Sinner, very close to securing the number 1 until the end of the year

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Jannik Sinner's dominance on the ATP circuit is beginning to take on historical dimensions. The Italian not only reigns with authority over the current state of men's tennis but also has one of the great objectives of any champion well within reach: finishing the season as the world number 1. Despite many months of competition still ahead, the lead of the transalpine over his pursuers is starting to look almost insurmountable.

The absence of Alcaraz throughout the grass court swing has dealt a severe blow in the race for the ATP throne. So much so that even in a scenario nearly perfect for the Spaniard upon his return—winning Canada, Cincinnati, and the US Open—Sinner would still be ahead of him, even if the Italian did not secure a single victory in that stretch of the calendar. According to current projections, the margin would still be 290 points in favor of the Italian, a statistic that clearly shows the size of the cushion built by Sinner in this absolutely dominant 2026.

The year of Sinner's tyranny

The sense of absolute dominance is no coincidence. Sinner is possibly experiencing the peak of his career and one of the most authoritative seen in the ATP in a long time. The Italian has won five out of five Masters 1000 events this season, has clinched six consecutive titles in this category, and has just completed the Golden Masters, conquering all nine existing Masters 1000 tournaments on the circuit.

Adding to this is an even more ambitious goal: completing the Career Grand Slam at Roland Garros. After already triumphing in Australia, Wimbledon, and the US Open, Paris now represents the missing piece to his collection. Moreover, it comes in a context that is hardly improvable for him, with Alcaraz injured and unable to defend the title he won last year.

Close to the historic top 10

Beyond the current rankings, Sinner's significant dominance is also beginning to be reflected in the history books. Currently, the Italian has spent 72 weeks as number one, placing him in the 12th spot historically, an impressive feat considering that, at 24 years old, he is just entering the prime of his career.

If he manages to finish this year at the top, Sinner would reach approximately 90 weeks as world number 1, a figure that would allow him to surpass legends like Stefan Edberg (72 weeks) and Lleyton Hewitt (80 weeks) to firmly enter the historic top 10.

The next target also does not seem unattainable. Ahead lie Andre Agassi, with 101 weeks, and Björn Borg, with 109. However, a considerable leap would begin towards the absolute elite of history as the seventh-ranked is John McEnroe with 170 weeks at the top of the ATP ranking.

When could Alcaraz reclaim the number 1 spot?

On paper, it is still mathematically possible. However, the scenario appears extremely challenging for the Spaniard. To think that Alcaraz will win all major tournaments upon his return while Sinner falls in early rounds of Masters 1000 and Grand Slams borders more on fiction than reality.

Furthermore, the Italian could widen the gap even further for the remainder of this season, enabling him to maintain his number 1 status for much of 2027, despite the significant number of points he will have to defend then. Alcaraz is closely trailing Sinner in the historical ranking of weeks at number one, currently occupying the 13th spot with 66 weeks.

Nevertheless, the priority should be to return well and fully recovered after a complicated injury. All indications suggest that the Spaniard will not be in a position to wrest the world tennis throne from Sinner until the clay season next year, but in tennis, everything moves very swiftly. For now, all we can do is wait.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Sinner, muy cerca de tener asegurado el número 1 hasta final de año