Novak Djokovic has endured a torrid 2024, whilst Jannik Sinner is enjoying the season of his life.
It has been a hugely contrasting past few months for the duo, who actually saw the latter’s success kickstarted with a semi-final victory in Melbourne over the Serbian on his way to that Australian Open title.
And despite the comparisons between their unspectacular but supremely proficient play styles, at the moment the two could not be more opposite.
Sinner will be hoping that continues at Roland Garros next week as he seeks to usurp him at the top of the ATP world rankings.
Novak Djokovic has to make a run at Roland Garros
Djokovic, after his barren run of form which resulted in yet another early exit last week, has unsurprisingly seen his rankings points wane.
It was always going to be a tough task for him to maintain his form of 2023, which saw him win three out of the four Grand Slams and lose the final in the other, but his work in the lesser tournaments has been uncharacteristically poor too this year.
As such, he has allowed Sinner to sneak up on him, and ahead of the French Open, he has it all to do.
After all, it was revealed that unless he reaches at least the final of the competition, the Italian star will become the new world number one regardless of how far he goes in Paris.
Jannik Sinner will have his eyes set on the ultimate prize
Having already claimed his first Grand Slam title in January, Sinner is enjoying the best season of his career thus far.
And what’s even more remarkable is that he has done so with a persisting injury which has even ruled him out of playing in the ongoing Rome Open in front of his home crowd.
It likely marked a hammer blow for the 22-year-old, but in order to be fit for Roland Garros, sacrifices had to be made. Especially after he revealed the extent of his hip ailment.
But with the world number one mantle firmly in his sights, now is the time to push.
He will be eyeing that ultimate prize, and potentially could do so at Roland Garros by adding another Major title to his ever-expanding trophy cabinet.
After all, this is a draw severely weakened when compared to previous years, with Andy Roddick having even been left stunned by the injuries sustained across the board.
Should Sinner’s recovery have been a success, he could achieve this feat to leapfrog Djokovic whilst winning another illustrious title.
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