ATP Tour

Sinner on reality of No. 1: ‘Everyone wants to beat you’

How is Jannik Sinner adjusting to being a part of one of tennis’ most exclusive clubs?

Sinner became the 29th No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings, and the first Italian to reach top spot, on 10 June 2024. Having comfortably retained his position ever since, he is just the fifth member of the ATP No. 1 Club — after Jimmy Connors, Lleyton Hewitt, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic — to spend more than 52 weeks in his first stint as World No. 1. It is illustrious company for a 23-year-old from the small village of San Candido to keep.

“It’s a huge honour for me, to be part of these names,” Sinner told ATPTour.com, when asked if he was becoming accustomed to featuring on such lists alongside some of the greatest players in tennis’ history. “On the other hand, I’m myself. I make my history for myself. Of course, it’s amazing company I am part of and as I always said, I would never have thought I would be in this position once in my life.

“It’s amazing now that I am there, and I know my potential and know that I can do it if I’m playing very well. Things have changed, that’s for sure, but it’s amazing to be part of these names.”

Having begun his 54th week as World No. 1 on Monday, Sinner has now surpassed Djokovic's first stint (53 weeks) as the world's top player. Despite the different feeling of being the frontrunner of the ATP Tour, Sinner says he has stuck to the same principles that got him to No. 1 during his first year at the top. It is an approach that certainly seems to be working.

“I don’t look at the rankings so much myself, because I feel like World No. 1, No. 2 or No. 3 is the result of what you work on, on a yearly basis,” explained the Italian. “You have to be very consistent, and my results have been amazing since last year until now, so we will try to push in that direction as long as we can.

“On the other hand, the most important thing for me is to improve as a player. I think I made some good progress since last year. I feel like I’m a better player, which for me is the most important. Of course, the result matters, but it’s quite relevant for me. I do enjoy being in this position.”

Number one with the winning ways 🔥@ATPHalle #ATPHalle @janniksin pic.twitter.com/U90BdYMkLK

— ATP Tour (@atptour) June 17, 2025

Sinner was speaking at the Terra Wortmann Open in Halle, where he made his debut as the No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings a year ago. The Italian went on to lift the trophy, his first on grass courts, that week at the German ATP 500, and he has barely stopped winning since.

According to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, Sinner is 59-5 since rising to World No. 1. He will aim to hit the 60-win mark as the world’s top player on Thursday in Halle, where he takes on another former champion at the ATP 500 in Alexander Bublik.

“I think it’s a very special tournament because I made my debut as No. 1 here, and this tournament also supported me over many years,” reflected Sinner ahead of his first-round win against Yannick Hanfmann. “I always enjoy playing here and the atmosphere is very nice, so I always enjoy coming back.

“Obviously things have changed since last year a little bit. The feeling is definitely different, being No. 1, because everyone wants to beat you and there are still a lot of players who still have that feeling. I think the position in the rankings is something someone works a lot to be in, and I’ve always tried to be the best I could.”