Jannik Sinner exults even without taking the field

Jannik Sinner gains points over Alexander Zverev

Even without taking the court, Jannik Sinner has a reason to smile in the aftermath of Alexander Zverev&#39s surprise elimination from the Indian Wells Masters 1000 at the hands of Tallon Griekspoor. In fact, the German is not only slowing down in the race for the top spot in the rankings but is even going to lose points, as will be confirmed by the ranking update due Monday.

Specifically, Zverev will lose 190 points and go to 7,945, compared to 11,330 for the South Tyrolean who, given the suspension, will lose 1,000 after the Miami tournament. It's less and less in question, then, whether Jannik Sinner will make his circuit comeback still ahead of everyone in the world rankings.

Zverev, a finalist against Sinner at the Australian Open, is having a complicated time, with premature eliminations, relative to predictions, in tournaments in Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro and Acapulco, defeated by Francisco Cerundolo (No. 26 ATP), Francisco Comesana (No. 66) and Learner Tien (No. 68), respectively.

Sinner will make his return to the court in May, in time for the Internazionali d'Italia in Rome and Roland Garros. He's officially headlined in the ATP rankings since June 10, 2024: in addition to being the first Italian ever to top the ranking, he could also be the first to stay there for 52 consecutive weeks.