Sinner is closing in on Federer, facing skepticism from American legends: incomparable, as their opponents differ.

On hard courts, is Sinner truly unstoppable? Over the past year and a half, no one has come close to his dominance on this surface. The Italian has claimed the last three hard court Grand Slam titles and enters the North American hard court season as a clear favorite. Furthermore, he is chasing a record associated with the 20-time Grand Slam champion Federer. However, not everyone agrees with this comparison.

Sinner returned to the ATP circuit at the Cincinnati Open last Saturday, quickly reminding everyone why his name is often mentioned alongside great players—this was his first appearance since winning his first Wimbledon title last month, and he dispatched Galan in just 59 minutes with a score of 6-1, 6-1, marking his quickest victory of the season and advancing him to the third round effortlessly.

This week, as a warm-up for the US Open, TNT Sports shared an update highlighting Sinner's astonishing record of 55 wins and 3 losses on hard courts in 2024—this ranks as the third-best in history, with the top two held by Federer. This year, he has won 7 titles in hard court events at the tour level, including 2 Grand Slam titles and the ATP Finals. This impressive performance has led him to achieve a rare milestone.

That year, his record on hard courts was 55 wins and 3 losses, with a winning percentage of 94.83%, ranking third in history, behind Federer's legendary seasons: 50 wins and 1 loss in 2005 (winning percentage 98.03%) and 59 wins and 2 losses in 2006 (winning percentage 96.72%).

Subsequently, a netizen commented: "Federer never used 'steroids'," adding, "Am I wrong? Roger Federer has never been caught using steroids, unlike this guy?" American tennis legend Mardy Fish replied in the comments: "You're right. Look at the opponents Federer faced back then, and then look at Sinner's current rivals. I’ll hang up now; you all think about it."

This remark immediately sparked controversy. Angry fans dug up his past ban in 2022 for violating betting sponsorship rules while coaching the US Davis Cup team; others mocked him as a "jealous" loser of Sinner's professional achievements. Some reactions from netizens included: "Another fool who hasn't even read the report, you're just a jealous and ignorant idiot." "Am I wrong? Sinner has never been caught or fined for promoting gambling, unlike this person?"

However, if we analyze the specific situations, there is indeed a difference in the opponents faced by Federer and Sinner: during Federer's peak on hard courts from 2005 to 2006, his main rivals included Nadal, Roddick, Agassi, Safin, and Nalbandian. In 2005, his only loss on hard courts was in the Australian Open semifinals to Safin; in 2006, he lost to Murray in Cincinnati and to Nadal in the Dubai final.

Sinner's main competitors today are different. His biggest rival is Alcaraz, and Djokovic still poses a threat to him in Grand Slams. Draper, who won Indian Wells, and Zverev are also potential challengers. Of his three hard court losses in 2024, two were to Alcaraz (Indian Wells and the China Open), and one was an unexpected defeat to Rublev at the Canadian Open.

While some believe that different eras cannot be directly compared, the data indeed places Sinner in the territory once occupied by Federer. His next steps this season may see both names inscribed side by side in the record books.

If Sinner can capitalize on three championship points at the French Open, he would have embarked on the "Grand Slam of the Year" as he enters the North American hard court season. Although this opportunity slipped away, another piece of history remains within reach.

The four-time Grand Slam champion has already defended his title at the Australian Open this year and won his first Wimbledon title. If he wins again in New York, he will become the first player in 18 years to win both the Australian Open and the US Open in consecutive years—something last achieved by Federer (2006-2007).

At this moment, there are few players capable of challenging Sinner on hard courts. Since his defeat to Zverev at the 2023 US Open, he has remained unbeaten in Grand Slam matches on hard courts. Do you think anyone can end his winning streak this North American season?(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Spark)