Carlos Alcaraz wins Masters 1000 bonus pool as Sinner walks away empty-handed

Carlos Alcaraz won the multi-million dollar bonus pool for being the best Masters 1000 player of the season. His absence in Shanghai and his first-round elimination at the Paris Masters mattered little, as Alcaraz accumulated 3,420 points in tournaments of this category, a large distance from Jannik Sinner, who won precisely in Paris and reached 2,300 points.

Earlier in the week, the 22-year-old was defeated in the first round of Paris by Britain’s Cameron Norrie (6-4, 3-6, 4-6). Failing to add points cost him in the race for the top spot, allowing Sinner to advance and take the World No. 1 spot in the ATP Rankings starting this Monday.

Sinner’s 1,000 points from the last Masters of the year were not enough for him to catch an impressive Alcaraz in this category. The Spaniard won three Masters titles (Monte-Carlo Masters, Italian Open, and Cincinnati), in addition to reaching the semi-finals at Indian Wells. On the other hand, the Italian secured his only Masters title this Sunday in Paris, while reaching finals in Rome and Cincinnati—both lost to Alcaraz.

Carlos Alcaraz had already secured the one million dollar bonus for the player with the best results in ATP 500 tournaments. The new World No. 2 was champion of three ATP 500 titles: Rotterdam, Queen’s Club Championships, and Tokyo, besides reaching the final at the Barcelona Open during the clay swing. He totaled 1,930 points, leaving him as the clear leader in the ATP 500 tournaments list.

The bonus pool is a total of $21 million to be distributed among the 30 players with the most points in Masters 1000 tournaments. The player with the most points receives a bonus of $4.5 million; however, Alcaraz’s absences in several tournaments ended up counting against him.

The rule on mandatory tournaments causes the Spaniard to lose 25% of his total prize—meaning he will receive little more than $3.1 million. Carlos missed the Madrid Open, Toronto, and Shanghai Masters. However, the 6-time Grand Slam champion was present in Madrid during the tournament—though not competing, but participating in promotional activities—which partially reduces the total penalty.

Another point to consider is that even though Jannik Sinner is the second player with the most points in the Masters 1000 category, he will not receive any of the bonus pool. The same mandatory tournament rule counted against Sinner, who missed three months of the season earlier in the year—amid his doping controversy and after accepting a three-month suspension that kept him out between February and May.

The Italian 4-time Grand Slam champion missed a total of 4 Masters during this period due to the suspension: Indian Wells, Miami Open, Monte-Carlo, and Madrid. He also missed the Canadian Open after deciding to withdraw as part of his preparations for the US Open.

Sinner ends the year with one Masters title and two finals, but his lack of appearances in the mandatory tournaments leaves him out of the prize distribution.

1. Carlos Alcaraz: 3,430 – Champion at Monte-Carlo, Rome, and Cincinnati.

2. Jannik Sinner: 2,300 – Champion at Paris Masters, runner-up at Rome and Cincinnati.

3. Jack Draper: 1,960 – Champion at Indian Wells, runner-up at Madrid.

4. Lorenzo Musetti: 1,770 – Runner-up at Monte-Carlo, semi-finals at Madrid and Rome.

5. Casper Ruud: 1,540 – Champion at Madrid.