Jannik Sinner is guaranteed to become the new men's World No. 1 when the ATP rankings are updated after Roland Garros.
Sinner trailed World No. 1 Novak Djokovic by 1190 points before the tournament began. But because the Serbian was defending the full 2000 points in Paris for winning the tournament last year, he cascaded to second place in the live rankings.
The Italian successfully defended second-round points from last year at the same tournament, and he needed to reach the final of this year's French Open to be absolutely certain of becoming No. 1. But it wasn't the only permutation for Sinner to rise to No. 1.
In a fresh development on Tuesday, Djokovic withdrew from the tournament for what has been reported as a torn medial meniscus on his right knee. This now means that Sinner will surpass the 37-year-old in the points tally regardless of his own progress in the tournament.
Although Sinner controlled his destiny, any mishap or exit before the final by Djokovic would also suffice, as is now the case. The 22-year-old was already sitting at the highest peak by an Italian tennis player as a World No. 2.
And he will make even more history by becoming the first Italian man to top the singles rankings on the ATP Tour. He is the 29th men's World No. 1, and he only knew of this marvelous achievement at the end of his quarterfinal win over Grigor Dimitrov on Tuesday afternoon.
Sinner's career-best season has already yielded a maiden Grand Slam, which he won at the Australian Open in January. He forged a 16-match win streak at the start of 2024, during which he would win titles in Rotterdam and Miami.
He could still complete his clay-court season by winning his first Roland Garros crown, which would put the cherry and the icing on the cake because he has quelled fitness concerns to reach his first-ever semifinal on the Parisian clay.