The main goal, in the long term, will be to become the new ATP No.1, but it is a goal that must be achieved step by step. At the Australian Open, Jannik Sinner won his first Slam title and, now, the young Italian will try to reach a spot in the ATP ranking never achieved by any of his countryman or countrywoman.
His race will begin at the ATP Rotterdam tournament next week, then continuing on the American hard courts of Miami and Indian Wells. A path during which Sinner will be, compared to Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev, the tennis player among the top four to defend the fewest points and, consequently, in a position to steal more points from his direct opponents to conquer the top.
Jannik will be able to take his first step at the ATP 500 in Rotterdam, a tournament in which the other finalist of the Australian Major, Medvedev, reigning champion in the Netherlands, forced to withdraw from the tournament due to the problem with his right foot suffered in Melbourne, will not take part.
Sinner could overcome Medvedev, in Rotterdam
Sinner could therefore overtake him in third place. The Russian tennis player currently has 8765 ATP points, but as he cannot defend the 500 points he won last year at the ABN AMRO Open in Rotterdam, he will find himself at 8265 in two weeks.
The Russian had defeated the 22-year-old Italian in the final, who will therefore have the excellent opportunity to overtake him in the rankings. Sinner currently has 8310 points, from which the 250 lost in Montpellier (a tournament he won last season but in which he did not take part this year) and the 300 from the Rotterdam final will be subtracted.
All things considered, the Italian boy will start the Dutch tournament with 7770 points. therefore, in the event of victory, Sinner would reach 8270, only 5 points more than Medvedev but enough to overtake him and settle in 3rd position in the ranking.
He would be the first Italian tennis player to reach this milestone in the Open Era, the second ever, considering Nicola Pietrangeli’s placing in 1959 and 1960.