Jannik Sinner Reaches New Rankings Milestone Despite Ongoing Suspension
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Jannik Sinner's inability to compete on the ATP Tour has not stopped him from spending an impressive number of weeks at No. 1.
Sinner has been the world No. 1 since the end of the 2024 French Open, overtaking Novak Djokovic at the top. That followed a start to 2024, which included winning a maiden Grand Slam title at the Australian Open.
The Italian built a formidable lead at the top by securing further titles at the 2024 US Open, 2024 ATP Finals, 2024 Cincinnati Open, and 2024 Shanghai Masters. The 23-year-old then retained his Australian Open title in January, ensuring he has won the last three hardcourt Grand Slams.
Sinner is suspended until May 4th after being banned until then for testing positive for clostebol at the 2024 Indian Wells Open. He was accidentally contaminated by his physiotherapist, who used a spray containing the prohibited substance.
The three-time Grand Slam champion was set to appear in the Court of Arbitration for Sport, but the World Anti-Doping Agency and Sinner's team settled the case instead, despite the player's hesitation because he felt innocent.
Sinner's suspension, which began on February 9th, does not stop his weeks at No. 1 from being counted. That has allowed him to reach an outstanding 40 consecutive weeks at the top of the ATP rankings.
He is now tied with Ilie Nastase for the 15th most consecutive weeks at No. 1, and will overtake him when the rankings are next released since no player can mathematically move ahead of him after the 2025 Indian Wells Open.
Sinner will equal Andy Murray's weeks at No. 1 when the new rankings are released. The Briton, who is currently Novak Djokovic's coach, spent 41 weeks at the summit during his illustrious career.
Murray would have spent far more time than that had it not been for the presence of Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer. Djokovic is the only man still playing from that trio, but he has been going through a challenging period, including a shock loss to Botic van de Zandschulp in Indian Wells.
Alexander Zverev and Carlos Alcaraz at No. 2 and No. 3, respectively, could overtake Sinner at No. 1 before the Italian returns to tennis. Zverev had a particularly great chance to close the gap in his last few tournaments.
However, the German's form has slipped at an inconvenient moment. He did not get past the quarterfinal of the Argentina Open, Rio Open, or Mexican Open before losing in his opening match in Indian Wells to Marcelo Melo.
Alcaraz's chances of overtaking Sinner at No. 1 could depend greatly on his performances in Indian Wells as the two-time defending champion. The Spaniard probably cannot afford to drop many points by unexpectedly losing before the final or semifinals.
Despite the controversy surrounding Sinner because of his doping case, the achievement of reaching that many weeks at No. 1 should not be taken away from him. He and his team deserve enormous credit for outstanding results since the start of 2024.
