Jannik Sinner showed his class as he learned that he would officially become the new world No. 1 on Monday following Novak Djokovic’s withdrawal from the French Open. The pair were in a two-man race for the top spot at Roland Garros.
And Sinner’s fate was sealed when Djokovic pulled out of the tournament after an MRI scan showed that he had torn the medial meniscus in his right knee after injuring himself in his fourth-round match.
But the 22-year-old didn’t want to take the moment away from the 24-time Grand Slam champion, wishing Djokovic a speech recovery as soon as he learned the news.
Sinner booked his spot in his maiden French Open semi-final on Tuesday, defeating Grigor Dimitrov in straight sets. While he was on the court, Djokovic pulled out of the tournament and ensured that Sinner would become the first Italian No. 1 in ATP history as of next Monday.
The Australian Open champion was informed of his new status as the top man in tennis during his on-court interview with Fabrice Santoro. But he didn’t want to celebrate at the expense of Djokovic’s health.
“What can I say? First of all it’s every player’s dream to become No. 1 in the world,” he started, before turning his attention to the 24-time Major winner. “In the other way, seeing Novak retiring here, I think it’s for everyone disappointing so I wish him a speedy recovery.”
The second seed has also tried to focus on the tournament instead of the battle for the No. 1 spot. And his approach hasn’t changed after securing the ranking. He continued: “I tried to not think so much about this because this is a tournament where I used to struggle a lot, especially the last two years.
“So I’m happy to be in the semi-finals, I’m gonna enjoy and I will try to play my best tennis as I can.” Sinner went on to thank his team and his supporters after his milestone achievement, but he quickly turned the attention back to the semi-final.
“Thanks to my team that they make all this process possible because without them it’s impossible. And also without you guys it’s a huge – it’s a special moment for me and I’m very happy to share this with you guys, all the guys who are watching at home, espcially from Italy. And let’s see Friday what I can do,” he added.
There were already doubts over the future of Djokovic’s French Open title defence when he injured his knee on Monday night. The reigning champion in Paris later confessed that he considered retiring from the match and still didn’t know whether he’d be ready for his next match.
After having further medical tests on Tuesday, the tournament announced his withdrawal. ” Due to a torn medial meniscus in his right knee (discovered during an MRI scan performed today), Novak Djokovic, who was supposed to play Casper Ruud in the quarterfinals tomorrow, has been forced to withdraw from the Roland-Garros tournament,” the French Open statement read.