Jannik Sinner is set to maintain his World number one ranking when he returns and he has made history in the process.
The Italian has been out of action since defending his Australian Open title in January due to a doping suspension.
Sinner’s ban commenced in February and it will come to an end on May 4, in time for him to return at the Italian Open.
As he prepares to return to the ATP Tour in front of his home fans, the 23-year-old has now joined an exclusive club that now features just five players.
Jannik Sinner reaches ATP milestone
Sinner took over from Novak Djokovic as the World number one during the 2024 French Open.
During this campaign Sinner reached the semi-final at Roland Garros, which was his best run at the Grand Slam in his career.
Since then Sinner has won two Grand Slam titles, two Masters 1000 titles and the ATP Finals, and though he has not played for the last three months, his lead at the top of the rankings is still a healthy one.
Sinner has now been at the top of the rankings for 52 successive weeks, and he is just the fifth player to have an opening run as the World number one for this length of time.
The other players to have achieved this feat are Djokovic, Roger Federer, Jimmy Connors and Lleyton Hewitt.
Jannik Sinner achieves ATP milestone as Carlos Alcaraz withdraws from Madrid Open
While Sinner has achieved a special milestone despite not playing since January, his rival Carlos Alcaraz has suffered a big blow.
On Thursday the Spaniard held a press conference where he announced that he has withdrawn from the Madrid Open.
He injured his hamstring and groin during Sunday’s Barcelona Open final and Alcaraz is now unable to compete on home soil in Madrid.
“I couldn’t practice the entire week and found out I had hamstring and groin injuries. I needed to listen to my body and make the right decision,” Alcaraz said.
“On Monday I’ll have more medical tests and after that we will have a better idea on how long I’ll be out. It hurts me not to be able to play here in Madrid in front of my people, my friends and my family.”
Receive exclusive tennis news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
