Jannik Sinner reaches Roland-Garros semi-finals, set to become new world No.1 after Novak Djokovic's withdrawal
Men's tennis has a new world No.1.
Twenty-two-year-old Jannik Sinner will become the first Italian man to reach the top on the ATP Tour when the new rankings come out Monday (10 June).
Sinner secured a spot in the French Open 2024 semi-finals at Roland-Garros on Tuesday (4 June), beating Grigor Dimitrov 6-2 6-4 7-6(3) in the men's singles quarters.
Regardless, he had already been assured the top spot, with current world No.1 Novak Djokovic's announcement that he was withdrawing from the tournament due to a knee injury. Djokovic, 37, incurred his injury on Monday (3 June) in his fourth round match against Francisco Cerundolo, which was his second gruelling straight five-set victory.
Djokovic said an MRI had revealed a torn medial meniscus in his right knee. The severity of the tear will determine Djokovic's recovery timeline. He plans to have surgery in France with the aim of recovering in time for next month's Olympic Games Paris 2024, but that would likely rule him out of Wimbledon.
Casper Ruud receives a bye into the semis after Djokovic's withdrawal, awaiting the winner of Olympic champion Alexander Zverev and Alex De Minaur. Sinner will play either Carlos Alcaraz or Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Sinner has had a year full of firsts. In January he became the first Italian man to win a Grand Slam singles title, too, beating Djokovic and then Daniil Medvedev for the Australian Open crown in Melbourne.
