Sinner continued his undefeated start to the 2024 season as he followed up his victory at the Australian Open with a strong performance at the Rotterdam Open. In fact, he has now won 14 consecutive matches in top-level tennis, including three wins at the Davis Cup Finals at the end of the 2023 season.
The 22-year-old’s most recent win came in the semi-final of the Rotterdam Open, where he defeated Tallon Griekspoor with a score of 6-2, 6-4. This victory will result in him achieving a career-high ranking of No 3, although the confirmation of this position will depend on the outcome of Sunday’s final or the Qatar Open.
If Sinner manages to defeat Alex de Minaur in the final of the ATP 500 event in the Netherlands, he will surpass Daniil Medvedev and claim the No 3 spot when the ATP Rankings are updated on Monday. The margin between Sinner and Medvedev will be incredibly narrow, with the Italian surpassing the Russian by just five points.
Jannik Sinner – 8,270 points
Daniil Medvedev – 8,265 points
However, if De Minaur emerges as the winner of the final, Sinner will remain at No 4 for another week. Medvedev will maintain a 35-point lead, but Sinner will have the opportunity to claim the No 3 position the following week.
Medvedev has also chosen not to defend his title at the Qatar Open, resulting in a loss of 250 points. With Sinner having no points to defend in Doha, his victory at the Australian Open would propel him to No 3, making him the first Italian to achieve this feat.
Sinner will also have his sights set on the No 2 ranking in the coming weeks, as both Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev have a significant number of points to defend until after the Sunshine Double in the United States.
Following the Rotterdam Open, Sinner only needs to defend 960 points, as he was the runner-up at the Miami Open last year and reached the semi-final of the Indian Wells Open.
On the other hand, Alcaraz has 300 points to defend in Rio, 1,000 in Indian Wells, and 360 in Miami, giving him a total of 1,660 points.
Meanwhile, Medvedev will lose 250 points in Doha, 500 points in Dubai (although he has the chance to defend them as he is on the entry list), 1,000 points in Miami, and 600 points in Indian Wells. The Russian will effectively need to defend 2,350 points over the next month and a bit.
If Alcaraz fails to successfully defend his title at the Indian Wells Masters, Sinner could potentially find himself in contention for the No 2 ranking.
According to the Source tennis365.com