Tennis News: Jannik Sinner's new accomplishment, Madison Keys forced out

There are a number of Jannik Sinner facts from the last 13 months that are incredible. He was always a good player but was finding his way a bit until late in 2023. At the beginning of 2024, he won his first Grand Slam at the Australian Open. That set off a run of excellence that is still continuing.

Of course, there could be a problem for Sinner and tennis in the spring. That is when the World Anti-Doping Agency's appeal of Sinner being found innocent of any wrongdoing stemming from two failed drug tests at Indian Wells in March 2024 is heard. He was originally found innocent by the International Tennis Integrity Agency. WADA did not think the ruling was good enough, clearly.

Still, let's stay with the positive. Perhaps the most impressive of Sinner's accomplishments since the beginning of 2024 is that he has won his last 10 matches against top-10 ranked players in straight sets. The last player to do that in the ATP rankings era was...well, no one. He is the first player to ever do that.

Jannik Sinner does something no one else has done, and Madison Keys faces a weird WTA rule

It is one thing to be dominant against less-talented players, but to relatively easily defeat players of the same ilk just proves further how excellent Sinner has been over the last 13 months. There is also no indication that he is due for a decline any time soon. Unless he is suspended, of course.

The other player to win the 2025 Australian Open in singles is Madison Keys, of course. She won her first major in Melbourne and has moved up to No. 7 on the WTA tour. She has always had the ability to win at a high level, but it took her more than a decade of professional tennis to win a Grand Slam. She might win a couple of more before she is done.

Oddly, her success has caused her to have to miss one of her next scheduled tournaments, the ATX Open. That event takes place from February 22 through March 2, but Keys is not allowed to play due to a WTA rule that only allows one top-10 ranked player in a 250 tournament (unless the returning champion is also ranked in the top 10.

Jessica Pegula is also scheduled for the tournament, and she ranks No. 6. Keys was ranked No. 21 when she scheduled the event.

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