Jannik Sinner admits he doesn’t focus on his world ranking after becoming the fifth player to spend more than 52 weeks as world No.1 during their first stint.
The Italian has consistently held the top spot since June 2024 and is the only player from his country to have become the world No. 1 on the ATP Tour. During this period, Sinner has won six ATP titles, including both the Australian Open and US Open. He was also runner-up at the French Open to Carlos Alcaraz.
Sinner didn’t play for three months earlier this year after being suspended for violating anti-doping rules. However, the current rule book states that a player’s position in the rankings is not affected when they are suspended.
“I don’t look at the rankings so much myself, because I feel like World No. 1, No. 2 or No. 3 is the result of what you work on, on a yearly basis,” Sinner told atptour.com. “You have to be very consistent, and my results have been amazing since last year until now, so we will try to push in that direction as long as we can.
“On the other hand, the most important thing for me is to improve as a player. I think I made some good progress since last year. I feel like I’m a better player, which for me is the most important. Of course, the result matters, but it’s quite relevant for me. I do enjoy being in this position.”
The 23-year-old is currently playing in Halle in what is his first tournament since losing in the French Open final. In the title match against Alcaraz, he had a two-set lead and three championship points in the fourth set before getting defeated.
Sinner returned to winning ways on Tuesday with a 7-5, 6-3, win over Yannick Hanfmann. His next match will be against Alexander Bublik, who he recently defeated in straight sets at Roland Garros. Bublik is a former champion in Halle.
“I think it’s a very special tournament because I made my debut as No. 1 here, and this tournament also supported me over many years,” he said. “I always enjoy playing here and the atmosphere is very nice, so I always enjoy coming back.
“Obviously things have changed since last year a little bit. The feeling is definitely different, being No. 1, because everyone wants to beat you and there are still a lot of players who still have that feeling. I think the position in the rankings is something someone works a lot to be in, and I’ve always tried to be the best I could.”
Sinner joins Jimmy Connors, Lleyton Hewitt, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic as the only players to spend a year or more as No.1 in their first stint. The record is currently held by Roger Federer who made his No.1 debut on February 2nd, 2004 and held the position until August 17th, 2008 (237 weeks).
