Just a few days after reaching the 2024 French Open semifinals, Jannik Sinner was named No. 1 in the latest ATP rankings on Monday. It marks the first time in his career that Sinner has occupied the top spot.
"I am in the middle of the season. There are very important tournaments coming up -- there is Wimbledon. It's a great achievement, which I am going to celebrate with my loved ones, for sure, at some point," Sinner told the Associated Press. "Obviously very happy; it's a dream come true. But in other ways, now new challenges are coming up."
Sinner, 22, also becomes the first Italian player to land in the No. 1 spot since the rankings began back in 1973. He replaces Novak Djokovic, who was forced to withdraw from the French Open due to a knee injury.
Sinner defeated Daniil Medvedev to secure his first Grand Slam tournament title when he won the Australian Open back in January and has racked up a 33-3 record in 2024.
Two of those losses happened to be against Carlos Alcaraz, who ended up beating Sinner in five sets in the French Open semifinals. Alcaraz won the 2024 French Open as he defeated Alexander Zverev in Sunday's final.
As a result, Alcaraz appears in the No. 2 spot with Djokovic and Zverev being No. 3 and No. 4 respectively. Djokovic would've had to win the French Open t retain his top spot because of how much time he has missed recently due to injury.
"I hope that Novak comes back as soon as possible. Hopefully he can, somehow, play Wimbledon," Sinner said. "It would be a tough loss for Wimbledon not having him."
Sinner's next chance to secure a major title comes next month at Wimbledon. He reached the Wimbledon semifinals in 2023 before falling at the hands of Djokovic in three sets.
