Jannik Sinner establishes lead; leaves Carlos Alcaraz behind with World No. 1 domination amid tennis absence

Jannik Sinner was handed a three-month suspension by WADA last Saturday over his two failed doping tests from 2024. Although the Italian will be out of action until May, he will likely not loosen his stranglehold over the World No. 1 position on the ATP rankings.

Sinner announced himself at the head of the table last year, securing his first two Major trophies at the Australian Open and the US Open. The 23-year-old also picked up singles titles in Rotterdam, Miami, Cincinnati, Shanghai and Turin, before following up with a second consecutive triumph in Melbourne in January.

On account of his year-to-date results, Jannik Sinner currently has a tally of a whopping 11,330 ranking points. On Monday (February 17), the Italian began his 37th week as the top-ranked player on the ATP Tour. He is all set to break into the top 15 list of male players with the most weeks at the World No. 1 position since the inception of the ATP rankings in 1973.

The gap between the World No. 1 and his next-highest-ranked peer, Alexander Zverev, is more than 3,000 points. World No. 3 Alcaraz, meanwhile, beat Sinner in all three of their tour-level outings in 2024 but sits at 7,410 points, which is nearly 4,000 less than his rival.

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Carlos Alcaraz looking to catch up with Jannik Sinner in ATP rankings

Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz at the Six Kings Slam in Riyadh (Source: Getty)

Carlos Alcaraz also enjoyed two Major triumphs last year, as he completed the Channel Slam by reigning victorious at Roland Garros and Wimbledon. That said, there is much to be desired from the Spaniard in terms of his consistency.

Alcaraz defeated Sinner en route to his titles in Indian Wells, Paris and Beijing. The 21-year-old didn't enjoy a deep showing at many other big tournaments in 2024, though. The Spaniard exited early at the Cincinnati Open and the US Open last year. He also failed to qualify for the last four at the ATP Finals.

The four-time Major winner will have a chance at somewhat narrowing the World No. 1's lead in the ATP rankings in the next three months. While the World No. 3 is defending 2,000 ranking points at Indian Wells next month, he has only 400 points to defend until the French Open, which begins on May 25. He also picked up 500 points at the recently concluded Rotterdam Open and will be eager to go deep at this week's Qatar Open.

Jannik Sinner, meanwhile, will drop 1,000 ranking points at the Miami Masters as he will be unable to defend his 2024 title.