Jannik Sinner becomes first Italian man to earn World No. 1 status after Novak Djokovic withdraws from French Open

June 4, 2024, will forever mark a special day for Jannik Sinner and the nation of Italy.

At 22, Sinner achieved something no Italian man has in the wake of Novak Djokovic withdrawing from the French Open on Tuesday. He became the first player from The Boot to earn World No. 1 status on Tuesday.

News of Djokovic withdrawing surfaced during Sinner's quarterfinal match against Grigor Dimitrov, so the Italian didn't find out until after his straight-set victory. 

Jannik Sinner becomes first Italian man at World No. 1 after Novak Djokovic withdraws from French Open

"What can I say? First of all, it is every player's dream to become No. 1 in the world," Sinner said in his postmatch interview.

You can hear the reception from the crowd at Court Phillippe-Chatrier at Roland Garros as he speaks. However, the Italian made sure to pay his respects to Djokovic afterward.

"In the other way, seeing Novak retiring, I think is disappointing [for everyone]. I wish him a speedy recovery."

Reports revealed Djokovic removed himself from the French Open after MRI scans confirmed a torn medial meniscus in his right knee. He said on Monday that he suffered the injury in the second set of what eventually was a five-set victory over Francisco Cerundolo.

The 24-time Grand Slam winner was visibly frustrated with the court conditions during his match with Cerundolo. His diagnosis makes it all the more warranted. As things stand, it remains unclear if he will be able to compete at Wimbledon and the Olympics in July.

Nonetheless, Sinner claims the ATP throne and reaches his first semifinal at Roland Garros on the same day -- quite a distinctive moment.

Sinner was remarkable in his two-hour, 32-minute match versus Dimitrov. He recorded eight aces and 29 winners, winning 93 percent of his service games. His excellent play at the net caused problems for the 33-year-old Bulgarian.

We are witnessing a changing of the guard in tennis. Djokovic is now out of the picture as he recovers from a knee injury. Alexander Zverev eliminated 14-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal in round one at Roland Garros. So, we will see someone other than them win this tournament for the first time since Stan Wawrinka did it in 2015. Could Sinner cap off what has been a magical run with a Grand Slam title?