Sinner: "The ranking is just a number"

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Today, Jannik Sinner had to endure in the round of 16 of the ATP Doha 2026 against Alexei Popyrin, but he managed to solve the situation to reach the quarterfinals. This allows him to keep earning points to shorten the gap with Carlos Alcaraz in the race to be number one. The Italian spoke about the ranking right after the match, and what he needs to improve if he wants to win the tournament.

Obviously, Jannik Sinner is one of the top contenders to win the title in Qatar, but he knows he has to bring a better version of himself to defeat his upcoming opponents. Nonetheless, the world number two has 50 wins in his last 54 ATP matches, only losing to Griekspoor (retired), twice to Alcaraz, and once to Novak Djokovic at the past Australian Open. Furthermore, with his victory over Popyrin, he now has 50 consecutive wins against opponents ranked above the top 50, and when asked about it, he shared his honest opinion.

"I just try to give my best. I respect all the players. But I always try to play my best tennis if I can. I know that, in the end, the ranking is just a number. I think everyone is playing with a lot of intensity and quality. When opponents don't have much to lose, they feel a bit freer. You always have to be very, very focused. I am happy, it's a great start to the season again. We try to improve little things and hope this helps us tomorrow," he stated.

Sinner recognizes he will have to raise the level in the ATP Doha

In the second set, the match with Popyrin was extremely tight, reaching 5-5 with everything on the line. However, at that moment, it was Sinner who relied on experience and handled the nerves better than Popyrin to finally close the match at 7-5. "I started really well in the first set, didn't have many issues with my service games. Then it got a bit harder for me. I felt he had raised his level, and I lost a bit of rhythm and confidence. He made a couple of errors, which helped me get the crucial break," he acknowledged.

Still, the player from San Candido was satisfied with his performance, ending with a clear message to himself. "I'm very happy. We have to find different ways to win matches. Obviously, now we need to aim to raise our level. Every day is different. Let's see what the future holds." The future holds a quarterfinal clash against Jakub Mensik, where he will need to improve his performance to avoid a surprise.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Sinner: "El ránking es solo un número"