Jannik Sinner will take over as new World No. 1 after Roland Garros

Jannik Sinner will face Carlos Alcaraz in the semifinals of the 2024 French Open.

Jannik Sinner will officially wear the crown as the new World No. 1 when the revised PIF ATP Rankings are out on June 10th. He will be the first Italian player to reach the coveted position since the ATP Rankings were first introduced in 1973.

The No. 1 ranking fell into Jannik Sinner‘s lap when Novak Djokovic announced his withdrawal from the ongoing French Open on Tuesday, a day after his marathon match-winning effort against Francisco Cerundolo. An injury to the right knee was responsible for the defending champion’s exit.

Djokovic will shed 1600 points and drop to No. 2 in the rankings as a result of his unexpected withdrawal from the clay-court major. 

The Italian began his year as the World No. 4. But thanks to a clutch of points from his maiden Grand Slam title at the Australian Open, a win at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Miami, followed by semifinal appearances at Indian Wells and Monte Carlo, the young Italian will ascend to the top spot in men’s tennis. Sinner also added the trophy from the ATP 500 event in Rotterdam to his collection this season. 

Sinner took to Twitter, now X, to acknowledge the momentous occasion. The Italian will be playing his first French Open semifinal two days from now. Tennis legend Boris Becker also congratulated Jannik Sinner on taking over as the new World No. 1 on his official Twitter handle.

Also Read: ‘He’s the most famous sportsperson in Italy’ – Tennis star reflects on Jannik Sinner’s popularity in the European country

The Italian 2nd seed will take on Carlos Alcaraz on Friday in the semifinal battle between two players under 23. It will be the first Roland Garros semifinal between two opponents in the same age bracket since Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic took the stage in 2008. 

On Tuesday, Sinner defeated Grigor Dimitrov in straight sets, 6-2, 6-4, 7-6(3), while Alcaraz ensured a similar result against Stefanos Tsitsipas. The Spaniard got the better of Tsitsipas, 6-3, 7-6(3), 6-4. The semifinal contestants are tied at 4-4 in their head-to-head, with Alcaraz having won the last match between the duo at Indian Wells earlier this year. 

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