Andre Agassi applauds Jannik Sinner for becoming World No. 1 for the first time in his career

Modified Jun 11, 2024 23:46 GMT

Andre Agassi recently hailed Jannik Sinner for reaching the World No.1 spot in the ATP rankings for the first time in his career. Sinner’s rise to the top came after his impressive form this season and his recent semi-final finish at the French Open.

The Italian toppled 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic when the new rankings were announced on Monday, June 10. Djokovic's record of cumulatively spending 428 weeks as World No.1 is the longest in the sport's history. Before Sinner's ascent to World No.1, the Serb held the top spot in the ATP rankings from September 11, 2023, to June 9, 2024.

On Tuesday, eight-time Grand Slam winner Andre Agassi shared a picture of the 22-year-old on his Instagram story and added a fist bump emoji alongside.

Before his rise to the top, while preparing for the semifinal match against Carlos Alcaraz at the French Open, Sinner told the press that it was a dream come true and a very nice feeling. He added that he now aims to stay at the top for as long as he can.

“This is a dream. [It is] what I have dreamed of when I was a little kid. It was only a dream that day. And now that I can say that I'm World No. 1, it means a lot to me. So it took some time, that's for sure. And it was a very nice feeling. “Now saying that I'm World No. 1, it's just amazing. We were talking together and seeing [my family] a little bit emotional and also from my side, it's amazing. World No. 1 is the achievement I was looking for, and obviously now I have to see how much I can stay there.” Jannik Sinner said

Andre Agassi reserves praises for newly crowned World No.1 Jannik Sinner - “If the universe had a tennis tournament, Earth would pick you”

Congratulating him on becoming World No. 1, Andre Agassi said that if the universe had a tennis tournament, Earth would pick Jannik Sinner. On Monday, he became the 29th player in history and the first Italian to reach the summit of the ATP rankings.

Following the 22-year-old's achievement, the ATP released a video on their official X (formerly Twitter) account featuring former World No. 1s congratulating him.

Among them was Andre Agassi, who was World No. 1 for a cumulative 101 weeks during his active years. Agassi said Sinner's incredible rise in the rankings was well deserved.

“Hey Jannik, Andre here. Let me be one of the many to congratulate you on being the No. 1 tennis player in the world. That is one heck of an achievement and I can’t think of anybody that deserves it more than you,” Agassi said. “Here’s kind of a cool way to look at it. If the universe had a tennis tournament, Earth would pick you. How cool is that? Enjoy.” Agassi said

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Jannik Sinner’s 2024 season has seen him win the Australian Open, the Rotterdam Open, and the Miami Open.