Italy’s Jannik Sinner becomes the biggest beneficiary of the ongoing Indian Wells competition. The ATP 1000 event is now down to the final stage, with the finalist already been confirmed. It will be a contest between Denmark’s Holger Rune and Britain’s Jack Draper.
That is great news for the reigning world number one, that is despite him currently spending time on the sidelines after agreeing a three-month ban following two failed dope tests in March last year. The development will see the 23-year-old, who is regarded as the best player in the world, return to the court in May of this year, just days before the start of the Rome Masters.
With him being absent, there was a perfect opportunity for his two closest rivals, Germany’s Alexander Zverev and Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz, to close the gap and dethrone him before he returns to the court. However, that has not been the case. The German tennis star was knocked out in the second round after losing to Netherlands Tallon Griekspoor with a score of 4-6, 7-6, 7-6. On the other hand, Alcaraz’s journey in the competition ended at the semifinal stage, where he lost to Draper with a score of 6-1, 0-6, 6-4.
With those results, Sinner’s position at the top is likely to stay intact. Zverev has dropped 650 points after disappointing performances in the recent past, meaning he will have to win more than 2,400 points out of the possible 3,500 points available before the start of the Rome Masters. On the other hand, Alcaraz will now need to win 3,220 points from the next four competitions, meaning that he will have to win three out of the next four tournaments he will participate in and play in the final of every competition. Those developments seem very unlikely, so there is every likelihood that Sinner will return to the court as the world number one.