Can Indian Wells champion Jannik Sinner reclaim ATP World No. 1 ranking from Carlos Alcaraz

Jannik Sinner won his maiden Indian Wells tennis title on Sunday despite a valiant effort from Daniil Medvedev who upset Carlos Alcaraz on Saturday and barely made it to the tournament after being stranded in Dubai.

Sinner did not play Indian Wells or Miami last year due to his suspension. In terms of the ATP rankings points race, that means he has no points to defend from last year so this Indian Wells win nets him 1,000 ranking points.

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While it is just the beginning of the tennis season, Carlos Alcaraz has been the player at World No. 1 who is 16-1 on the season. Can Sinner overtake Alcaraz?

Sinner is closing in on World No. 1

After Sinner’s win, the live ranking points for Alcaraz are calculated at 13,550. Sinner is at 11,400. Only 2,150 points separate the two.

The Miami Open is not going to make a decisive change for two reasons. The first is that the winner earns 1,000 points, and secondly, Alcaraz does not have many points to defend because he lost in the second round last year (after receiving a first round bye) to David Goffin.

If Sinner and Alcaraz split the Grand Slams as they have done for the past two calendar years, those could make a difference. Or it could come down the end of the season ATP Finals which Sinner won last year.

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Daniil Medvedev may have more to say about this. He is in peak form and defeated Alcaraz. Medvedev was on the losing end of two tiebreakers which was the difference at Indian Wells. In the live rankings, he is 10th but could rise quickly if he continues to play as he had in Dubai and Indian Wells. He had a miserable 2025 which means he has very few points to defend and could rise in the rankings quickly if he gets the winning results.

The Miami Open is already underway

There is no rest for the weary. Next up is the Miami Open, the second leg of the Sunshine Double. Sinner will attempt to become the eigth ATP player to win both Indian Wells and the Miami Open in the same month. Legends comprise the seven who have done it including Jim Courier, Michael Chang, Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, Marcelo Rios, Roger Federer, and Novak Djokovic.

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