Jannik Sinner scripted history by becoming the first Italian tennis player to finish with the year-end No. 1 spot in singles tennis. The 23-year-old achieved the feat when he won the men’s singles semi-final of the Shanghai Masters, an ATP 1000 event, on Saturday, October 12. Sinner secured the No. 1 spot in men’s singles tennis on June 10 and has not dropped from the numero uno spot.
Jannik Sinner asserted his status as the next big superstar of men’s singles tennis, securing the year-end No. 1 spot. He took the title away from Novak Djokovic, who had finished No. 1 at the end of the year for an eighth time last year.
Also Read: Thank you Rafael Nadal for teaching us why it’s important to not give up
Sinner defeated 30th seed Tomas Machac 6-4, 7-5 in the semi-final of the Masters 1000 tournament. The Italian looked in complete control against Machac, who had dumped out China Open champion Carlos Alcaraz earlier in the tournament.
“It’s amazing. It’s something you dream of when you are a kid, when you are young, just to reach the No. 1. Now having the year-end, it’s also a different and special feeling,” Sinner said during an on-court interview on Saturday.
Sinner is only the fourth active player after Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz to hold the year-end No. 1 spot in men’s singles tennis.
“It means so much to me, obviously. This is something I could not accomplish without all the people I have around — the family and friends and also a big credit to my team.”
Sinner is likely to face World No. 3 Novak Djokovic in the final on Sunday. The Italian star has an envious 59-6 record in 2024. Sinner has been in good form in the Asian leg of the tour, reaching the final in Beijing. He lost to Carlos Alcaraz in three sets.
Sinner’s season began on a high note with his victory at the Australian Open in January, where he claimed his first Grand Slam title. At the US Open, Sinner defeated Taylor Fritz in straight sets (6-3, 6-4, 7-5) to secure his second Grand Slam title of the year and his first US Open championship. This made him the fourth different man to win both the Australian Open and US Open in the same year since 1988.
Sinner also won two Masters 1000 titles, reigning supreme in Cincinnati Masters and Miami Open. Despite his numerous successes, Sinner faced a significant challenge off the court. In March, he was involved in a doping case after testing positive for an anabolic steroid twice. However, he was later exonerated, which allowed him to continue his season without interruption.