Jannik Sinner: His Last Day as King? What Will Happen on Thursday?
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Alexander Zverev has his sights set on the world No. 1 spot and could overtake Jannik Sinner as early as Thursday, October 29—at least on paper. The German has a chance to reach the top of the ATP rankings if he wins his round of 16 match at the ATP 500 tournament in Vienna. A win would allow him to climb to 9,450 points, tying Sinner and overtaking him based on the tiebreaker criteria.
The change at the top, however, would not be immediately official. Jannik Sinner would retain the top spot until Monday, November 2, when the new ATP rankings are released. The situation will also depend on Zverev’s performance in the Austrian capital: if he loses, the overtaking could be delayed until Monday, November 9—after the Paris Masters 1000—or until Monday, November 16, following the update after the French tournament and on the eve of the ATP Finals.
Standing between the German and a potential overtaking, however, is Tallon Griekspoor. The Dutchman advanced to the next round by defeating American Brandon Nakashima with a score of 6-1, 4-6, 7-6(2).
Zverev, currently ranked No. 2 in the ATP rankings, will enter the match as the favorite: he leads the head-to-head series 9-3 against the world No. 50. The most recent matchup, however, went Griekspoor’s way, as he prevailed in the second round of the Montreal Masters 1000, winning 6-7(3), 6-2, 6-4.
The German is thus one step away from the top spot, but he’ll first have to overcome the Dutch challenge. For Sinner, on the other hand, the race for the top spot is becoming increasingly complicated, with the rankings set to undergo a decisive phase between Vienna and Paris.
