Jannik Sinner one-ups Rafael Nadal with feat Novak Djokovic will never match

Jannik Sinner is about to surpass an impressive Rafael Nadal landmark that players only get one chance to set. The Italian became the 29th male player in the Open Era to reach world No. 1 status last June, and his superb run of tournament results has kept him there ever since.

Sinner is now in the 56th week of his first spell at the top of the rankings. And the only player with a hope of catching him in the short term, Carlos Alcaraz, is defending maximum ranking points at Wimbledon following his 2024 victory at the All England Club. Given that Sinner only has 400 points to defend after falling in last year's quarter-finals, he could theoretically fare worse than Alcaraz at this year's tournament and still widen his rankings advantage.

The situation guarantees that Sinner will still be on top of the pile once Wimbledon concludes, meaning his tenure will extend to at least 58 weeks. That means Nadal will be left in the dust as his first stint as world No. 1 ended after 56 weeks, according to Gazzetta dello Sport.

And given that players only get one opportunity to enjoy a first spell at the top, it also means that the player many consider to be the greatest of all time - Novak Djokovic - will never get another chance to match Sinner.

Djokovic's first stint began in 2011 and he was knocked off his perch by Roger Federer after 53 weeks.

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A surprise entrant sits ahead of Sinner on the all-time list, with Lleyton Hewitt staying there for 75 weeks the first time he reached world No. 1. But the player at the summit may never be caught.

Because after Federer first topped the pile in February 2004, he stayed there for more than four years - a whopping total of 237 unbroken weeks. Sinner pressing on and matching that would take some doing given the scope Alcaraz has to regain top spot over the coming months.

Alcaraz may be defending maximum points at Wimbledon but from this point in the season onwards the vast majority are Sinner's to defend. Alcaraz got his Wimbledon campaign off to an unconvincing start on Monday, when he required five sets to get past Italian veteran Fabio Fognini.

Sinner was drawn against a younger, speedier opponent in Luca Nardi as the top seed goes in search of his first SW19 crown.

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