinner became the eighth player to win his first event after becoming number one. 

Data Debrief: Sinner completes perfect prep for Wimbledon

Sinner would claim his third success over Hurkacz in Germany, making it consecutive wins over the Pole following his triumph in Monte Carlo back in April. 

In another exceptional display by Sinner, he would win 44 of his 47 first serve points, a success rate of 94%. 

Jannik Sinner will face Hubert Hurkacz in his first ATP Tour-level grass final after overcoming Zhang Zhizhen 6-4 7-6 (7-3) in the last four at the Halle Open.

The world number one entered Saturday's clash with Zhang, ranked 42nd in the world, on a 35-match winning streak against players outside the ATP's top 20.

There was to be no upset in North Rhine-Westphalia, though Zhang pushed him close in a match that featured just one break – Sinner doing the honours in the ninth game of the opening set.

Zhang failed to convert the lone break point generated in the second set as both players served confidently, the Chinese number one winning 79% of first-serve points to Sinner's 75%.

However, the Italian's quality shone through in the tie-break, the Australian Open champion converting his third match point to advance. 

Hurkacz will be his final opponent after he pulled off an upset of Zverev earlier on Saturday, the fifth-seeded Pole producing a big-serving display in a 7-6 (7-2) 6-2 win.

Sinner and Hurkacz played doubles together earlier this week, saving two match points in a thrilling win over Nathaniel Lammons and Jackson Withrow before going out to French duo Sadio Doumbia and Fabien Reboul the following day.

Data Debrief: Sinner matches Federer and Medvedev

Sinner will have a chance to capture his first title on grass on Sunday, which would represent the best possible preparation for a tilt at Wimbledon.

He is just the third player to reach the Halle Open final while top of the world rankings, after Roger Federer (in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008 and 2018) and Daniil Medvedev (2022).

Jannik Sinner survived a scare to reach the quarter-finals of the Halle Open after beating Fabian Marozsan on Thursday.

After having to go all the way in the opening round, Sinner was once again forced into a decider but eventually came out on top 6-4 6-7 (4-7) 6-3.

It looked like it might be an easier match for Sinner after he took the first set, but Marozsan rallied in the second. The world number one was able to force a tie-break, but he could not get the better of the Hungarian's aggressive play.

Sinner did get a decisive break in the decider though, lunging to the net to get a vital point as he rushed into a 4-0 lead before holding out to reach the next round.

Data Debrief: Sinner stays in the hunt

Sinner is still chasing his first grass-court title, and looks like he will be pushed all the way to get one in Germany.

He has improved his record for the season to 35-3 after beating Marozsan in their first ATP meeting.

Jannik Sinner came from a set down to ensure his debut as world number one did not end in an upset against Tallon Griekspoor at the Halle Open.

The Italian had to rally after a tough start in his first grass-court match of the season but prevailed 6-7 (8-10) 6-3 6-2.

Despite forcing a tie-break in the first set, Sinner threw away a 4-0 lead during it, unable to hold off Griekspoor's late charge.

Sinner soon found his footing in the second and got a vital break to swing momentum in his favour, holding onto it into the third to take the win in two hours, 22 minutes.

He will face Fabian Marozsan in the next round.

Data Debrief: Sinner comes good on debut

The ATP World No. 1 has won 93.1% of the grass court matches played in the last six years: Novak Djokovic 14-0, Carlos Alcaraz 7-0, Daniil Medvedev 5-2 and Sinner 1-0.

Before getting the vital break, Sinner went on a run of five consecutive points to dig himself out of a whole at 0-40 down on his own serve during the fifth game of the second set, sending him on his way to the win.

Step aside Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz, tennis has a new world number one on the block in Jannik Sinner.

The 22-year-old, born in San Candido, ended a 51-year wait for Italy to boast the ATP's best player in the world rankings after moving to top spot this month.

Sinner overtook Djokovic at the summit of the men's game after his French Open performance, reaching the Roland-Garros final before falling in a five-set thriller to the battling Alcaraz.

Having already secured his first major at the Australian Open earlier this year, Sinner's remarkable rise continued in Paris – but how has the Italian managed to do so?

Here, we unpack the best of the Opta data to delve into Sinner's surge to world number one.

Major champion in Australia

Sinner was crowned a grand slam champion for the first time in his career back in January, defeating Daniil Medvedev in the final after overcoming a two-set deficit in Melbourne.

Sweeping aside Djokovic in the last four and Andrey Rublev in the quarter-finals, his route to glory was far from straightforward, too.

Aged 22 years and 165 days at the time of his Melbourne Park triumph, Sinner became the youngest-ever player to achieve successive ATP top-five wins in the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final of a major, surpassing Michael Stich – 22 years and 262 days at Wimbledon in 1991.

That Medvedev victory, at the time, also marked Sinner's fourth top-five scalp of 2024.

Since 1973, Sinner is the only fourth player aged under 23 to claim four such wins in the opening three months of a season, after Bjorn Borg (1978-79), Miloslav Mecir (1987) and Andy Murray (2007 and 2009).

Special 2023 sets tone for this year's success

Sinner enjoyed a remarkable campaign last year, winning his first Masters 1000 title at the Canadian Open and finishing the season by reaching the showpiece of the ATP Finals.

He finished with a win-loss record of 64-15 in 2023, breaking the Open Era record previously held by Corrado Barazzutti (55, 1978) for most ATP match wins by an Italian in a calendar year.

En route to the Indian Wells semi-final defeat to Alcaraz, Sinner also claimed a 19th consecutive ATP match win after overcoming Jiri Lehecka, breaking Adriano Panatta's record for the longest winning streak at ATP level of any Italian in the Open Era.

It is hard to argue with his position at the top, too.

Sinner became only the fifth player before turning 23 to defeat the men's world number three times in a calendar year, having overcome Alcaraz and Djokovic (twice) in a remarkable 2023 season.

The Italian also helped his country lift the Davis Cup, though major individual honours were always around the corner for the excellent right-hander.

The best in the world

Australian Open successes and a fine 2023 campaign brought Sinner to his crowning moment in June as he became the first Italian to reach world number one since the ATP rankings started in 1973.

Sinner is one of four players in the past two decades to hold the ATP's number-one ranking before the age of 23, along with Roger Federer, Nadal and Alcaraz.

Since 2000, Sinner is also just the third male player taller than 188 centimetres to reach the summit of tennis before turning 23, along with Andy Roddick and Marat Safin.