One former tennis star immediately phoned his agent to quit the sport after losing to a teenage Sinner at the Rome Masters
Jannik Sinner once played a match so commanding that it sent his opponent into early retirement. Alongside fellow trophy-magnet Carlos Alcaraz, Sinner has become one of the two dominant forces in men’s tennis, claiming the last eight Grand Slam titles and challenging the legacies of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.
While not as hyped as Alcaraz during his teenage years, Sinner still made a big impact. At the 2019 Rome Masters, 17-year-old Sinner – then ranked No. 263 in the world – stunned former American No. 1 Steve Johnson in the first round.
Despite having only two ATP matches under his belt at the time, Sinner triumphed in three sets. This defeat hit Johnson so hard he immediately called his agent to announce his retirement from tennis.
Johnson reflected on the match on his Nothing Major podcast last year. The 35-year-old said: “I don’t know if you guys ever felt this, you play like a local wildcard or a hometown kid and there’s different feelings you have.
“So I walk out there and the kid’s like 6’3, 112 pounds, like super skinny and you’re just like, ‘Oh, this could go bad for me. You gotta win, right?’ Because this is a bad look on centre court.”
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After cruising through the opening set 6-1, Johnson admitted he played “horrible tennis” and suddenly found himself up against it after dropping the second set by an identical scoreline. He said: “And then the third set rolls around. I’m just like, ‘Please win, you’ve got to win this, just find a way.’ I either serve for the match or had match points and then lost 7-5.”
Yet it was Sinner who eventually found a way, claiming the deciding set 7-5 and sealing a stunning victory over a former top-30 player. But while the triumph was a moment of sheer elation for Sinner, the defeat sent Johnson into something of a meltdown.
He said: “I called my agent and my coach wasn’t even there at the time, he was flying in the next day, but I’m like, ‘I just lost to – this kid sucks, he’s terrible. I’m literally quitting tennis.'”
However, while Johnson failed to spot Sinner’s potential, his team certainly did. The ex-tennis star added: “I started talking to my agent, couple of the other coaches, they’re like, ‘Give it time. This kid is going to be unreal.’
“I’m like, ‘You guys are so stupid, this guy is never going to make it anywhere. He’s going to have one win and it’s going to be me. This is never going to change.'”
Naturally, history proved Johnson spectacularly mistaken. Sinner’s ascent has been extraordinary, with 24 career titles, including four Grand Slam singles victories and over £40million in prize money.
In the end, Johnson didn’t walk away from tennis after that memorable encounter. He carried on competing until March 2024, when he finally called time on his playing days.
Since retirement, he’s remained firmly in the tennis world. He continues presenting the Nothing Major podcast, where he shares behind-the-scenes tales from his professional career.
This July, he received recognition for his outstanding university achievements when he was inducted into the ITA Men’s Collegiate Tennis Hall of Fame, celebrating his remarkable time at USC where he claimed four NCAA team championships and set a record with 72 consecutive victories.
Reflecting on his early assessment, Johnson is humble about getting it wrong as he said: “Little did I know like four years from then, he’s going to be making $100m a year winning Slams and being by far and away the No. 1 player.”
