Jannik Sinner helped Novak Djokovic pass another Roger Federer record

Photo by Frey/TPN/Getty Images Jannik Sinner has played a part in helping Novak Djokovic move ahead of Roger Federer in another area. Djokovic isn’t at the Monte Carlo Masters this week, having already pulled out of the tournament. That decision opened up chances for other players, including Felix Auger-Aliassime, who put together his best run at the event by making it to the quarterfinals.

However, his loss to Sinner means Djokovic has now moved past another Federer milestone. Djokovic is currently ranked world No. 4, sitting just behind Carlos Alcaraz, Sinner, and Alexander Zverev.

He’s entering his 859th week inside the top five of the ATP rankings, matching the record previously held by Federer. With Djokovic not expected to play again until the Madrid Open in a couple of weeks, there were questions about whether he’d still be inside the top five when that tournament came around. The only two players who had a chance to overtake him before Madrid were Auger-Aliassime and Alex de Minaur, but neither managed to close the gap.

Sinner’s win over Auger-Aliassime has now guaranteed that Djokovic will remain in the top five for at least another two weeks, allowing him to surpass Federer’s record of 859 weeks in that position. De Minaur also fell short in his quarterfinal against Valentin Vacherot, which means Djokovic will stay within the top four as well. While both Auger-Aliassime and De Minaur are set to compete at next week’s Barcelona Open, they’re still too far back in the rankings to catch up with Djokovic anytime soon.