How Sinner can seize control of battle for World No. 1 at Wimbledon

  • Posted: Jul 01, 2024

Jannik Sinner, who enters Wimbledon as the top seed at a major for the first time, has an opportunity to extend his lead as the No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings.

The Italian begins the grass-court major with a 2,010-point lead over No. 2 Novak Djokovic in the PIF ATP Live Rankings. That gives the 22-year-old a cushion in the No. 1 battle.

Should Djokovic win his eighth title at SW19, he still would not pass Sinner for the No. 1 spot regardless of the top seed’s performance. Even if this year’s Australian Open champion falls in the first round, he will leave London as World No. 1.

PIF ATP Live Rankings entering Wimbledon

 Player  Points
 1) Jannik Sinner  9,180
 2) Novak Djokovic  7,170
 3) Alexander Zverev  6,825
 4) Carlos Alcaraz  6,140
 5) Daniil Medvedev  5,735
 6) Andrey Rublev  4,070
 7) Hubert Hurkacz  4,065
 8) Casper Ruud  3,990

One year ago, Sinner both entered and exited The Championships as World No. 8. Now he has an opportunity to strengthen his No. 1 position. 

Should the 2023 Wimbledon semi-finalist claim the title, he would earn at minimum a 2,710-point lead in the PIF ATP Live Rankings. With Alcaraz dropping 2,000 points and Djokovic dropping 1,200 points compared to Sinner’s 720, that limits Alcaraz and Djokovic’s ability to make up ground and gives Sinner an opportunity to add cushion to his lead.

Sinner will face German Yannick Hanfmann in the first round Monday. The Italian leads their Lexus ATP Head2Head series 1-0.

“I’m just trying to get used to it, building my confidence here on this court. That’s it. Thinking about seeding or all the rest, it doesn’t make any sense. Everyone wants to win and show their best here,” Sinner said. “I’m just looking forward to it, to compete, and hopefully I can show also here some good tennis.”

[ATP APP]

Zverev has moved past Carlos Alcaraz into the No. 3 spot of the PIF ATP Live Rankings because Alcaraz drops 2,000 points as defending Wimbledon champion. The two-time Nitto ATP Finals titlist only trails No. 2 Djokovic by 345 points.

Fewer than 500 points separate live No. 6 Andrey Rublev (4,070) and live No. 11 Stefanos Tsitsipas (3,575). With up to 2,000 points at stake, there could be plenty of movement within the Top 10.

[NEWSLETTER FORM]

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