Jannik Sinner has insisted that breaking records and becoming the first player to achieve feats are not important to him; he is more focused on improving his level.
Sinner's breakthrough 2024 season got even better after winning his maiden ATP Finals title. He comfortably overcame Taylor Fritz in a repeat of the US Open final, which the Italian also won.
The 23-year-old became the first player since Ivan Lendl in 1986 to win the ATP Finals without dropping a set. Every opponent at the season-ending tournament is of exceptional quality, making winning ten consecutive sets as Sinner did so challenging.
Incredibly, Sinner never came particularly close to losing a set in Turin. He dominated all his matches, demonstrating why he is undoubtedly the best hardcourt player on the planet.
Sinner's triumph at the ATP Finals was his eighth title of the season, which also included the Australian Open and US Open titles. Those achievements made him the fastest player to guarantee the year-end No. 1 ranking since Novak Djokovic in 2015.
The Italian has also managed some notable financial achievements in 2024. Securing the title at the ATP Finals moved him into the Top 10 in the ATP prize money list, one place behind Carlos Alcaraz.
Sinner also earned the largest paycheck in tennis history at the Six Kings Slam exhibition in Saudi Arabia last month, $6 million. He received that extraordinary amount despite only needing to win three matches.
However, Sinner said afterward that he does not play for money and only decided to compete at the Six Kings Slam to test his level against the quality of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev, and Holger Rune.
The world No. 1 has expressed a similar view about breaking records. Sinner told journalists after winning the ATP Finals that he was not focused on statistics and preferred to keep working hard on his game.
"I actually believe there is still gap of improvement. I mean, today I served very, very good at times, which was not the case throughout the whole tournament. There are still certain shots and points what I can make sometimes better, but are small details."
"The higher you play level-wise, the more details make the difference. I'm not looking about being the first whatever. It's just stats what's not written. Me, always try to improve as a player and trying to understand what I can do better."
Sinner's claim that he is not concerned with records or money may raise some eyebrows. No rational fan would deny that he loves tennis, but breaking records and earning a lot of money matter to most players.
Alcaraz did not hide the role of money in convincing him to play at the Six Kings Slam. That does not indicate that the Spaniard is not passionate about tennis; it was simply an honest answer to a question.
Regardless, Sinner's achievements in 2024 are outstanding, and he will hope to finish with a flourish at the Davis Cup Finals with Team Italy.