Jannik Sinner seems to make tennis history on an almost weekly basis.
The Italian superstar, still only 24 years old, has become only the 10th man in the Open Era to successfully defend a Wimbledon title.
Sinner accomplished the feat by defeating Alexander Zverev 6-7, 7-6, 6-3, 6-4 on Sunday evening.
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The five-time major champion has also now reached a personal landmark on the Tour, tying Lleyton Hewitt in one particular statistical area.
Jannik Sinner has spent 80 weeks as the world number one
Sinner has now equalled Lleyton Hewitt – a two-time Grand Slam champion – for the 10th-most weeks at the world number one spot in the ATP standings since the rankings were first published in 1973.
The Italian will overtake Hewitt [pictured below] next week as he sits almost 5,000 points ahead of Alexander Zverev in the world number two spot.
Sinner will need to spend a further five months at the number one spot if he is to overtake Andre Agassi in ninth place on the all-time list.
Agassi, an eight-time major champion, was the world number one for 101 weeks.
Sinner has now been the world number one for 14 more weeks than his great rival, Carlos Alcaraz.
Sinner will continue to extend his lead over Alcaraz – what with the Spaniard still recovering from a troublesome wrist injury.
All-time weeks at world number one in the Open Era
- Novak Djokovic – 428
- Roger Federer – 410
- Pete Sampras – 286
- Ivan Lendl – 270
- Jimmy Connors – 268
- Rafael Nadal – 209
- John McEnroe – 170
- Bjorn Borg – 109
- Andre Agassi – 101
- Jannik Sinner and Lleyton Hewitt – 80
- Stefan Edberg – 72
- Carlos Alcaraz – 66
Sinner’s next event is set to be the Canadian Open, which begins on August 1.
The Italian did not compete in last year’s event in order to ‘prioritise his health.’
“I’m really disappointed to be missing the National Bank Open in Toronto, especially as I have such fond memories of playing in Canada,” Sinner said in a statement released by the ATP.
“Winning that title in Toronto two years ago was the start of a really special moment for me, but after speaking with my team, I have to prioritise my health.
“I would like to thank Karl Hale, the Tournament Director, for everything he does and I’m looking forward to returning to Canada and Toronto in the future to play in front of the great fans.”
Sinner won his first Masters 1000 event at the Canadian Open in 2023, beating Alex de Minaur 6-4, 6-1 in the final.
Who will be the next new world number one?
The obvious candidate is Alexander Zverev.
However, with the German trailing Sinner by so many ATP points, it seems unlikely that Zverev will climb atop the ATP rankings any time soon.
Carlos Alcaraz is also expected to return to the Tour in the next few months, further inhibiting Zverev’s chances of claiming the number one ranking.
With Zverev’s chances slim, could a member of the next generation emerge as a world number one contender in the near future?
The two main candidates are Rafael Jodar and Joao Fonseca – two youngsters who have recorded multiple impressive performances on the Tour over the past six months.
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However, if Sinner and Alcaraz can maintain healthy physical states, it seems unlikely that any player on the Tour will rise above them over the next few years.
