The Madrid Open has a unique identity that has extended to its championship trophies. Over the past five years, instead of presenting the victors with traditional silver cups, Madrid has awarded avant-garde sculptures designed by renowned Spanish artist David Rodríguez Caballero.
One of the past designs was a tribute to Rafael Nadal, and for the 2026 edition, Caballero has designed a trophy entirely inspired by Spain’s seven-time Grand Slam champ Carlos Alcaraz. Now, that trophy goes to Jannik Sinner as he defeated Alexander Zverev 6-1, 6-2 in less than an hour.
Carlos Alcaraz’s Serve Inspires Jannik Sinner’s Madrid Open Trophy
Sinner’s victory makes him the first player in history to win five straight ATP Masters 1000 titles, breaking the record of Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal, who won four straight 1000 titles. Another incredible feat is that the world No. 1 has now won eight of the nine Masters 1000 tournaments, giving him a chance to complete the Career Golden Masters in the Italian Open, on home soil, which begins next week.
It looked easy for Sinner even from the start, and he has now beaten Zverev nine times in a row, dating back to Cincinnati in 2024. He took a 3-0 lead in very few minutes and won the first set 6-1 in under half an hour.
“I started the match very well, breaking straightaway,” the 24-year-old said in the post-match interview. “He was not playing his best tennis today, so I just tried to go with my front foot and I’m very happy obviously about the level I’m playing. Incredible winning another title like this, that means a lot to me. It’s been another incredible tournament.”
Now, the trophy Sinner is gonna lift is an ode to his biggest rival, Alcaraz.
A striking photograph of Alcaraz serving served as the basis for the trophy named ‘Aphorme’. It was taken by photographer Antonio Calanni during the world No. 2’s clash against Alex de Minaur at the Inalpi Arena in Turin.
🏆 @janniksin | @atptour | #MMOPEN pic.twitter.com/vK28UjvbJZ
— #MMOPEN (@MutuaMadridOpen) May 3, 2026
“This year’s Madrid Open trophy sculpture was inspired by a specific image: a photograph of Carlos Alcaraz serving,” Caballero explained when unveiling the concept. “The inspiration came from a photograph of Carlos Alcaraz serving, in which his torso is perfectly sharp, but his racket appears to be in motion. It created a very interesting sequence, like a shape that transformed into a funnel or a spiral in motion.”
Caballero translated that photographic “spiral in motion” into a three-dimensional sculpture, capturing the kinetic energy of the Alcaraz serve in a static object.
Alcaraz is no stranger to the artist’s work as well. Having won the Madrid title in back-to-back years in 2022 and 2023, the 22-year-old already owns two of Caballero’s unique works. “The last time I gave the trophy to Alcaraz, I told him: ‘You’re an art collector now,'” Caballero recalled with a laugh. “I’m proud that he has two.”
This tradition of designing thematic, story-driven trophies began in 2022 with ‘Areté.’ That inaugural sculpture was inspired by Rafael Nadal and the classical concept of grit. For the artist, watching the 14-time French Open champion battle through injuries provided the perfect foundation for the tournament’s top prize.
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“It was about his resilience and his ability to recover after a serious injury,” Caballero recalled. Alcaraz and Ons Jabeur won the title in 2022. Since the introduction of Areté, every subsequent trophy has found its inspiration either in the physical mechanics of tennis or the core values embodied by its greatest protagonists.
It’s such an irony that Alcaraz did not have the chance to lift the 2026 trophy inspired by his own serve, as he had to skip the Madrid Open due to a right wrist injury; his presence is felt on the podium. Alcaraz had to withdraw after a match at Barcelona and will miss the Roland Garros as well. He’s aiming to be back for Wimbledon. Meanwhile, Sinner will return for the Rome Masters.
