Jannik Sinner’s trip to Vienna: Tracking the Italian’s evolution in the ATP 500 | ATP Tour

vienna

Sinner’s trip to Vienna: Tracking the Italian’s evolution at the ATP 500

Italy joins the top 100 after Vienna in 2019 and moves into the top 10 after missing out in 2021

October 19, 2025

Few events capture the evolution of Jannik Sinner like the First Bank Vienna Open.

The Italian visited Vienna for the first time in 2019 as an 18-year-old wild card when he made his ATP 500 main draw debut. Six years later, Sinner made his sixth appearance in Vienna and lifted the trophy in 2023 as a former champion.

Back in 2019, Sinner’s trip to Vienna marked a major milestone in his teenage breakthrough. In addition to the hot moment of casually chewing carrots during the changeover, Sinner also secured his spot in the top 100 of the PIF ATP Rankings by defeating respected veteran Philipp Kohlschreiber in the first round – his seventh tour-level victory.

Sinner arrived in Austria after competing in the ATP 250 semi-finals in Antwerp and later in Vienna where he won the 2019 Next Generation ATP Finals presented by PIF and an ATP Challenger Tour event in Ortisei, Italy.

Returning to Vienna in 2020, Sinner’s stay was short-lived as a leg injury forced him to withdraw in the second round. But he came back strong in 2021, advancing to the semifinals. That run put him in the top ten, just two years removed from a top-10 finish in the same event.

Sinner’s fifth appearance in Vienna proved to be his best. Sinner won the trophy in the draw, beating out four players who had been in the top 10: Ben Shelton, Frances Tiafoe, Andrei Rublev and Daniil Medvedev. At that time, Rublev and Medvedev were both top five players.

Sinner’s championship-match win over top-seeded Medvedev was a thrilling three hours and six minutes of action. It was Sinner’s second win against Medvedev, who had won their previous six matches. Sinner has since turned things around, winning eight of their last nine meetings and taking an 8-7 lead in the Lexus ATP Head2Head Series.

Watch highlights from Sinner’s 2023 Vienna final against Medvedev:

Weeks after beating Medvedev in Vienna, Sinner repeated the feat in the Nitto ATP Finals semi-finals, earning a spot in the Turin championship. Novak Djokovic eventually defeated Sinner in the final, with the Serbian claiming the title for a record seventh time in the season finale.

Sinner, now a 21-time Tour-level champion with more than 300 career wins and 65 consecutive weeks ranked No. 1 in the world, has come a long way since his debut in Vienna in 2019. Each time he visits the Austrian capital, Sinner has the opportunity to reflect on his journey. As a rapidly rising teenager, he started competing on the ATP Tour and rose to prominence, and has grown into one of the sport’s established superstars.

Sinner is the top seed in Vienna, with other top 10 stars Alexander Zverev, Alex De Minaur and Lorenzo Musetti also in the tournament. According to the Infosys ATP Win-Loss Index, Sinner is 43-6 on the season and is seeking a fourth title this year. He won at the Australian Open, Wimbledon and Beijing.