New Delhi: World No. 1 Jannik Sinner isn’t just chasing Grand Slam titles rather, he is focused on building a lasting legacy. Just a month after becoming the fifth player in ATP history to hold the top ranking for 50 consecutive weeks in his first stint at No. 1, the 23-year-old has now added another impressive milestone to his growing resume.
The Italian kicks off his 54th consecutive week at No.1, surpassing 24 Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic for the fourth-longest stint at the top spot. Even after getting a ban for three months, Sinner has not lost his position and has maintained the lead even after returning to the tour.
The Serbian first rose to No.1 on July 4th, 2011, when he won the first Wimbledon title and spent 53 straight weeks at the pinnacle before getting displaced by his long rival Roger Federer on July 9th, 2012.
The 23-year-old is just behind Roger Federer (237), Jimmy Connors (160), and Lleyton Hewitt (75) in terms of longest first stints.
Sinner first rose to the No.1 spot on June 10th of last year and isn’t in danger of losing his position anytime soon. He is currently leading World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz by 2,030 ranking points and 10,880 to 8,850, but he could potentially build on that in the coming weeks as he is defending 500 points this week in Halle, where he won the title last year. At SW19, he will be defending only 400 points as he lost in the quarterfinals last year.
Not just that, the 23-year-old’s reign at the top has placed him 13th on the all-time list for longest uninterrupted stints as World No. 1. Djokovic holds the record for the most weeks spent as the World No. 1 overall for 428 weeks.
As he continues to add milestones to his name at such a young age, the Italian star is not only making history but also reshaping the future of men’s tennis. With a significant lead in the rankings and more opportunities ahead, Jannik Sinner’s reign at No. 1 shows no signs of slowing down and will definitely move up in the longest stint at No.1 in ATP history rankings in the years to come.