Sinner set to surpass Andy Murray in weeks at No. 1: just a matter of time

World No. 1 Jannik Sinner is facing a challenging period after accepting a three-month suspension from the Tour. The Italian reached an agreement with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) for a reduced sanction, avoiding a trial that could have resulted in a one- or two-year ban if found guilty.

Sinner has maintained his innocence, as confirmed by the investigation conducted by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA). However, to finally put everything behind him, the three-time Grand Slam champion began his suspension on February 9.

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As a result, he missed the Qatar Open last week and will also skip four Masters 1000 events: Indian Wells, Miami Open, Monte-Carlo Masters, and Madrid Open. He is set to return for his home Masters in Rome before heading to Paris to prepare for Roland Garros.

Despite his absence, Sinner is guaranteed to remain at the top of the rankings at least until April, ensuring that he returns as World No. 1 after his suspension. He has already surpassed Carlos Alcaraz’s 36 weeks at No. 1 and continues to extend his reign.

Sinner will lose 1,000 points after the Miami Open, but will remain No. 1 in the rankings.

Both Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev had opportunities to take over the top spot, but they needed nearly perfect campaigns given the points they must defend compared to Sinner. The Italian had some of his "weakest" results during last year's clay swing—reaching the semifinals in Monte-Carlo and the quarterfinals in Madrid.

By the time he returns, Sinner will have spent 44 weeks as World No. 1, placing him 13th among the 29 players who have reached the top since the start of the Open Era. During this time away, he will surpass Ilie Nastase (40), Andy Murray (41), and Guga Kuerten (43) in total weeks at No. 1.

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However, these three months give Alcaraz and Zverev a chance to close the gap. Alcaraz is defending his Indian Wells title, as well as quarterfinal runs in Miami and Madrid, but has no points to defend in Monte-Carlo, having skipped the event last year. Zverev, on the other hand, defends quarterfinals in Indian Wells, a semifinal in Miami, and round-of-16 finishes in Monte-Carlo, Madrid, and Munich.

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