Jannik Sinner benefits from Novak Djokovic's Madrid Open withdrawal, becomes No. 1 seed at Masters 1000 event for the first time
Jannik Sinner earned the privilege of being the top seed at a Masters 1000 event on the ATP tour for the first time. The Italian got the top seeding as Novak Djokovic, who was the projected top seed at the Madrid Open, pulled out at the last moment.
Jannik Sinner has been one of the players to watch out for in men's tennis alongside Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev. The Italian has already tasted success at the highest levels of the ATP Tour, winning a Grand Slam along with multiple singles titles.
Novak Djokovic recently announced that he would not participate in this year's Madrid Open. Notably, the Serb had withdrawn from the tournament last season as well.
Bastien Fachan shared on his X (formerly Twitter) account, that Djokovic's withdrawal opens up the top seed position for Italy's Jannik Sinner.
"Following Djokovic's withdrawal from Madrid, Sinner will be the No.1 seed at a Masters 1000 for the first time of his career"
Jannik Sinner has played in Madrid only twice
Jannik Sinner has played a total of 5 matches at the Madrid Open and is yet to make it past the third round. He lost to Alexei Popryn and Felix Auger Aliassame in 2021 and 2022, respectively.
Clay has been a weak surface for Sinner in his career so far, with a modest win percentage of 69% and only one of his 13 career titles coming on the surface. Yet to win a Masters 1000 title on the clay, his best Roland Garros result has been the run to the quarterfinals in 2020, where he lost to eventual champion Rafael Nadal.
However. Sinner is having a career-defining season in 2024. The Italian won his maiden Grand Slam by defeating Daniil Medvedev in the final while being two sets down. With this win, Sinner joined the coveted club of eight players who have won a Grand Slam final after being two sets down.
Since Sinner did not play at Madrid last season, it is a promising opportunity for the Italian to close the gap to Djokovic in the ATP rankings with a good showing in the Spanish capital.