Jannik Sinner is set to return to the ATP Tour at next month's Rome Masters as world No. 1, following a significant slip-up by his closest rival, Alexander Zverev, in Monte Carlo.
Zverev’s early defeat Tuesday all but guarantees Sinner will reclaim the top ranking when his doping ban ends May 4.
The 23-year-old Italian accepted a three-month ban in February after an agreement with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) following failed drug tests.
Despite the setback, Sinner will return to the summit of the ATP rankings, with Zverev failing to capitalize on his absence.
Zverev, who has struggled to find form since the Australian Open, was defeated 2-6, 6-3, 7-5 by Italy’s Matteo Berrettini in the Monte Carlo second round.
The world No. 2 has not advanced past the quarterfinals in any of his six tournaments since the Australian Open.
A frustrated Zverev, reflecting on his performance, admitted, "Once I got broken in the second set, I played 10 levels down.
My ball is much slower. I stop hitting the ball. The same story the last few months. Nothing changes. So it’s me who lost the match, once again."
With the loss, Zverev’s hopes of overtaking Sinner for the top spot now rest on a strong finish during the European clay court swing.
Meanwhile, world No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz, the defending French Open champion, will also have his eyes set on reclaiming the top spot in the rankings.
However, Alcaraz also missed the chance to move ahead of Sinner before the Italian’s return, with his Monte Carlo campaign set to begin Wednesday against Francisco Cerundolo.
Berrettini’s victory over Zverev marked one of the most significant wins of his career.
The Italian came from behind in a tense match that lasted two hours, 27 minutes.
After dropping the first set, Berrettini found his rhythm to win 2-6, 6-3, 7-5.
Though he nearly faltered when failing to serve out the match at 5-4, Berrettini broke Zverev’s serve in the next game with a stunning forehand winner after an epic 48-shot rally.
Reflecting on the match, Berrettini said, "I wasn’t hitting my forehand and serve like I had in previous days, and I had to adapt to the conditions. Sascha was playing unbelievable, so it wasn’t easy. But then I told myself to be more aggressive, and if I’m going to lose this match, I’m going to do the right things. Luckily, it worked."
In other Monte Carlo action, three-time champion Stefanos Tsitsipas advanced with a 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 victory over Jordan Thompson, while British No. 1 Jack Draper had an impressive start to his clay-court season, dominating Marcos Giron 6-1, 6-1 in just one hour.
Draper, the fifth seed, reflected on his rapid adjustment to the clay surface, saying, "I feel like I’ve been transitioning well. I’ve been working hard to look for my forehand and do all the things to be effective on this surface. Hopefully, I can have a good run this year."
Former world No. 3 Grigor Dimitrov also progressed to the next round, defeating Chile’s Nicolas Jarry 6-3, 6-4 in the remaining first-round match.
