Six years spanning four Grand Slams! Sinner has consistently been unable to break the curse of inevitable defeat in long Grand Slam battles.

When mentioning Italian male tennis player Sinner, many recognize him. He has already claimed four Grand Slam championships. Additionally, Sinner is the first post-2000 player to win and then defend the year-end finals title. Yet, perhaps few realize that since 2021, there has been a hurdle at Grand Slam events that Sinner has yet to cross. So, what is this hurdle? Let this article take you through it today.

This hurdle is that whenever a Grand Slam match lasts longer than three hours and fifty minutes, Sinner inevitably loses. In January 2021, after having won tour titles and reached a Grand Slam quarterfinal, he fought a five-set battle in the first round of the Australian Open against Canadian Shapovalov. Shapovalov defeated Sinner in a match lasting three hours and fifty-five minutes. At the time, perhaps even Sinner himself did not realize this was just the beginning of his unavoidable defeats in long Grand Slam matches.

In August 2022, fresh off winning his first career clay-court tour title, Sinner reached the quarterfinals of the US Open, where he faced the strongest post-2000 player, Spanish Alcaraz, who had already won two Masters titles. They battled through five sets, with Sinner unfortunately losing. Notably, the match lasted five hours and fifteen minutes. Despite this, Sinner still made history by reaching the quarterfinals of all four Grand Slams, becoming the first post-2000 player to achieve this feat.

In January 2023, Sinner defeated British Edmund, Argentine Echeverri, and Hungarian Fucsovics at the Australian Open to reach the second week of a Grand Slam. However, in the round of 16 against Greek player Tsitsipas, despite coming back from two sets down to level the match and push it to a deciding set, Sinner eventually lost. This match lasted four hours.

At the end of May that year, after reaching his first career clay Masters quarterfinal, Sinner won convincingly in the first round of the French Open against French player Miller. However, in the second round, he was stopped by German Altmaier. After a five-set battle lasting five hours and twenty-six minutes, he lost to this opponent who had previously reached a Grand Slam round of 16. This was Sinner’s worst performance at the French Open since 2020.

The misfortune continued at the US Open in late August, where Sinner, already a Masters champion, lost in the fourth round to German Zverev. This match also went to a deciding set and lasted four hours and forty-one minutes.

At the end of May 2024, Sinner, already a Grand Slam champion, competed at the French Open and advanced to the semifinals with strong momentum. However, in the semifinal against the strongest post-2000 player, Spanish Alcaraz, Sinner fought through five sets but still lost, failing to advance further. Nevertheless, this was his first career French Open semifinal, and the match lasted four hours and nine minutes.

At the end of June, having won tour titles on hard, clay, and grass courts, Sinner entered Wimbledon as the top seed. By then, he had become the newly crowned world number one. After winning four consecutive matches to reach the quarterfinals, Sinner was defeated by former US Open champion, Russian Medvedev. This match lasted exactly four hours.

At the end of May 2025, after successfully defending his Australian Open title, Sinner stormed through the French Open to reach the final. He won the first two sets in the final and was just one step away from the championship. However, an incredible comeback occurred. The strongest post-2000 player, Alcaraz, rallied to win three consecutive sets, overturning the match. This encounter lasted five hours and twenty-nine minutes, making it the longest French Open final in history.

In last Friday’s Australian Open semifinal, Sinner was reversed by Serbian star Djokovic in a match that also exceeded three hours and fifty minutes. From the 2021 Australian Open until now, he has lost nine matches lasting longer than this time. Dear netizens, do you think Sinner’s “inevitable defeat curse” stems from his physical condition, mentality, or tactics? Will Sinner be able to break this mysterious pattern of losing long Grand Slam matches? Let’s wait and see! That’s the tennis story for today; more to come tomorrow.(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Yixin Jushi)