Jannik Sinner’s absence from Indian Wells has left a massive void in men’s tennis. The Italian star is serving a three-month suspension following a doping case resolution agreement with WADA, keeping him out of four Masters 1000 events—Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo, and Madrid. With the dominant hard-court player sidelined, an opportunity arises for others to step up. Serena Williams’ ex-coach sees this as a moment for players to seize. So what did he say?

The renowned coach Patrick Mouratoglou took to Instagram and shared a clip to share his thoughts, drawing a parallel to a past WTA champion. He said, “The fact that Sinner is not playing gives a lot of opportunities, not only to win big tournaments but also to gain confidence by winning a lot of matches. Is it also a pressure at the same time? Yes of course. I always take the example of Marion Bartoli, who won Wimbledon when Serena, Sharapova, and a lot of the other top players lost early. Many could have won it. And this is the one with the biggest mental strength at the moment.”

He further said, “In the next three months, we will see who is able to take advantage, who is mentally strong enough to think I have an opportunity, I cannot mess it up. How can I use this opportunity and fight the pressure that comes with it in order to win?” But what exactly was Mouratoglou talking about when he referred to Bartoli?

For the unversed, Marion Bartoli’s triumph at Wimbledon 2013 was one of the sport’s biggest surprises. The French player stormed through the draw, culminating in a 6-1, 6-4 victory over Sabine Lisicki in the final. Her path was eased when Lisicki stunned Serena Williams in the fourth round, while Maria Sharapova suffered an early second-round exit. Mouratoglou suggests that a similar shake-up could happen on the ATP Tour this time with Sinner missing.

So, who stands to gain the most from Jannik Sinner’s ban? Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev are the biggest contenders in Sinner’s absence.

Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev battle for the top spot amidst Jannik Sinner’s ban

The World No. 2 and World No. 3 are both eyeing the top ranking, currently held by Jannik Sinner with 11,330 points. However, with his suspension costing him 1,600 points, the race tightens.

Alexander Zverev was in contention after reaching the Australian Open final in January. But his momentum has stalled since, going 4-4 in recent tournaments, with early exits in Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro, and Acapulco. His struggles continued at Indian Wells, where he lost his opening match to Tallon Griekspoor. The German tennis player acknowledged his poor form when asked about his No. 1 chances. “It was in the beginning. Now it’s less, because I’m just playing terribly. So for me, I have to find my game before thinking about that, because to become World No. 1, you have to win tournaments. I’m not getting past the first, second round at the moment. So I need to figure that out first,” he said.  With 8,135 points, he needs a big result at the Miami Open to stay in the race.

Meanwhile, Carlos Alcaraz is in a stronger position. The defending Indian Wells champion is already into the fourth round and currently sits at 7,510 points. If he pulls off the rare “Sunshine Double” by winning both Indian Wells and Miami, he will be just 220 points away from overtaking Sinner.

The Spaniard, however, is keeping his focus on his performance rather than rankings. The 21-year-old tennis star said, “Well, it’s something that it is in the mind, but I’m not really focusing on it. Because in every tournament I just focus on myself, I focus on, okay, I really want to play good tennis, I am focused on how I can be better, better player. If I’m doing the right things in every tournament, the No 1 is gonna come after.” He added, “So if I’m thinking about the No 1, I have to do good results, I have to win tournaments. If I’m focusing on it just to recover the No. 1 I’m putting extra pressure on myself, which I don’t want it. So I just keep going, focus on the things that I have to improve on myself, and we will see. But right now, even though Jannik is not here, it’s really difficult to recover the No 1. So let’s see in a couple of weeks.”

Jannik Sinner’s absence has opened the door, but stepping through it is another challenge. Who will rise to the occasion?