Jannik Sinner’s chances of maintaining his position as the top-ranked player in the world have received a significant boost with the news that his closest competitors will not be participating in the Canadian Open.
The North American hard-court swing has officially begun, with several ATP stars already in Montreal, Canada, preparing for the 1000-level tournament. This year, the event will commence on Tuesday, August 6th, due to the scheduling conflicts caused by the Olympic Games.
However, as anticipated, some prominent players will be absent from the tournament due to their involvement in the Olympics. Two of these players are Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz, who will be competing in the gold medal match in Paris on Sunday.
Both Djokovic and Alcaraz will be representing their respective countries in the main event of the Olympic tennis tournament, as they strive to secure their first gold medal. Djokovic, at the age of 37, will become the oldest Olympic singles finalist in history, while Alcaraz, at 21, will be the youngest finalist since 1988.
Despite participating in his fifth Olympics, Djokovic has yet to win a gold or silver medal in his previous four appearances. However, this year presents an opportunity for him to secure Serbia’s best-ever podium finish at the Games.
On the other hand, Alcaraz has the chance to make history by emulating his fellow countryman Rafael Nadal’s achievement of winning a gold medal at the Olympics. Following his impressive victory over Djokovic in the Wimbledon final, he is considered the clear favorite.
Both players will undoubtedly prioritize rest and recovery after an exhausting week of clay-court tennis. Neither of them participated in any warm-up tournaments following their encounter at SW19.
Djokovic and Alcaraz were still in contention for the No. 1 ranking at the conclusion of the Canadian Open in Montreal. However, Jannik Sinner, who withdrew from the Olympics due to illness, will have the opportunity to defend his title in Canada.
When the tournament begins, Sinner will lose 1000 points. Djokovic did not compete in the event when it was held in Toronto last year, giving him a chance to gain 1000 points and close the gap on the Italian’s precarious lead.
In contrast, Alcaraz reached the quarterfinals in Canada last year and will only lose 180 points. Meanwhile, Sinner will drop 1000 points, leaving him with a total of 8580 points (he will automatically retain 10 points for receiving a first-round bye).
Although Djokovic and Alcaraz did not earn any ranking points from the Olympics, they would have started the summer hard-court season with 8460 and 7950 points, respectively.
With a deficit of only 120 points, the 37-year-old Djokovic, who has previously won the Canadian Open four times, had a better chance of reclaiming the top spot in the world rankings compared to Alcaraz.
But with their nonattendance, Sinner will no longer be required to defend the championship in order to maintain his position as the top-ranked player in the world. Nevertheless, the Italian, who will soon celebrate his 23rd birthday, will prolong his reign for a period of ten weeks or more (currently standing at eight weeks as the reigning No. 1).
The official announcement for the 2024 tournament has been made public. Sinner will commence his journey in the tournament during the second round, where he will face either Pedro Martinez or a player who has successfully navigated the qualifying rounds. It is anticipated that he will potentially encounter Daniil Medvedev in the semifinal round.
Photo from Jannik Sinner Instagram
