Jannik Sinner recently sealed the year-end No. 1 spot and was one of the fastest players to achieve that in the last 15 years.
Sinner is currently in Saudi Arabia ahead of the Six Kings Slam. The exhibition's inaugural edition features Sinner, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev, and Holger Rune.
The Italian will play Medvedev in his opening match of the exhibition, which runs from October 16th to 19th. Alcaraz is set to compete against Holger Rune, while Djokovic and Nadal receive a bye to the semifinal.
Although there is a strong incentive to try to secure the largest paycheck for winning a tournament in tennis history, the exhibition may be less pressurized for Sinner after his mammoth efforts throughout 2024.
Despite an impressive end to 2023, Sinner was many points behind Djokovic at No. 1 at the start of the year. Overtaking him before the end of the season might have been a realistic goal, but even that seemed challenging.
However, Sinner's outstanding start to 2024 took him to the top of the rankings. He won his first Grand Slam title at the Australian Open, recovering from two sets down against Daniil Medvedev after a thrilling final.
That was followed by further titles at the Rotterdam and Miami Opens. Sinner entered the French Open with a chance of claiming the No. 1 ranking from Djokovic, who was defending the title he won in 2023.
Unfortunately for Djokovic, he had to withdraw before his quarterfinal at Roland-Garros against Casper Ruud. That meant Sinner became the world No. 1 for the first time.
The 23-year-old year has only gone from strength to strength since. He claimed his second Grand Slam title at the US Open by overcoming Taylor Fritz and a home American crowd in the final.
Sinner won his third Masters-1000 title at the Shanghai Masters last week after beating Djokovic in the final. That tournament was also notable for him securing the year-end No. 1 ranking after Alcaraz lost to Tomas Machac in Shanghai.
Sinner's year-end No. 1 ranking was confirmed on October 14th. He is the fastest to reach that position since Novak Djokovic in 2015, who clinched the year-end spot on September 14th.
Being just a month behind the Serbian demonstrates how incredible Sinner's year has been. Djokovic's 2015 season, which saw him win three Grand Slams and the ATP Finals, is one of the greatest in tennis history.
The 24-time Grand Slam champion is also the fastest player to become the year-end No. 1 in the last 15 years. He is closely followed by Nadal in 2010. The Spaniard confirmed that achievement on September 20th of that year.
Sinner's season makes him the third fastest to become world No. 1 in the last 15 years. The Italian is ahead of other iconic seasons, such as Djokovic's in 2011, which was the first dominant year he had on the ATP Tour.
His huge lead at the top of the rankings means Sinner could remain at No. 1 for a lengthy period unless one of his closest rivals takes drastic action to prevent that.