Jannik Sinner enters the French Open on a 29-match win streak, chasing a career Grand Slam

ROME (AP) — From the California desert to Miami; Monte Carlo to Madrid; and the red clay of Rome, too, nobody has been able to beat Jannik Sinner for three full months.

By sweeping the first five Masters 1000 tournaments of the year, the top-ranked Sinner has dominated tennis like few other players have in the sport’s recent history while amassing a 29-match winning streak.

And yet now the stakes are rising for Sinner as he attempts to complete a career Grand Slam by winning the French Open. The clay-court Grand Slam, which starts on Sunday in Paris, is the only major that Sinner hasn’t won.

A couple of hours after becoming the first Italian man to win the Italian Open in 50 years on Sunday, Sinner’s focus was already pivoting toward Roland Garros.

“We don’t have much time to realize what we’re accomplishing,” Sinner said. “I said it before the start of the year: My main goal is and remains Paris.

“What we’ve done here and the rest of the year is incredible. I realize that. But mentally I know that now I’ve got to do all the right things. It’s necessary to rest, but I also need to stay in form because soon my most important tournament of the year is approaching. I don’t want to put too much pressure on myself, because that comes by itself.”

The pressure on Sinner has heightened with his only real rival, Carlos Alcaraz, currently sidelined due to a right wrist injury that will keep the Spaniard out of the French Open. Alcaraz became the youngest man to complete a career Grand Slam when he won the Australian Open in February at 22.

The 24-year-old Sinner has matched Pete Sampras’ 29-match winning streak from 1994 for the fifth longest run in the ATP Tour era (since 1990). Novak Djokovic holds the record with 43 straight match wins in 2010-11.

With his Rome title, Sinner has already become the second man after Djokovic to win all nine Masters 1000 events — the biggest tournaments outside the Grand Slams — over his career. Djokovic won each event at least twice.

Might Sinner want to consider attempting to win all nine Masters events this year, now that there’s only Canada, Cincinnati, Shanghai and Paris remaining? That's something that not even Djokovic accomplished.

“We need to go tournament by tournament. The most important thing is to feel good physically on the court. If you’re not feeling well physically, you’ll go nowhere,” said Sinner, who had to overcome exhaustion and fatigue during a semifinal victory over Daniil Medvedev in Rome.

“The most important thing for me is my body. Everyone plays tennis well,” Sinner said of his fellow pros.

Still, Sinner suggested that because he won’t be playing any grass-court warmups before defending his Wimbledon title this year, “there’s a chance we play in Canada” in August.

“I don’t think it’s realistic,” Sinner added of winning all nine Masters in the same year. “It’s not possible to continue playing like I am now for the entire season.”

Known for his understated celebrations and always maintaining his composure, Sinner is not one to dwell on his victories and titles.

“Happiness shouldn’t depend on winning a tournament or not,” he said. “I’m fairly even-tempered off the court. It’s small things that make me happy, like spending half a day playing golf or going to race go-Kart.”

Sinner’s humane side was on display when he accompanied kids from a children’s hospital onto the court in Rome.

One child’s overflowing joy made Sinner smile, while another time he had to slow his pace so the kid could keep up.

“Sometimes us tennis players, and it’s not nice to say, we don’t realize how fortunate we are,” Sinner said. “These might be the moments that touch me the most, because you make physical contact with the kids. … Minor gestures that they’ll remember forever and which don’t cost us anything — or rather they provide us with beautiful feelings.”

AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis

Jannik Sinner, of Italy, celebrates winning a point against Casper Ruud, of Norway, during the final match at the Italian Open tennis tournament, in Rome, Sunday, May 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Jannik Sinner, of Italy, returns the ball to Casper Ruud, of Norway, during the final match at the Italian Open tennis tournament, in Rome, Sunday, May 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Jannik Sinner, of Italy, reacts after defeating Casper Ruud, of Norway, 6/4, 6/4 in the final match at the Italian Open tennis tournament, in Rome, Sunday, May 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Jannik Sinner, of Italy, arrives on the court to play Casper Ruud, of Norway, in the final match at the Italian Open tennis tournament, in Rome, Sunday, May 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Jannik Sinner, of Italy, returns the ball to Casper Ruud, of Norway, during the final match at the Italian Open tennis tournament, in Rome, Sunday, May 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

NEW YORK (AP) — Kamala Harris “wrote off rural America" during the 2024 presidential campaign and failed to attack Donald Trump with sufficient “negative firepower," according to a long-awaited post-election autopsy released on Thursday by the Democratic National Committee.

The committee's chair, Ken Martin, shared the 192-page report only after facing intense internal pressure from frustrated Democratic operatives concerned with his leadership. Martin had originally promised to release the autopsy, only to keep it under wraps for months because he was concerned it would be a distraction ahead of the midterms as Democrats mobilize to take back control of Congress.

On Tuesday, Martin apologized for his handling of the situation and conceded that the report was withheld because it “was not ready for primetime."

Although the autopsy criticizes Democrats' focus on “identity politics,” it sidesteps some of the most controversial elements of the 2024 campaign. The report does not address former President Joe Biden’s decision to seek reelection, the rushed selection of Harris to replace him on the ticket or the party's acrimonious divide over the war in Gaza.

“I am not proud of this product; it does not meet my standards, and it won’t meet your standards,” Martin wrote in an essay on Substack on Thursday. “I don’t endorse what’s in this report, or what’s left out of it. I could not in good faith put the DNC’s stamp of approval on it. But transparency is paramount.”

A spokesperson for Harris did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The initial reaction from Democratic operatives was a mix of bafflement and anger over Martin's handling of the situation.

“Why not say this in 2024, or bring in more people to finish it, instead of turning this into the dumbest media cycle for 7-8 months?” Democratic strategist Steve Schale wrote on social media.

The postelection report, which was authored by Democratic consultant Paul Rivera, calls for “a renewed focus on the voters of Middle America and the South, who have come to believe they are not included in the Democratic vision of a stronger and more dynamic America for everyone.”

“Millions of Americans are suffering from poor access to healthcare, manufacturing and job losses, and a failing infrastructure, yet continue to be persuaded to vote against their best interests because they do not see themselves reflected in the America of the Democratic Party,” the report says.

The autopsy points to a reduction in support and training for Democratic state parties, voter registration shifts and “a persistent inability or unwillingness to listen to all voters.”

Thursday's release comes as Martin confronts a crisis of confidence among party officials who are increasingly concerned about the health of their political machine barely a year into his term. Some Democratic operatives have had informal discussions about recruiting a new chair, even though most believe that Martin’s job wasn't in serious jeopardy ahead of the midterm elections.

The report found that Harris and her allies failed to focus enough on Trump's negatives, especially his felony convictions. This was part of a broader criticism that Democrats' messaging is too focused on reason and winning arguments, “even in cycles when the electorate is defined by rage.”

“There was a decision in the 2024 Democratic leadership not to engage in negative advertising at the scale required,” the report states. “The Trump campaign and supportive Super PACs went full throttle against Vice President Harris, but there was not sufficient or similar negative firepower directed at Trump by Democrats.”

The report continues: “It was essential to prosecute a more effective case as to why Trump should have been disqualified from ever again taking office. The grounds were there, but the messaging did not make the case.”

Trump's attack on Harris' transgender policies were cited as a key contrast.

Specifically, the report suggested the Democratic nominee was “boxed” in by the Trump campaign's “very effective” ad that highlighted Harris' previous statement of support for taxpayer-funded gender-affirming surgeries for prison inmates.

Democratic pollsters believed that “if the Vice President would not change her position – and she did not – then there was nothing which would have worked as a response," the report said.

The report criticized Harris' outreach to key segments of America while condemning the party's focus on “identity politics.”

“Harris wrote off rural America, assuming urban/suburban margins would compensate. The math doesn’t work,” the report says. “You can’t lose rural areas by overwhelming margins and make it up elsewhere when rural voters are a significant share of the electorate. If Democrats are to reclaim leadership in the Heartland or the South, candidates must perform well in rural turf. Show up, listen, and then do it again.”

The report also references Democrats' underperformance with male voters of color.

“Male voters require direct engagement. The gender gap can be narrowed. Deploy male messengers, address economic concerns, and don’t assume identity politics will hold male voters of color,” it says.

President Donald Trump speaks during an event about loosening a federal refrigerant rule, in the Oval Office at the White House, Thursday, May 21, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

Former Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a fireside chat on Thursday, May 7, 2026, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ty ONeil)

FILE - Democratic National Committee chair Ken Martin speaks during an interview with The Associated Press at DNC headquarters, Jan. 12, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert, File)