ATP Tour

How Sinner's 2023 Toronto triumph sparked rise to No. 1

Jannik Sinner entered the 2023 National Bank Open presented by Rogers as the World No. 8, without an ATP Masters 1000 title to his name. The Italian returns to Toronto this season as the runaway No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings with four Masters 1000 crowns and four Grand Slam singles titles.

Sinner dropped just one set in his 2023 run in Canada, beating Matteo Berrettini, Gael Monfils, Tommy Paul and Alex de Minaur over the course of five days that set the stage for his breakout as the game's preeminent hard-court player. His Toronto run helped him join the ATP Tour's No. 1 Club on 10 June 2024, and the Italian has not let go of the top spot since.

A seven-time tour-level champion entering Toronto in 2023, Sinner had won just two titles in the prior 21 months (Umag 2022, Montpellier 2023). Still seeking his first Big Title — a category that encompasses ATP Masters 1000s, Grand Slams, the Nitto ATP Finals and the Olympics — Sinner had previously finished runner-up in the Miami Masters 1000 in 2021 and 2023.

Upon clinching a 6-4, 6-1 victory over De Minaur in the Toronto final, Sinner hunched over on his racquet for a few moments before flashing a smile and closing his eyes in relief — a reaction that underscored the significance of his breakthrough.

"It means a lot. It is a great result," Sinner said at the time. "One I can share with all the people who are close to me every day. It is a nice moment to share with them and we are doing the right things. This result makes us feel good, stronger and hungry to work even harder in the future."

Few could have predicted just how successful that future would be, perhaps even Sinner himself. Later that season, he won titles in Beijing and Vienna before reaching the Nitto ATP Finals title match, beating Novak Djokovic in the group stage in Turin but losing to the Serbian in the final. He closed the 2023 season with three wins to help Italy claim the Davis Cup trophy.

"I think, especially the second half of the year, mentally I was much, much stronger," Sinner said after being named Most Improved Player of the Year in the 2023 ATP Awards. "I was not complaining so much on court when things were going in the wrong way. I think these kind of things, they make difference sometimes"

Jannik Sinner during the 2023 Toronto final. Photo by Mike Lawrence/ATP Tour.

That paved the way for a career-best eight-trophy season in 2024, which began with his maiden Grand Slam title at the Australian Open. He opened the season on a 16-match winning streak and won 25 of his first 26 matches.

While Sinner could not defend his title at the Canada ATP Masters 1000, losing to eventual finalist Andrey Rublev in the Montreal quarter-finals, the Italian's dominance hit new heights immediately after as he lost just one match the rest of the year. Titles in Cincinnati and the US Open were followed by a runner-up finish in Beijing, then more trophies in Shanghai and at the Nitto ATP Finals before another Davis Cup triumph with Italy. His winning run continued in 2025 at the Australian Open, before his first Big Title outside of his favoured hard courts at Wimbledon.

He will play his first match since that London triumph at the 2025 National Bank Open presented by Rogers, returning to Toronto for the first time since his milestone moment in 2023. A first ATP Masters 1000 title is a massive benchmark in any player's career. For Sinner, it has proven to be a platform for greatness.