Jannik Sinner has earned the distinction of being the top seed at a Masters 1000 event on the ATP tour for the first time. Sinner received the top seeding after Novak Djokovic, who was expected to be the top seed at the Madrid Open, withdrew at the last minute. Sinner is considered one of the rising stars in men’s tennis, alongside Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev, and has already experienced success at the highest levels of the sport, winning a Grand Slam and numerous singles titles.
Djokovic recently announced that he would not be participating in this year’s Madrid Open, an event he also withdrew from last season. Bastien Fachan shared on his X (formerly Twitter) account that Djokovic’s withdrawal has opened up the top seed position for Italy’s Jannik Sinner, marking the first time Sinner will hold this title at a Masters 1000 event.
Sinner has only played in Madrid twice, participating in a total of 5 matches at the Madrid Open but never advancing beyond the third round. Clay has been a weaker surface for Sinner, with only one of his 13 career titles coming on the surface and a win percentage of 69%. Sinner has yet to win a Masters 1000 title on clay, and his best performance at Roland Garros came in 2020 when he reached the quarterfinals before losing to eventual champion Rafael Nadal.
However, Sinner is experiencing a career-defining season in 2024, winning his first Grand Slam by defeating Daniil Medvedev in the final after being two sets down. With his victory, Sinner joined an elite group of eight players who have won a Grand Slam final after trailing by two sets. Since Sinner did not play in Madrid last season, this year’s tournament offers a promising opportunity for the Italian to close the gap with Djokovic in the ATP rankings by performing well in the Spanish capital.
