FILE PHOTO: Tennis - Halle Open - OWL Arena, Halle, Germany - June 23, 2024 Italy's Jannik Sinner in action during the final against Poland's Hubert Hurkacz REUTERS/Leon Kuegeler
(Reuters) - Jannik Sinner goes into a Grand Slam as the top-ranked player for the first time at Wimbledon and the red-hot Italian can put more distance between himself and the chasing pack by winning his second major trophy of the year.
After lifting his maiden Grand Slam title at the Australian Open, Sinner became the first Italian man to reach the summit of men's tennis after Novak Djokovic's withdrawal due to injury in the French Open quarter-finals earlier this month.
Sinner, who was defeated by eventual champion Carlos Alcaraz in the Roland Garros semi-finals, would have preferred to secure the top spot a bit differently but the 22-year-old has been in peak form with triumphs in Rotterdam, Miami and Halle.
"For sure, it means a lot to me. Being world number one, it means you had a great year. Actually, an incredible year with a lot of success and obviously I'm happy about this," said Sinner, the 29th man to climb to take the world number one ranking.
"On the other hand, you always have tournaments. You have to play the biggest tournaments. That's a huge privilege to be part of and I'm just looking forward to the next challenges."
Sinner's vastly-improved serve and endurance have been a feature of his game since he began working with Darren Cahill and the Italian can pack a punch on either flank despite his reed-thin frame.
He showcased those qualities again by winning his first title on grass in Halle, which has primed him for more success at the All England Club even if the grasscourt conditions are likely to be vastly different in London.
With Alcaraz's second-round defeat by Jack Draper at Queen's Club last week and seven-times champion Djokovic on his comeback after having knee surgery earlier this month, Sinner is determined to consolidate his position at the top.
"This is everyone's dream, to be in that position," said Sinner, who reached last year's Wimbledon semi-finals before losing to eventual runner-up Djokovic.
"Being number one in the world is an achievement you build in one year's time. And now obviously, we'll see how much I can stay there, and then that's a different challenge."
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
