Jannik Sinner’s calendar shake-up: Reports suggest Paris and Davis Cup in doubt after Shanghai exit

Jannik Sinner has reportedly made significant changes to his schedule following his withdrawal from the Shanghai Masters and would opt to skip the Paris Masters, the last Masters 1000 of the year, in addition to the Davis Cup. The World No. 2 has practically lost the chance to finish the year at the top of the ranking, which is believed to have driven his decision to change his calendar.

The Italian had planned to close the year by playing the ATP 500 Vienna Open and the following week, the Paris-Bercy Masters. Both were intended as preparation for the ATP Finals – which start on November 9. The week after, the Davis Cup Finals were scheduled to take place, making these the four tournaments Sinner was expected to play.

However, the four-time Grand Slam champion has allegedly decided to make changes, as reported by journalist Simone Eterno, Eurosport Italy’s journalist. Sinner – who will play the Six Kings Slam exhibition this week – will only have two official tournaments left in the final part of the year: Vienna and the ATP Finals.

Sinner kept his possibility of finishing the year at the top of the ranking alive, despite three months off the court and Carlos Alcaraz's notable campaign throughout 2025. However, he needed practically perfect campaigns to close the year, and the early exit in Shanghai took away his chance to get closer to his Spanish rival.

To date, Alcaraz dominates the ATP Race with 11,040 points, a long distance from Sinner, who has 8,500. The Italian is still registered for Vienna and Paris, so in the best-case scenario (winning both titles), he could arrive at the Finals in Turin with 10,000 points. That is, more than 1,000 points behind Alcaraz before playing the ATP Finals, where up to 1,500 points are distributed for the undefeated champion. And all this without considering the points that 'Carlitos' can still add.

Alcaraz only has the Paris Masters and the ATP Finals ahead of him. The year-end tournament awards 200 points per group stage victory. This means that even with Sinner having perfect campaigns at the end of the year, Alcaraz will not need to have overly significant performances to remain the ranking leader at the end of the year. In fact, reaching the final in Paris would already ensure he finishes the year as World No. 1. And if he reaches the semifinals, a single victory at the ATP Finals will be enough.

While Sinner’s chances of finishing as the ranking leader mathematically still exist, the reality is that it is unlikely to think that Alcaraz will not go – at least – far in his next tournaments.

If the news that Sinner will not be in the Paris Masters is confirmed, Alcaraz will be fully confirmed as the year-end World No. 1 for the second time in his career, and he will achieve it before stepping onto the court in Turin.

While the possibility of finishing the year at the top of the ranking is practically ruled out for Sinner, the ATP Finals will be his last commitment of the season. According to Eurosport Italy's journalist, Simone Eterno, Sinner would also skip the Davis Cup Finals, after two consecutive years being the protagonist in winning the title for Italy.

The Finals 8 will feature the quarterfinals with Italy as the first seed facing Australia, while Spain – who hopes to have Carlos Alcaraz – will face the Czech Republic (4th seeds). The Davis Cup Finals will be played between November 18 and 23, with 8 countries fighting to succeed Italy's two titles won in 2024 and 2025.

• ATP 500 Vienna Open: Week of October 20

• ATP Finals: Week of November 10

• Masters 1000 Paris-Bercy: Week of October 27

• ATP Finals: Week of November 10

• Davis Cup Finals: Week of November 17