Jannik Sinner is quite the anomaly in the tennis world right now. Despite being out of the competitive loop, he’s managed to maintain his spot as the top player in men’s tennis globally.
Sinner is currently serving a three-month suspension due to a doping violation, which means he’s missing the major tournaments like Indian Wells and Miami’s ‘Sunshine Double’. But here’s the catch—it hasn’t really affected his standing much. He’s been watching from the sidelines as his closest competitors, Alexander Zverev and Carlos Alcaraz, have struggled to capitalize on his absence and close the significant rankings gap.
It’s looking more and more likely that Sinner will retain his top position when he makes his much-anticipated return in Rome at the beginning of May.
As it stands, Sinner still enjoys a substantial lead—2,685 points ahead of Zverev, with Alcaraz trailing by 3,610 points. Now, if you consider the 1,000 points available for the winners in Monte Carlo and Madrid, plus 500 for those clinching either Barcelona or Munich, Zverev has a slim shot at catching up.
It was a golden opportunity for Zverev to overtake Sinner, but he admits himself that his game just hasn’t been up to par. In his own words, he’s been “playing terrible,” and that has kept the door open for Sinner to hold his reign at the top.
