The tennis world loves a good debate, but Jannik Sinner’s 2026 season has left everyone totally speechless. Following his victory at the 2026 Italian Open, Sinner became only the second man in tennis history (joining Novak Djokovic) to win all nine Masters 1000 events, achieving a Career “Golden Masters”. As he enters the French Open with a record of 34 consecutive wins at the ATP Masters 1000 tournament level, Jessica Pegula and Madison Keys talked about how ‘crazy’ the world No. 1’s dominance actually is.
Jannik Sinner’s 34-Match Win Streak Leaves Jessica Pegula ‘Speechless’ Ahead of French Open
The latest episode of The Players Box podcast had a candid conversation between Keys and Pegula, alongside Jennifer Brady and Desirae Krawczyk, about the one-sided state of the ATP Tour.
“It’s just crazy what he’s doing right now,” Pegula admitted, marveling at Sinner’s post-Melbourne dominance. “Everyone was saying, ‘We don’t know what’s going to happen this year,'” Keys noted. After his Australian Open loss this year, Sinner has won all five ATP 1000 tournaments he has played in. The 24-year-old easily translated his hard-court supremacy to the European clay, sweeping the titles in Monte-Carlo and Madrid Open, and captured the Rome Masters in front of a roaring home crowd, breaking historic win-streak records for an Italian player.
The WTA duo also highlighted how Sinner fought through physical distress during a recent semi-final. “He threw up. At the beginning of the second set, he looked like he was really struggling physically,” Pegula said. “To that point, I don’t know if it was anxiety. Maybe he actually did feel some nerves, except he didn’t, coz he won the tournament. It’s wild.”
Now, Sinner’s path to the Roland Garros trophy has been visibly widened by the unfortunate injury situation of his biggest rival, Carlos Alcaraz. As Pegula noted, “And now that Carlos is hurt, he’s going to clean up for a little while. He’s definitely the favorite.”
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Alcaraz’s 2026 clay swing was abruptly derailed in mid-April when a right wrist injury forced him to the sidelines. His medical team has been treating an inflammation, and he has confirmed that he won’t be able to play Wimbledon as well.
Meanwhile, Keys and Pegula are deep into their own preparations for the French Open. Pegula, the 5th seed, reached the quarterfinals in singles and the semifinals in doubles at the Italian Open. Keys, who withdrew from Strasbourg two days ago because of an injury to her left thigh, is doubtful about her French Open participation.
The main draw at Roland Garros begins on May 24.
