22-year-old Jannik Sinner has become the highest ranked Italian player in the history of tennis. His triumph at the ATP 500 indoor tournament in Rotterdam catapulted him to No.3 in the world rankings.
This achievement eclipsed Francesca Schiavone who previously occupied No.4 in the WTA standings. Sinner has been in scintillating form recently, winning 32 of his last 34 matches. He also became the first Italian to win Grand Slam after claiming the Australian Open in January.
Wimbledon Champion Carlos Alcaraz had been the man to challenge Novak Djokovic for the World No.1 spot in 2024. However, the young Spaniard has suffered surprised defeats at the Australian Open and recently at the Argentina Open. Many pundits have therefore tipped Sinner to be main threat to Djokovic’s crown after his impressive start to the year.
The next big tournament will be the Indian Wells Open in California which starts on 3rd March. The event is often referred to as the ‘Fifth Major’ and is likely to consist of an all-star line up from the world of tennis!