<
        >

          Sinner cements No. 1 ranking, Nadal sets retirement date, and more this week in tennis

          Jannik Sinner defeated Novak Djokovic at the Shanghai Masters on Sunday. AP Photo/Andy Wong
          • D'Arcy Maine, ESPN.com
          Oct 15, 2024, 02:34 PM

          On Saturday, Jannik Sinner clinched the year-end world No. 1 ranking with his semifinal victory over Tomas Machac at the Shanghai Masters, becoming the first Italian player in history to do so.

          And 24 hours later, he proved exactly why he deserves the distinction with a 7-6(4), 6-3 win over Novak Djokovic in the final -- providing an exclamation point (or several) to his impressive tournament and season. It marked Sinner's ATP-leading seventh title of the year, and he now has won his past three meetings against the 24-time major champion, becoming the first player to do so since Rafael Nadal (yes, much more on him shortly) in 2013.

          "It was a very tough match, obviously, playing against Novak is one of the toughest challenges we have," Sinner said after. "I'm very happy with how I handled the situation."

          Djokovic had been looking to become just the third man to win his 100th career singles title, but Sinner was unfazed by his opponent or what was on the line, nor did he seem distracted by the likes of Roger Federer and Carlos Alcaraz watching from the stands. Instead, the 23-year-old Sinner was clinical in his performance and held off a focused Djokovic in one hour and 37 minutes.

          Sinner needed a tiebreak to take the opening set but then seized control. He jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the second set and never relented. Sinner had eight aces and 22 winners in the match -- and never faced a break point throughout the tournament.

          Even Djokovic couldn't help but be impressed after the match.

          "I think I played some really good tennis, but congratulations to Jannik," Djokovic said during the trophy ceremony. "He was just too good today. Too strong, too fast, well done. You're having an incredible year. You deserve this."

          Sinner leveled his career head-to-head record with Djokovic at four matches each, and became the first man to earn seven or more titles in a single season since Andy Murray won nine in 2016, and the first player to record three or more ATP Masters-1000 titles in a year since Nadal in 2018.

          Here's what else happened in the tennis world last week.

          Rafa makes it official

          Of course, that leads us to Nadal's big news.

          Unless you've been living in a cave without cell phone service, you're likely aware of Nadal's impending retirement. After years of injuries and a never-ending barrage of questions about his status, the 22-time major champion announced on Thursday that he would be walking away from the sport following next month's Davis Cup.

          In an emotional video posted to social media, Nadal called it a "difficult decision" but was clearly grateful for everything he had achieved and what the game had given him.

          "In this life, everything has a beginning and an end," he said. "And I think it's an appropriate time to put an end to a career that has been long and much more successful than I could have ever imagined.

          "I am very excited that my last tournament will be the final of the Davis Cup and representing my country. I think I've come full circle since one of my first great joys as a professional tennis player was the Davis Cup final in Seville in 2004. I feel super, super lucky for all the things I've been able to experience."

          The tributes and congratulatory messages were immediate, and seemingly everyone in the sport -- from longtime rivals like Federer and Djokovic to young superstars like Sinner, Alcaraz, Coco Gauff and Iga Swiatek -- chimed in.

          But it was Djokovic's reaction on Friday that was perhaps the most revealing, and reflective of just how important Nadal has been to the sport. Following his three-set comeback win over Jakub Mensik in the quarterfinals in Shanghai, Djokovic was asked about Nadal's retirement during an on-court interview. After calling Nadal his "greatest rival," Djokovic mentioned the 2022 retirement of Federer, as well as that of Murray earlier this year.

          "It's a bit overwhelming for me to be honest," Djokovic said. "I don't know what to make out of it. I still enjoy competing but a part of me left with them. A big part of me."

          While he has previously said he wanted to play at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, it certainly feels like the end of an era is approaching.

          However, both Nadal and Djokovic will be in action this week in an (incredibly lucrative) exhibition event called the Six Kings Slam in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Sinner, Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev and Holger Rune round out the field, with play starting on Wednesday and the winner taking home $6 million. Djokovic and Nadal, who both have byes into the semifinals, could potentially meet in the final for one last time.

          Sabalenka's fight for No. 1

          While Sinner cemented the year-end world No. 1 ranking during his run in Shanghai, Aryna Sabalenka -- his fellow reigning Australian Open and US Open champion -- was some 520 miles away in Wuhan making her case to end the season on top as well.

          Playing in her second tournament since hoisting the trophy in New York last month, the current world No. 2 arrived to Wuhan in search of her third career title at the event, and hoping to narrow the gap between herself and current No. 1 Swiatek, who withdrew before play got underway as she focuses on finding a new coach.

          Sabalenka needed to fight back in both her Round of 16 and semifinal matches, against Yulia Putinseva and Coco Gauff, respectively. After losing the opening set 6-1 in each match, she found a way to win both times. And in the final against hometown favorite and 2024 Olympic gold medalist Zheng Qinwen, Sabalenka had to battle against her opponent and the sell-out crowd of 13,000 in a fiercely contested three-set match that lasted two hours and 41 minutes.

          Unlike in her previous matches that went the distance, Sabalenka was in control early before Zheng calmed her nerves and raised her level to force a decider. But in the final set it was all Sabalenka, who took a 3-0 double break lead and won the match 6-3, 5-7, 6-3, for her fourth title of 2024. The 26-year-old now owns an astounding 17-0 record in Wuhan and she later said the tournament "felt like home."

          Now, as the season races to a finish, Sabalenka is just 69 points behind Swiatek in the rankings and will have a chance to overtake her. She said it was "really nice to see" just how close she was when asked about it following Sunday's win.

          "I always say of course it's one of the goals, but I prefer [to] focus on myself and just keep working hard, Sabalenka said. "We'll see after the [WTA] Finals if I was good enough this season to become world No. 1."

          Surgery for Korda

          After a strong summer, which saw him win the Mubadala Citi DC Open title and crack the top 15 for the first time in his career, American Sebastian Korda announced on Friday he had recently undergone surgery on his right elbow. Currently ranked No. 22 and the fifth-ranked American man, the 24-year-old Korda made the announcement on Instagram, with a photo of himself in a hospital bed.

          "I've been dealing with some elbow issues and my team and I decided surgery was the best option," he wrote. "Everything went great, and I can't wait to be back on court soon."

          Korda, who was sidelined for several months in 2023 with a wrist injury, entered the US Open with momentum on his side, having also reached the semifinals at the Canadian Open in August. But he was handed a disappointing loss in the second round by Machac, and hasn't played since. No details about the timing for his return to competition were included in the post.

          'El dia mas magico'

          Former world No. 1 and two-time major champion Garbine Muguruza got married to Arthur Borges, her partner of three years, last week. Muguruza, who officially retired from tennis earlier this year, shared photos from her big day on social media on Thursday.

          And we couldn't resist another opportunity to share the pair's incredible meet-cute story in hopes that one day it will become a Netflix movie.

          As Muguruza tells it, she was bored during an off day from competition during the 2021 US Open and, since she was staying near Central Park, decided to go for a walk. During her jaunt around the city, a fan stopped her on the street to wish her luck in the tournament and ask her to take a picture with him. As you've probably figured out, that fan was Borges. Muguruza later said that it was "love at first sight" and the rest is now history. Adorable and fit for a fairy tale history.

          Here's to hoping for a lifetime of happiness for these two -- and a movie deal.