DROP SHOT: Jannik Sinner storms to fifth consecutive Masters title in Madrid
...while Marta Kostyuk upset Mirra Andreeva to claim her first WTA 1000 title.
A special Drop Shot episode of The Big T, a Tennis Channel podcast, is available on your favorite streaming platforms—click here to listen.
You can also watch specific segments of The Big T and bonus content on the Tennis Channel app—click here and start digging in!
In this Drop Shot:
- Brad Gilbert and Nick Monroe break down Jannik Sinner's masterful performance in Madrid, and historic achievement
- BG, the Nostradamus of tennis
- Marta Kostyuk—and her signature backflip celebration—reign supreme. What it means going forward
Sin-Sational: Jannik Sinner's Historic Madrid Masterclass
Jannik Sinner dismantled Alexander Zverev in just 58 minutes in Madrid, claiming his record-setting fifth consecutive ATP Masters title. Beginning last October, the Italian has kept it 100 at every 1000-level tournament he's played: Paris (indoors), Indian Wells (hard), Miami (hard), Monte Carlo (clay) and, now, Madrid (clay)—he's won them all.
Also worth nothing: Sinner wasn't able to play any of these tournaments in 2025, due to suspension. Call it, as Jim Courier did on Tennis Channel's broadcast of the blink-and-you-missed-it final, Jannik's "revenge tour."
👉 Stream a replay of the Madrid men's final on the Tennis Channel app
Brad Gilbert and Nick Monroe break it all down.
The Nostradamus Prediction
Back in January on The Big T, Gilbert made a bold call about Sinner—and it's looking more accurate by the day:
I foresee Sinner having a monster season. I don't think he'll lose more than five times in '26. Brad Gilbert, on The Big T
58: Minutes needed to defeat Zverev
5: Consecutive Masters 1000 titles won—a new record
≤5: Predicted losses in 2026 by BG
Monroe revisits that prophecy this week. (6:45) If it holds, Sinner would join the likes of John McEnroe, Roger Federer and Martina Navratilova among the best single seasons in professional tennis history.
What was Gilbert seeing that we weren't? BG explains on the pod.
Kostyuk Backflips Her Way to the Title
BG and Monroe also dissect Marta Kostyuk's unexpected Madrid title run—and unforgettable backflip celebration. (15:00)
From style to strategy to the celebration, the judges give her all-around performance a 10.
PLUS: Exclusive voice notes from Kostyuk's coach Sandra Zaniewska give rare insight into Marta's meticulous development and rise. Could she shake up Rome and Roland Garros, too?
