After weeks of uncertainty, Novak Djokovic will be the top seed at the 2024 Roland Garros men's tournament, which begins on May 26th.
Djokovic featured in the entry list for the clay major but had not secured top seeding status. The three-time French Open champion's lackluster start to 2024, combined with Jannik Sinner's rapid rise into the top two, threatened to deny him that distinction in the second Grand Slam of the season.
Sinner, who was the top seed in a Masters 1000 tournament for the first time in his career at this year's Madrid Open thanks to Djokovic's withdrawal, has been in ascendancy to replace the Serb at the top of the men's rankings, with some analysts predicting he will do so in the summer.
At the start of the Madrid Open, the Italian sat at a career-best ranking of World No. 2, with 8660 points, just 1330 points behind Djokovic. But because the official seeding for Roland Garros would be based on ATP rankings on Monday, May 20th, Sinner had the chance to overhaul Djokovic.
Winning Madrid and the Italian Open for Sinner would have been sufficient to overturn Djokovic's lead at the top, regardless of how the 36-year-old performs in Rome. However, the Australian Open champion pulled out from Madrid ahead of his quarterfinal match against Felix Auger-Aliassime due to injury.
That scenario won't happen, making Sinner's efforts to become the World No. 1 and top seed at the French Open futile. A gap of 1040 points exists in the forecasted rankings after Rome, so even if Sinner wins the title at his home tournament, he can't get more than 1000 points.
Djokovic will now celebrate his 37th birthday on May 22nd as World No. 1, extending his record of being the oldest top-ranked player in ATP history. After withdrawing from Madrid for undisclosed reasons, the 24-time Grand Slam champion is expected to return to action at the Foro Italico.