Jannik Sinner is a supremely talented tennis player with all the qualities to shatter record after record throughout his career.
In fact, in a similar fashion to the Big Three, were it not for his rival Carlos Alcaraz, his dominance of the ATP Tour might actually have become boring already.
At just 24 years old, he already has four Grand Slam titles, and having beaten the Spaniard at Wimbledon just last month, he seems poised to claim many more in the coming years.
Their shared superiority over the rest of the field is perfectly emphasised by the fact that each of the last seven major titles has gone to one of them, with the last two finals contested by them.
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The same is expected in New York, as the US Open is set to get underway this weekend, with Sinner’s coach providing a fitness update after he retired midway through the Cincinnati Open final with illness.
And, should Jannik Sinner come out victorious once again, he would join an exclusive four-man list filled to the brim with legendary names.
Jannik Sinner could join legendary four-man list with US Open title this year
The four players in question whom Sinner is seeking to emulate are John McEnroe, Pat Rafter, Stefan Edberg and Roger Federer, all of whom enjoyed supremely successful careers in their own right.
However, what ties this quartet is their ability to defend the US Open title the year after they won their first.
Sinner enjoyed his maiden triumph in New York last year, and should he defend his title, would mimic the feats completed by these four men.
McEnroe won his first US Open in 1979, only to win it again in 1980. Edberg’s first came in 1991 and was successfully defended in 1992. Rafter’s maiden title came in 1997, and his second the following year. And the first of Federer’s five came in 2004.
The latter of the bunch was cut from a different cloth though, as he would actually win the US Open five times in five consecutive years. Unparalleled dominance that Sinner could only dream of.
Jannik Sinner on track to surpass Pete Sampras, Jimmy Connors and Roger Federer’s US Open record
Federer is also part of a different three-man list that all claimed five titles before their respective retirements.
He, Pete Sampras and Jimmy Connors all accomplished this feat, and are known as the greatest male champions in the US Open’s Open Era history.
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However, if Sinner were to win the title this year and join that exclusive aforementioned four-man list, he would at the very least be well on track to emulate their five titles.
In fact, with two titles at the age of 24, he would actually have matched Federer’s tally at his age, and claimed one more than both Connors and Sampras.
It would be unwise to bet against the Italian superstar completing this monumental feat before his career is over.