The former coach of Serena Williams, Rick Macci, is backing Jannik Sinner to become World No. 1 "someday" and reckons it will happen "sooner rather than later."
Macci, one of the world's most celebrated coaches in tennis, has taken a bird's-eye view of the proceedings of the men's tour this past season. Sinner has established himself as a potential Grand Slam contender and has enjoyed a stellar year across all levels.
The 22-year-old's rise wasn't as meteoric as some of his contemporaries, like Carlos Alcaraz, but as he said, he wasn't overly obsessed with what his rivals were achieving and instead focussed on his own path. Sinner has been right about this claim because he has done it at his pace.
In 2023, he scored 11 Top 10 wins, second only to Novak Djokovic, and won his first-ever Masters 1000 title at the Canadian Open. The crown jewel of an excellent season was winning the Davis Cup for his country, ending a 47-year drought.
Macci is convinced that Sinner, currently occupying a career-high ranking of World No. 4, will rise to be the ATP World No. 1. He predicts it will happen sooner than anticipated, as he wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
"Was asked if @Janniksin CAN be number one someday. He WIIL BE number one someday and Sooner Rather Than later. Jannik Joker and Carlos will play Musical Chairs going up and down the NUMBER RANKING STAIRS."
Whether that will happen next season is still doubtful. Still, Sinner has shown immense mental resolve and competitive edge against his more accomplished peers like Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, and Daniil Medvedev - beating the trio during the course of last season.
Sinner has also taken some encouraging steps at Grand Slam level, reaching a first semifinal at Wimbledon in July. Macci opined that Sinner would challenge Djokovic and Alcaraz at the summit and metaphorically stated that they would play "musical chairs" on the ATP staircase.
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