Reason why Jannik Sinner is the only real favorite at the ATP Finals

Today at 08:00 AM

Jannik Sinner has a tough path in the final Masters 1000 of the season, which starts on Monday in Paris-Bercy. Although this surface is the best in absolute terms for the Italian style of play, the world number 1 has never expressed a great tennis in this tournament so far.

In 2021 he stopped at the debut against a very young Carlos Alcaraz, who had already shown flashes of impressive talent. The following year he was eliminated in the second round also due to a hand injury, while in 2023 he retired before playing his match of the round of 16 against Alex de Minaur.

The 23-year-old from Sesto Pusteria achieved truly amazing results in 2024, building a huge gap compared to all his opponents in the ATP Race. Jannik is already certain to finish the season as the world number 1, but his main goal is to win the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin.

The Paris-Bercy Masters 1000 will be useful for him to improve his form, being aware that he has to express his best tennis to get far in the French capital. The two-time Grand Slam champion will have a bye in the first round, while his opponent in the second round will be the winner of the match between Ben Shelton and Felix Auger-Aliassime.

Regardless of what he will do in the last part of the season, Sinner’s 2024 was impressive in terms of regularity and ability to raise the level at major tournaments. On the eve of the last Masters 1000 of the season, the Italian champion spoke about some new regulations that have been introduced in these days.

As we know a few days ago, ITF changed the rules on coaching and in fact from 2025 the new rules will expand the possibility of dialogue between players on the field and coaches in the grandstand also between one point to another. The new rules represent a liberalization of the fact that coaches can give explicit advice both with words and gestures without the referees no longer sanction these situations with a warning during a match.

Many pitfalls are in fact falling on this situation. A novelty that does not agree with some players like Denis Shapovalov and Taylor Fritz who have expressed themselves in a very clear way. At the conference on the eve of the Paris Bercy tournament, world number 1 Jannik Sinner was asked for an opinion on these new regulations and on the expansion of the possibility of talking between player and coach.

Sinner commented on this news: "I admit that I have not yet read the new rules in detail but I do not think it will change much in practice in the matches - he opened his analysis. - Even now there are coaches who continue to give advice and directions frequently to their players. I think this sport is still an individual sport. You are always alone on the court and when you play you know that you have to manage the situations alone".

"There is always a connection - added the world’s number 1 - with the coach. I don’t think it will change much. Even now there is a certain communication with the coach and often you spend so much time together that you understand what he wants to suggest just by looking at him in the stands. We will see but I don’t think there will be a big change".

The US Open champion will be the big favorite at the ATP Finals in Turin, where he reached the final last year losing only to Novak Djokovic. The Serbian legend has fallen in comparison to 2023 and his participation in the Finals is far from certain after his decision to skip the Masters 1000 in Paris-Bercy.

Jannik’s main rival in Turin should be Carlitos Alcaraz, although the Spanish ace does not like indoor conditions very much. The 21-year-old from Murcia had not excelled in Turin last year, although he reached the semi-finals with great fatigue. Sinner will have to be very careful about Alexander Zverev, who has the right weapons to beat anyone on that surface.

The German champion has already triumphed in Turin in 2021, when he defeated Nole Djokovic in the semifinals and Russian Daniil Medvedev in the final. At the same time, it is worth remembering that Sascha is not yet at the top of his game due to a bad pneumonia that hit him after the US Open. Zverev is still playing, but he doesn’t seem to be 100% fit yet. The German ace was defeated by Lorenzo Musetti in Vienna last week and will try to redeem himself in Bercy.