"It's impossible, this year is not in my hands": Jannik Sinner gives up on Year End No.1 pursuit prior to Alcaraz exit

Jannik Sinner says he’s delighted to return to a new-look Rolex Paris Masters as he looks to round off what he calls an “incredible” 2025 season.

Speaking ahead of his opening match in Paris, the Wimbledon champion praised the upgrades made to the tournament and its facilities. It has moved this year from its original home of the Accor Arena to the La Defense Arena in the Paris suburb of Nanterre and Sinner has been one of those to praise the changes.

Sinner opens his account against Zizou Bergs today (Wednesday) at around 12:20 local time as he aims to cap off his season in style in Paris and Turin.

“It’s great to see so many changes,” Sinner said. “I feel like it’s the second tournament of the year where many, many great changes have happened since last time. And it’s great for the sport.

“Also, behind the scenes — where we can eat, the players’ areas — it’s much more comfortable. The centre court and also courts one and two are great courts. Outside, we have some excellent facilities where we can practise, with a great gym and everything set up in a perfect way. So I’m very happy to see these good changes. I feel like all the players feel better here — yeah, great improvements overall.”

Sinner arrives in Paris just days after a gruelling run in Vienna, where he battled physical issues late in the tournament. He dismissed any suggestion that the problem was a repeat of earlier cramping concerns from Shanghai.

“No, it was not the same issue at all. I feel like it was quite normal,” he explained. “We played five days in a row and the final was very physical, it can happen. The body feels good now, just a bit tired of course after five matches in a row. Coming here, there’s not much time to recover, but I’m happy with how I’m feeling. I recover better every day. Tomorrow (Wednesday) is my first match, and I’m very focused to hopefully play some good tennis here — then we’ll see how it goes.

“I’m not worried physically. I feel in good shape, also tennis-wise, so I hope for a good start.”

The Italian has enjoyed a remarkable 2025 season, highlighted by his maiden Wimbledon crown and four Grand Slam finals. Reflecting on his campaign so far, Sinner said he’s proud of his progress and consistency.

“It’s difficult to say [what made me proudest],” he said. “I feel like one of our goals was to try to go as deep as possible at Wimbledon, and that couldn’t have gone better as a result.

“So if you ask me in that sense, I would say winning Wimbledon. But at the same time, it’s been an incredible season — making four Grand Slam finals, playing many great matches throughout the year. The season isn’t over yet. One of the tournaments I’m really looking forward to is still Turin. Last year was an incredible run there, so we’ll try to prepare in the best possible way.

“Before that, though, there’s an important tournament I didn’t play last year — this one. I’ve never played well here in Paris, so hopefully I can change a couple of things this year and we’ll see how it goes. But overall, the season has been amazing — very consistent, a lot of wins — so yeah, I couldn’t have asked for more.”

While Sinner currently sits near the top of the ATP rankings, he played down talk of finishing 2025 as world number one — saying that goal will have to wait for next season.

“No, it’s impossible,” he admitted. “Honestly, I’m not thinking about this at the moment. It’s going to be a goal for next year.

“This year it’s not in my hands, let’s say it like that. But considering how the whole year went, we’ve achieved some incredible things. Now I just want to finish the season in the best possible way — see if I can do something great.

“If not, I’ve already done something great this year. December will be a very important month for me, because I feel like we can make a lot of changes and do a lot of work to get ready for next season. I know how important that is for me in many ways.

“So let’s see what I can achieve there. But I’m relaxed — I’m very happy with what I did this year. We’ll see what’s coming next.”

Asked whether he might reconsider his decision not to represent Italy in the upcoming Davis Cup, Sinner was brief and firm. “No, the decision is made,” he said. “I’ve already said everything about this a few days ago.”