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Inside Jannik Sinner’s incredible rise to world number one

Originally posted on HITC | By James Shearman | Last updated Dec 27, 2025 11:11 AM ET

Jannik Sinner isn’t just one of the top players in the world right now; he’s already making his case as one of the all-time greats.

With four Grand Slam titles to his name and only 24 years old, it doesn’t look like he’ll be slowing down anytime soon.

If no one else steps up, it might just be him and Carlos Alcaraz running things at the top of the sport for years to come.

In this piece, The Tennis Gazette takes a closer look at Sinner’s journey through the rankings, highlighting his time at number one and where he’s finished each year.

A look back at Jannik Sinner’s world ranking timeline

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Jannik Sinner reached world number one for the first time following the 2024 French Open. Although he lost to Alcaraz in the semi-finals, it was enough to move him ahead of Novak Djokovic, who had withdrawn from the tournament before that stage.

The Italian then held onto the top ranking for 65 straight weeks before Carlos Alcaraz took over following his US Open win in 2025.

Sinner reclaimed the number one spot after winning the Paris Masters later that year, but this stint lasted just a week.

Sinner ended his first season on tour in 2018 ranked outside the top 500. Just a year later, he had climbed into the top 100.

He broke into the top ten by 2021 and has remained near the very top since then, including holding onto number one throughout much of 2024.

Records Jannik Sinner already holds

Sinner is expected to break plenty of records over his career. The only thing that might hold him back is longevity.

But even now, he holds some impressive marks already. He became the youngest male player to reach all four Grand Slam finals in a single year and has added more notable achievements since then.