Jannik Sinner suffered just his second defeat of the season at the 2024 Monte-Carlo Masters, but it will not stop him from retaining his world No. 2 ranking.
The Italian's superb start to 2024 has seen him win his maiden Grand Slam title at the Australian Open, add another one at the Rotterdam Open, and win a second Masters 1000 title at the Miami Open last month.
Those achievements led to Sinner overtaking Carlos Alcaraz in the rankings to reach No. 2 in the rankings. This was a big moment that received much attention since Alcaraz had occupied that spot for a very long period of time.
The 22-year-old's loss in the Monte-Carlo semifinal was a rare setback for him. Sinner was stunned by Stefanos Tsitsipas after a terrific battle between the pair, although the Italian was hampered by an injury towards the end of the match.
Another key factor in deciding the contest was a clear Tsitsipas double-fault not being called out in the deciding set, which would have given Sinner a double break. He gave his honest verdict on that umpiring error after the match.
Sinner's ranking not dropping may lift his spirits slightly. He currently has 8750 points in the live rankings. Alcaraz is slightly behind at the moment on 8645 points, showing how close it is between them.
There is other good news for Sinner in terms of ranking. Defending champion Alcaraz's withdrawal from the Barcelona Open means he will not improve his ranking points any further next week, with his involvement in Madrid also not currently known.
Another notable observation from the live rankings is Casper Ruud rising to No. 6. The Norwegian had slipped out of the Top 10 for a spell after a difficult season last year, but his excellent week in Monte-Carlo has seen him rise again.