ROME — Fifty years is a long time to wait. When Jannik Sinner defeated Casper Ruud 6-4, 6-4 on the clay of the Foro Italico on 17 May 2026, he became the first Italian man to win the Internazionali d’Italia since Adriano Panatta in 1976. He also completed a feat only one other player in history has managed.

The victory made Sinner only the second man after Novak Djokovic to win all nine ATP Masters 1000 events, what is known as the Career Golden Masters, at the age of 24, seven years younger than Djokovic when he achieved the goal himself. He has now won six consecutive Masters 1000 titles, with 34 match wins in a row at that level.

The occasion carried additional weight. President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella attended the final. Panatta himself sat in the front row, and participated in the trophy ceremony alongside Angelo Binaghi, president of the Italian Tennis and Padel Federation.

“I think this year was the 50th year since an Italian won and I am really, really happy,” Sinner said in his on-court interview. Addressing Panatta directly, he said: “Adriano, after 50 years we’ve won back a very important trophy.”

What comes next

The Rome title leaves Sinner with one significant gap in his collection. Roland Garros is the only Grand Slam he has not won, having already claimed two Australian Open titles, Wimbledon, and the US Open. The French Open draw takes place on 21 May, with his first match scheduled from 24 May.

The 2026 Italian Internazionali BNL tournament drew 418,815 paying spectators, with a total economic impact on Rome of around one billion euro. Bolelli and Vavassori’s doubles title earlier in the day marked Italy’s first home doubles triumph at the Foro Italico since Nicola Pietrangeli and Orlando Sirola in 1960. This Sunday, the winning trophies were carried only by Italian nationals.

Ruud was generous in defeat. “What you are doing this year is hard to describe with words,” he said during the trophy presentation. Few in the stands would have disagreed.