Scouting Report
Scouting Report: Sinner chases Career Golden Masters in Rome, Djokovic returns
An executive summary of what every fan should know about the ATP Masters 1000 event
May 04, 2026
Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour & Getty Images
Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev are all in the draw for the 2026 Internazionali BNL d’Italia.
By ATP Staff
The third and final clay ATP Masters 1000 action of the season takes place in Rome, where the ATP Tour’s finest will do battle at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia.
Jannik Sinner has the chance to make history on home soil at the Foro Italico, where main-draw play runs from 6 to 17 May: If the No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings can lift the Rome title for the first time, he will complete the Career Golden Masters (winning all nine Masters 1000 events). However, the only man to have achieved that feat so far, Novak Djokovic, is among those in the field aiming to deny Sinner a sixth consecutive Masters 1000 title.
ATPTour.com looks at 10 things to watch during the 2026 Internazionali BNL d’Italia.
1) Can Sinner complete the set?: Sinner on Sunday became the first player to win five consecutive Masters 1000 titles by easing past Alexander Zverev to triumph at the Mutua Madrid Open. The 24-year-old Sinner has now won eight different Masters 1000 tournaments, with only Rome (where he reached the final in 2025) missing from his resume. If Sinner can go one step further at the Foro Italico this year, he will join Djokovic as the only player to complete the Career Golden Masters (Djokovic has won all nine events at least twice).
2) Djokovic returns: The 38-year-old Djokovic has not competed since Indian Wells in early March due to injury, but he will now return to action at an event where he is a six-time champion. Djokovic, who reached the final at January’s Australian Open and is 7-2 for the season, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, opens against Marton Fucsovics or a qualifier. He is in the same half of the draw as second seed Alexander Zverev.
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3) Zverev eyes fast response: Zverev has been a consistent performer throughout 2026 so far, but the German was disappointed after playing what he described as an ‘awful tennis match’ in Sunday’s Madrid final. Zverev certainly has plenty of fond memories to feed off in Rome, where he won the first of his seven Masters 1000 crowns in 2017 and also triumphed in 2024.
4) Former titlist Medvedev: The third and final former champion (after Zverev and Djokovic) in the Rome draw this year is Daniil Medvedev. The man who once proclaimed himself a ‘hard-court specialist’ sprung a surprise to lift the trophy at the Foro Italico in 2023, and he arrives having already won ATP Tour crowns in Brisbane and Dubai in 2026.
5) Italians seek to end title wait: Sinner will spearhead the charge for a first Italian men’s singles champion in Rome since Adriano Panatta in 1976, but there are plenty of other local hopes also hoping to forge success on home soil. Among them are Lorenzo Musetti, Flavio Cobolli and Luciano Darderi, who join Sinner as seeded players in the draw
6) In-form Fils: The 15th-seeded Arthur Fils is 9-1 on clay so far this year. Despite his defeat to Sinner in the Madrid semi-finals, the 21-year-old Frenchman heads to Rome as one of the form players on Tour. The Barcelona titlist, who is fourth in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, could face a Lexus ATP Head2Head rematch with Sinner in the fourth round.
7) Demon vs. Jodar, Part II?: Alex de Minaur will seek an immediate response to his Madrid opening-round defeat to Rafael Jodar, and the Australian may have the chance to earn swift revenge against the #NextGenATP star again in Rome, where the pair is seeded to meet in the third round: Before then, De Minaur must overcome Matteo Arnaldi or Jaume Munar, while Jodar faces Nuno Borges or a qualifier.
8) Shelton seeks to emulate American greats: No American man has lifted the trophy on the Rome clay since Andre Agassi in 2002. Ben Shelton will be at the forefront of trying to set that record straight this year, when he competes as the fifth seed. Shelton, who won the biggest clay title of his career in Munich last month, is bidding to join ATP No. 1 Club members Agassi, Pete Sampras and Jim Courier as the only American Rome champions in the ATP Tour era (since 1990).
9) Fonseca chases first Rome win: Jodar’s fellow 19-year-old Joao Fonseca will also compete as a seed in the Italian capital. The World No. 29 is chasing his first match win at the second attempt at the Foro Italico and he could take on another former Next Gen ATP Finals champion, Hamad Medjedovic, in his opening match (the Serbian meets Valentin Royer first).
10) Arevalo/Pavic Defend Crown: Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic have made a solid start to 2026 but the pair arrives in Rome yet to lift a trophy this season. The 2025 champions’ rivals in the draw include the in-form Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten, who triumphed in Madrid and are in first place in the PIF ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings.