Jannik Sinner is on the verge of etching his name into tennis history at the Italian Open, where he has the chance to become the first player ever to complete the Career Golden Masters. With five of the nine ATP Masters 1000 titles already in his trophy case, the Italian star enters Rome as the overwhelming favorite to seal the set on home soil.

Sinner has been nothing short of dominant this season, riding an incredible winning streak that stretches back to his quarterfinal exit at the Qatar Open. His recent run has been so impressive that former British No. 1 Greg Rusedski felt compelled to defend the young star against critics who question whether his success is "bad for the game."

"Some people are talking about Sinner's dominance, but some people are saying, is this bad for the game?" Rusedski said on his podcast Off Court with Greg. "There's a lot of people on social media or on podcasts talking about it. I think it's quite incredible what he's doing."

The tennis legend went on to highlight Sinner's remarkable consistency: "Five Masters Series in a row for this year, hasn't dropped barely any sets in them, winning them and now coming to Rome to complete the set of nine. Personally, I love to see what he's doing. He's just playing big-time tennis, and it's going to be loud when he steps on court."

Sinner is already a two-time Masters 1000 champion in 2024, having claimed titles in Miami and Monte Carlo earlier this year. Now, he's looking to add a third in Rome, where he reached the final in 2025 after serving a three-month suspension. Showing no signs of rust, he dropped just one set on his way to the championship match—a tight semi-final against Tommy Paul—before falling to Carlos Alcaraz in straight sets.

With Alcaraz absent from this year's draw, Sinner's path to history looks clearer than ever. As he prepares to step onto the clay in front of a roaring home crowd, the tennis world will be watching to see if he can complete his golden collection and silence the doubters once and for all.