Jannik Sinner heads into his last tournament of the season high in confidence with the added benefit of being able to play in front of his home crowd.
The 24-year-old has established himself as the player to beat at tournaments held on indoor hardcourts after winning 26 matches in a row on the surface. His latest triumph was at the Paris Masters, where he didn’t drop a set in the entire event, beating Felix Auger Aliassime in Sunday’s final. A week before this, he also won an ATP 500 event in Vienna.
Sinner’s recent surge has enabled his return to world No.1 on Monday after overtaking nemesis Carlos Alcaraz, who suffered a shock second round loss in Paris to Cameron Norrie. It is his 66th week in the top spot.
“I knew from the beginning of the week (in Paris) that there was this chance,” Sinner said of reclaiming the No.1 ranking.
“I try to put the best performance I can on the court, and then whatever comes, comes.
“This is how I went to court. In Turin, I’m going to do the same.”
Turin will host the ATP Finals, with Sinner aiming to defend his title. Although it is Alcaraz who has the advantage when it comes to booking the year-end No.1 spot. The Spaniard will actually have a 1050-point lead when Sinner’s points from last year’s ATP Finals are removed.
At the ATP Finals, the most points a player can earn is 1500 if they win all three of their round-robin matches, as well as the semi-final and final. Alcaraz must earn at least 500 points to claim the year-end No.1 spot.
It is possible that Sinner wins the ATP Finals without losing a match and still misses out on becoming year-end No.1. If he suffers just one defeat, Alcaraz only needs to record two wins in the tournament.
“Now we recharge and hopefully be as ready as possible then for Turin, and we hope for a great tennis week there,” Sinner commented.
The ATP Finals will be held at the Inalpi Arena between November 9th and 16th. The eight qualified players will be split into two groups of four, with the top two of each group progressing to the semi-finals.
ATP Finals points and prize money breakdown
- One round-robin win = 200 points ($396,500)
- Semi-Final win = 400 points ($1,183,500)
- Title win = 500 points ($2,367,000)
- Unbeaten throughout the tournament = 1500 points ($5,071,000)
