Jannik Sinner: a year as a tennis king. Equaled 4 champions
A year as a tennis king for Jannik Sinner. The Italian tennis player managed to spend 52 weeks at the top of the ATP rankings, his first time as world number one-a feat in itself, considering that the South Tyrolean athlete was forced to take a break for the controversial Clostebol case.
To understand the magnitude of Sinner’s feat, one only has to consider that only four champions have managed in the past to stay in the lead for a full year in their first experience as number one on the planet: Roger Federer (who made it to 237 weeks), Jimmy Connors (160), Lletyon Hewitt (75) and Novak Djokovic (53). And only four other players have been number one for an uninterrupted year: Rafael Nadal, Ivan Lendl, John McEnroe and Pete Sampras, i.e., the tennis elite.
Sinner has been number one for a year without interruption.
Sinner, who became world number one on June 10, 2024, certainly does not want to stop here and has a chance to stay on top until at least the US Open in late August. If he can stay in front until the end of the year, the Blue will enter the all-time Top 10 as the number of weeks at the top, and at only 24 years old.
