Novak Djokovic’s defeat to Alejandro Tabilo in Rome will make the Italian Jannik Sinner the virtual leader of the ranking at Roland Garros when last year’s points are deducted.
Novak Djokovic’s defeat to Alejandro Tabilo in the third round of the Rome Masters 1000 could also have implications for the Serbian in terms of rankings, as it might temporarily halt his 424 weeks at the top of the leaderboard.
A potential overtaking could be led by Italian Jannik Sinner, who was absent in Rome due to injury, but now has a strong chance of entering Roland Garros as the number one after Djokovic’s loss in Rome.
In the live ATP rankings, Djokovic is listed with 9,860 points to Sinner’s 8,770, so the Serbian holds a lead of 1,090 points over the Italian.
However, it will be Sinner who arrives at Roland Garros as the virtual ranking leader with 8,725 points, while Djokovic will enter Paris with 7,860, as the virtual ranking deducts the points accumulated by the players last year before each tournament (in Sinner’s case 45 for falling in the second round and in Djokovic’s case 2,000 as the champion).
Thus, all the pressure in the fight for number one will be on Djokovic, since if the Serbian does not reach the Roland Garros final, Sinner will automatically emerge as number one from Paris regardless of his performance in the French Grand Slam, according to AS.
Sinner would also become number one if he reaches the semifinals and Djokovic does not win the final. Djokovic would retain the number one spot if he wins Roland Garros and Sinner does not reach the final, and if he reaches the final and Sinner falls in the quarterfinals or earlier.
If Sinner reaches the Roland Garros final against Djokovic, the Italian would also leave Paris as number one, either as runner-up (with 10,025 points) or as champion, where he would be positioned with 10,725 points and his second Grand Slam title, after winning the Australian Open this past January.
