Jannik Sinner’s 40 weeks as No 1: Italian set to rise up all-time standings despite ban
Jannik Sinner’s ongoing suspension from tennis has not stopped him from making history.
Having become the first Italian man in history to rise to singles world No 1 last summer, Sinner is now just the 16th man since the ATP Rankings were introduced to hit 40 weeks at the top.
Sinner has progressed up the all-time weeks at No 1 standings significantly since his first week at the top in June 2024 – and is primed to move up even further.
With it looking distinctly possible that he will still be world No 1 when he returns in May, just how far up the all-time standings can he soar?
Already ahead of 13 men
Sinner is the 29th man in the past 52 years to hold the ATP world No 1 ranking, and his 40 weeks currently place him joint-15th in the all-time standings.
That means he is already ahead of 13 men in terms of weeks at the top, with bona fide legends of the game among them.
Perhaps the most significant is four-time Grand Slam champion Carlos Alcaraz, a key rival for Sinner, whose 36 weeks as No 1 the Italian overtook last month.
Among active players, Sinner is also now ahead of Daniil Medvedev, who reigned for 16 weeks back in 2022.
Sinner is also notably ahead of six-time Grand Slam champion Boris Becker, who, believe it or not, was only No 1 for 12 weeks, while seven-time major winner Mats Wilander was No 1 for 20 weeks.
The 23-year-old is also ahead of Andy Roddick’s total of 13 weeks, while eight of the 29 men to be ranked world No 1 held that position for less than 10 weeks.
Those men are Marat Safin (nine weeks), John Newcombe and Juan Carlos Ferrero (eight weeks), Thomas Muster, Marcelo Rios, and Yevgeny Kafelnikov (six weeks), Carlos Moya (two weeks), and Pat Rafter (one week).
Primed to overtake three greats
As it stands, Sinner is level with Ilie Nastase – the ATP’s first-ever world No 1 back in 1973 – on 40 weeks as the world No 1.
However, he will move to joint-14th in the all-time standings next week when he matches fellow three-time Grand Slam winner Andy Murray on 41 weeks.
Sinner will move to 42 weeks – and outright 14th – the following week, before moving level with Gustavo Kuerten on 43 weeks.
Sinner will have moved from joint-15th to 12th all-time in the space of four weeks when he spends his 44th week as No 1 in less than a month.
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Tougher challenge
After overtaking Nastase, Murray, and Kuerten within a matter of weeks, it will get more challenging for Sinner to progress further up the al-time standings.
Currently, there is a 15-week differential between Kuerten (43 weeks) in 13th place and Jim Courier (58 weeks) in 12th.
To match Courier’s tally, Sinner would need to remain as the world No 1 until July 14th, 2025, and he would then hypothetically overtake the US great on July 21st.
Unable to play until May 5th, it is possible that the Italian could have been usurped as the world No 1 by then.
However, the timing of his ban means that he will be able to play at the Italian Open – a Masters 1000 event – just days after his return, before his French Open and Wimbledon campaigns.
If the Italian can cling on to No 1 in the ensuing weeks, he could earn a significant chunk of ranking points at all three events – and restore his sizable advantage as the No 1, allowing him to reign for the foreseeable future.
Cracking the top 10
If Sinner was to overtake Courier, he would be in touching distance of cracking the top 10 of all-time weeks as the world No 1.
The Italian would need to reign for 73 weeks to overtake Stefan Edberg, who sits 11th all-time with 72 weeks, and then a further eight weeks to draw level with 10th-placed Lleyton Hewitt on 80 weeks.
