Jannik Sinner will become World No.1 regardless under these circumstances at Roland Garros

Jannik Sinner has a good chance of becoming world No. 1 after the French Open, following Novak Djokovic's early exit at the Rome Open. The Serbian has had a tough 2024, and his rough patch deepened after the surprising loss to Chilean Alejandro Tabilo in the third round at Foro Italico.

Sinner hasn't had the optimal preparation for Roland Garros during the clay swing. He had a good showing at the Monte-Carlo Masters but fell in the semifinals to eventual champion Stefanos Tsitsipas in a controversial match marked by a refereeing error in the third set. Then, at the Madrid Open, he reached the quarterfinals but withdrew due to a hip injury, which also prevented him from playing in Rome these past weeks.

Djokovic lends a hand to Sinner

Sinner's dominance in 2024 has him with a record of 28-2, three titles including his first Grand Slam at the Australian Open, and as the absolute leader in the ATP Race. He also reached world No. 2 several weeks ago for the first time in his career. Since the Italian defeated Djokovic in the Australian Open semifinals, the Serbian has a poor record of 5-3 and has barely accumulated points since then.

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Sinner could be No. 1 at the end of the French Open even without competing in the tournament.

the next ranking update, once the Rome Open is over, Djokovic will remain as No. 1 with 9,860 points, and Sinner as No. 2 with 8,770 points. Neither of them will play anything until Roland Garros, although Sinner has not yet confirmed his participation in the second Grand Slam of the year.

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With the defense of his French Open title in a few weeks, Djokovic has 2,000 points to defend, while Sinner only defends 45 points from the second round last year. If Sinner doesn't play in Paris, Djokovic will have the obligation to at least reach the final to remain as No. 1.

Points secured at the end of the French Open

Jannik Sinner: 8,725

Novak Djokovic: 7,860