Sinner’s on top of the world
|Published
NO.1: Italian ace Sinner
BY SHRIVATHSA SRIDHAR
Jannik Sinner took an unexpected path to the world No.1 ranking on Tuesday after Novak Djokovic’s French Open withdrawal, but the youngster says it was the culmination of years of hard work and represented a proud moment for Italy.
Sinner arrived at Roland Garros needing to reach the final to get the top spot next week, but got confirmation when organisers announced that Djokovic had pulled out with a knee injury on Tuesday.
It meant the 22-year-old, who was informed of the news shortly after his quarterfinal win over Grigor Dimitrov, becomes the first Italian man to achieve the feat.
He says: “It means a lot to me for sure. It’s not the way we all were expecting. He [Djokovic] had two long, tough matches, five sets, so it’s tough. The first one he finished really late also.
“It’s tough also for the tournament. Novak retiring, it’s always tough.
“Talking about myself, I’m very happy about this achievement. It’s a lot of work we put in daily. It’s a daily routine. Obviously happy to have this number.”
Sinner adds of facing Carlos Alcaraz in the semi- finals tomorrow: “There’s a very important match for me, the semifinals, so I’m focused about that at the moment. But yes, happy to have this number now.”