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Alexander Zverev recently weighed in on the probability of Jannik Sinner claiming the top spot in the ATP rankings before the 2024 season ends.
Both Zverev and Sinner have reached the semifinals of the ongoing Miami Open. The German defeated Fabian Marozsan 6-3, 7-5 in his quarterfinal effort whereas Sinner downed Tomas Machac 6-4, 6-2 to record his 20th win in 21 matches so far in 2024.
The two will play their respective semifinal matches on Friday, March 29. Zverev will clash with Grigor Dimitrov and Sinner will be up against defending champion Daniil Medvedev in a rematch of last year's final.
After his win over Marozsan, Zverev was asked by the journalists in the press room in Miami to comment on Jannik Sinner's current form and the possibility that the Italian may become the World No. 1 in the men's singles rankings in 2024.
The German in his reply joked that Sinner "sucked" before likening his start to the new season to the ones produced by the likes of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer in their respective primes. He said:
"No. I think he sucks.Look, he won the Australian Open, won Rotterdam, and he's what, 19-1 [20-1] so far this year? I think if you have these kind of statistics, it's very logical that you're on the right path and you're on the way to be there, right?
"Do I think that he's going to be as unbeatable as he is so far this year? I don't know. Because right now he's lost one match. It's unbelievable. It's like a statistic like Djokovic started in his best years. Federer started like this in his best years. Rafa started like this I think once in his career."
"If Jannik Sinner keeps it like that, he's not only going to be No. 1 in the world, he's going to be No. 1 for the next ten years" - Alexander Zverev
Further in his aforementioned statement at the Miami Open, Alexander Zverev claimed that Jannik Sinner would dominate the ATP rankings in the next decade if he manages to recreate the performances he has produced in 2024 thus far.
"If he keeps it like that, then he's not only going to be No. 1 in the world, he's going to be No. 1 in the world for the next ten years. But it's up to him and it's also up to me, up to Carlos, up to Daniil, up to Novak as well to stop him from doing that," Zverev said.
Zverev continued:
"Of course, he's somebody that we now probably look out for, you know, one of two or three players that we look out for the most. We study him, we try to understand his game, we try to understand what can make him feel uncomfortable. And we'll see if we can use it."
Notably, Alexander Zverev has played against Jannik Sinner five times thus far and maintains a lead of 4-1 in terms of the head-to-head.
