Sinner Proud to Spearhead Italian Movement After Taking Top Ranking 

Jannik Sinner of Italy celebrates winning his Men's Singles quarterfinal match against Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria during the French Open Grand Slam tennis tournament at Roland Garros in Paris, France, 04 June 2024. (EPA)
Jannik Sinner of Italy celebrates winning his Men's Singles quarterfinal match against Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria during the French Open Grand Slam tennis tournament at Roland Garros in Paris, France, 04 June 2024. (EPA)
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Sinner Proud to Spearhead Italian Movement After Taking Top Ranking 

Jannik Sinner of Italy celebrates winning his Men's Singles quarterfinal match against Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria during the French Open Grand Slam tennis tournament at Roland Garros in Paris, France, 04 June 2024. (EPA)
Jannik Sinner of Italy celebrates winning his Men's Singles quarterfinal match against Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria during the French Open Grand Slam tennis tournament at Roland Garros in Paris, France, 04 June 2024. (EPA)

Jannik Sinner took an unexpected path to the world number one ranking on Tuesday after Novak Djokovic's French Open withdrawal but the youngster said it was the culmination of years of hard work and represented a proud moment for Italy.

Sinner arrived at Roland Garros needing to reach the final to assure himself of the top spot next week but got confirmation when organizers announced that Djokovic had pulled out with a knee injury sustained in his fourth-round win on Monday.

It meant the 22-year-old, who was informed of the news shortly after his 6-2 6-4 7-6(3) quarter-final win over Grigor Dimitrov, becomes the first Italian man to achieve the feat.

"It means a lot to me for sure. It's not the way we all were expecting. He (Djokovic) had two long, tough matches, five sets, so it's tough. The first one he finished really late also," Sinner told reporters.

"It's tough also for the tournament. Novak retiring, it's always tough. Talking about myself, I'm very happy about this achievement. It's a lot of work we put in daily. It's a daily routine. Obviously happy to have this number.

"In two days there's a very important match for me, the semi-finals (against Carlos Alcaraz), so I'm focused about that at the moment. But yes, happy to have this number now."

Sinner, who guided Italy to the Davis Cup title last year, said the country deserved its recent successes.

"It means a lot, but I think it's great for Italy. We're a great country with great coaches and players and we can see this now how this moment is," Sinner said.

"I'm happy to be part of this Italian movement. People, they start to play tennis now more and more, which is great to see. I think that's the most important."

Sinner's game has moved to another level since he started to work with Darren Cahill, who with Simone Vagnozzi helped him win his maiden Grand Slam title at the Australian Open.

"We started to work now nearly two years (ago). It's a huge pleasure for me to have him. I still remember the first week we had in Eastbourne on grass. Immediately I had good feelings with him because he has a lot of experience obviously," Sinner said.

"I know he brought different kind of players to world number one. He had great achievements also with different players. He knows how to adapt to each player and I think this is a quality that's amazing.

"Him and also the combination with Simone is really good. They're two different coaches, but they work together well. They are humble and they respect each other. The combination is very good. I'm lucky to have both of them and the rest of the team."



Bayer Leverkusen Misses Chances in a 0-0 with Stuttgart in Bundesliga

 Stuttgart's goalkeeper Alexander Nuebel shouts to Stuttgart's Anrie Chase who defends the ball against Leverkusen's Victor Boniface during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Bayer Leverkusen and VfB Stuttgart at the BayArena in Leverkusen, Germany, Friday, Nov. 1, 2024. (AP)
Stuttgart's goalkeeper Alexander Nuebel shouts to Stuttgart's Anrie Chase who defends the ball against Leverkusen's Victor Boniface during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Bayer Leverkusen and VfB Stuttgart at the BayArena in Leverkusen, Germany, Friday, Nov. 1, 2024. (AP)
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Bayer Leverkusen Misses Chances in a 0-0 with Stuttgart in Bundesliga

 Stuttgart's goalkeeper Alexander Nuebel shouts to Stuttgart's Anrie Chase who defends the ball against Leverkusen's Victor Boniface during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Bayer Leverkusen and VfB Stuttgart at the BayArena in Leverkusen, Germany, Friday, Nov. 1, 2024. (AP)
Stuttgart's goalkeeper Alexander Nuebel shouts to Stuttgart's Anrie Chase who defends the ball against Leverkusen's Victor Boniface during the German Bundesliga soccer match between Bayer Leverkusen and VfB Stuttgart at the BayArena in Leverkusen, Germany, Friday, Nov. 1, 2024. (AP)

Bayer Leverkusen did everything except score against Stuttgart in a lively 0-0 draw in the Bundesliga on Friday ahead of Champions League games for both next week.

Leverkusen hit the woodwork twice, forced repeated saves from Stuttgart goalkeeper Alexander Nübel, and saw Jeremie Frimpong’s goal ruled out for offside in the buildup.

Leverkusen is third on the table but could end the weekend seven points off the lead if Bayern Munich or Leipzig win their games on Saturday.

Stuttgart had few clear chances against a Leverkusen defense which has made some costly blunders and conceded at least once in all of its previous Bundesliga games this season.

However, it was also the first game this season in which Leverkusen failed to score and fourth draw in its last six games in all competitions. The closest Leverkusen came to scoring was when Victor Boniface blasted a shot against the post in the 53rd from a good position.

Missed chances are a recurring theme in a season where Xabi Alonso’s team has failed often to produce the kind of late winning goals that fueled its title win last season.

Leverkusen heads to Liverpool on Tuesday in the Champions League and Stuttgart hosts Atalanta on Wednesday.