ATP No. 1 Club: Sinner thrives under the weight of being World No. 1

Shakespeare wrote that 'uneasy lies the head that wears a crown'. Jannik Sinner, however, may take issue with that signature line from Henry IV Part 2.

The Italian has flourished since becoming the sport’s leading man since rising to No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings on 10 June last year. Despite playing with extra pressure and expectation, Sinner has produced some jaw-dropping numbers in the past 31 weeks. There are many reasons to believe the dominance will continue in 2025, beginning with the Australian Open.

Since becoming the first Italian man and 29th player in history (since 1973) to rise to the top, Sinner has amassed a 40-3 match record according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index. That 93 per cent winning rate compares favourably to his career win/loss mark of 76.7 per cent.

Of the eight tournaments he played last year as World No. 1, Sinner won five: Halle, Cincinnati, US Open, Shanghai and the Nitto ATP Finals. He also spearheaded Italy’s triumphant Davis Cup title defense.

Despite the success, Sinner still reflects on 2024 as somewhat of a learning year and indicated that he’ll be even better equipped to handle the pressure of being No. 1 in the new season.

“With 23 years old, you don't know exactly what the right thing is to do sometimes. I think I learned from last year,” Sinner said on the eve of his Australian Open title defense. “We're going to make it much, much better also this year.”

 Sinner As World No. 1

Sinner’s remarkable success during his reign at No. 1 contrasts with the early struggles his great rival Carlos Alcaraz had after he ascended to No. 1 for the first time by winning the 2022 US Open. The Spaniard notched a modest 6-4 match record post-US Open through the Rolex Paris Masters, where injury brought an early end to his season. He surrendered top spot at the beginning of the 2023 Australian Open, which he was unable to play.

For Sinner, it’s been nothing but sunshine. “It was a massive change. Many, many things have changed,” he said. “Last year there were so many first times. Not only first time winning Grand Slam, but also the year before first time of Davis Cup. Then after becoming World No. 1, then winning also the year-end [Nitto ATP] Finals.”

Regardless of results at the Australian Open, Sinner is guaranteed to increase his streak to 34 weeks in his initial streak as No. 1. Just four players spent more than 52 weeks in their debut at No. 1: Roger Federer (237 weeks), Jimmy Connors (160), Lleyton Hewitt (75) and Novak Djokovic (53).