He’ll miss the next three months of action, however, after Sinner was banned from tennis for doping violations he committed last year.

24-time Major champion Djokovic will hope to rediscover his form of old, as the 23-year-old misses the next four Masters 1000 tournaments.

The Serb could begin to close the 7,430-point gap to Sinner at the top of the rankings over the coming months.

Regardless of what happens in 2025, it’s clear that Sinner and Djokovic are two of the greatest players in the men’s game.

Speaking ahead of Djokovic’s return to action in Indian Wells, one top WTA coach named another top tennis star who shares some of the same traits as the two Grand Slam champions.

Patrick Mouratoglou likens Tomas Machac’s ‘intensity’ to Jannik Sinner’s and Novak Djokovic’s

Speaking on Instagram, Naomi Osaka’s coach Patrick Mouratoglou was full of praise for the Czech world number 24 at the latest UTS [Ultimate Tennis Showdown] event.

“The way [Tomas] Machac covers the court, his intensity and ability to give no points to the opponents, putting a lot of pressure all the time, this is really quite special,” he said.

“If you look at all the best players in the world they have this quality, they are covering the court.

“When we speak about [Carlos] Alcaraz, Novak [Djokovic] of course, but Alcaraz, [Jannik] Sinner, the ones that have done well in Grand Slams, [Daniil] Medvedev, they all have this in common, they are incredible athletes, they have the ability to cover the court and it’s so difficult to hit winners against them.”

Machac was at his very best in Guadalajara, as he won a UTS event for the first time in his career, securing five victories on his way to the title.

• RR – Tomas Machac beat David Goffin, 3-0
• RR – Tomas Machac beat Flavio Cobolli, 3-2
• RR – Tomas Machac beat Jakub Mensik, 3-1
• SF – Tomas Machac beat Adrian Mannarino, 3-0
• F – Tomas Machac beat David Goffin, 3-0

Tomas Machac leads Czech charge on the ATP Tour

Machac and his countryman Jiri Lehecka have traded places as Czech number one over recent weeks, and are set to do so once more when the new rankings are released on Monday.

Lehecka beat Carlos Alcaraz at the Qatar Open before falling to defeat against Jack Draper in the semi-finals.

Lehecka and Machac aren’t the only two Czech stars to have impressed recently, as Jakub Mensik shocked the world in Melbourne earlier this year.

Mensik beat Casper Ruud in four sets, booking his place in the third round of a Major tournament for the first time in his career.

The three Czech stars are now all ranked inside the world’s top 50, as the nation with real tennis heritage continues to perform at the highest level.

As the Czech stars look to push on, Lehecka turns his attention to the Dubai Tennis Championships, where he’ll play Ugo Humbert in the first round.

Over in Acapulco, Machac and Mensik will face off in their opening match, in an all Czech battle.

The Dubai Tennis Championships and Mexican Open will begin on Monday, February 24.