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."



Zverev Dispatches Humbert in Straight Sets to Win Paris Masters

Germany's Alexander Zverev poses with the trophy after winning the men's singles final match on day seven of the Paris ATP Masters 1000 tennis tournament at the Accor Arena - Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy - in Paris on November 3, 2024. (Photo by Dimitar DILKOFF / AFP)
Germany's Alexander Zverev poses with the trophy after winning the men's singles final match on day seven of the Paris ATP Masters 1000 tennis tournament at the Accor Arena - Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy - in Paris on November 3, 2024. (Photo by Dimitar DILKOFF / AFP)
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Zverev Dispatches Humbert in Straight Sets to Win Paris Masters

Germany's Alexander Zverev poses with the trophy after winning the men's singles final match on day seven of the Paris ATP Masters 1000 tennis tournament at the Accor Arena - Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy - in Paris on November 3, 2024. (Photo by Dimitar DILKOFF / AFP)
Germany's Alexander Zverev poses with the trophy after winning the men's singles final match on day seven of the Paris ATP Masters 1000 tennis tournament at the Accor Arena - Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy - in Paris on November 3, 2024. (Photo by Dimitar DILKOFF / AFP)

Alexander Zverev was imperious in dispatching Frenchman Ugo Humbert 6-2, 6-2 to win the Paris Masters on Sunday.
The third-seeded Zverev was in total control of the final to earn his seventh Masters 1000 title, his first in the French capital. The win at the indoor tournament also moved him past top-ranked Jannik Sinner for the most wins on the ATP tour this year, at 66.
Zverev's big serve, excellent returns and precise attacking shots did not take long to extinguish the hopes of the partisan crowd as Humbert never got into the match.
“I knew I had to play like this to win today,” Zverev said. “Ugo is an incredible player, but here in Paris he plays even better than he usually does and I knew that. Once the crowd gets involved, it’s going to be difficult. So I had to take that away early, and I did, so I’m happy about that.”
Humbert, who knocked out Carlos Alcaraz in the third round, won't have fond memories of his first Masters final. He tried to play aggressively from the start and to take all the risks to shorten rallies. But he could not find his range while Zverev defended extremely well.
The German quickly solved his rival’s serve and had his first break chance in the third game. He took it when Humbert sent a forehand into the net.
Humbert continued to make unforced errors. Trailing 3-1, he saved two break points but dropped his serve again when another shanked forehand sealed the game.
Zverev dropped just one point on his serve in the opening set and sealed it at love with an ace.
The 15th-seeded Humbert walked back to the locker room after the first set. The interlude didn’t change anything.
The Frenchman double-faulted on his return to the court, continued to make poor tactical decisions and was immediately broken with a forehand into the net. Another break gave Zverev a 3-0 lead as Humbert wasted a 40-0 lead and was never able to stage a comeback.
“I’m extremely happy to have played in this final,” said Humbert, looking at the bright side of his Parisian week. “To have my family and team with me the whole week has been incredible. It’s for moments like this why I do this every day, why I train.”
Zverev improved to 23-13 in tour finals and became the second German player to win in Paris after Boris Becker. He will overtake Alcaraz to move into second place in the new ATP rankings and will be a top contender at the ATP Finals gathering the top eight players of the season from Nov. 10-17 in Turin, Italy.
The Paris Masters will relocate to another venue next year, moving from its historic location at the Palais Omnisports to La Défense Arena.