World number one Jannik Sinner ineligible for end of year bonus pool after tactically skipping Canadian Open

Earlier this year, Jannik Sinner and WADA agreed on a three-month suspension after a controversial doping saga took place. Whilst his 2025 has turned out to be a very successful year, the tournaments he has missed will become costly money-wise for the Italian, with him now un-eligible for the ATP Masters bonus pool at the end of the year.

Sinner started the year in a similar fashion to how he ended it, backing up his US Open and ATP Finals success with a consecutive victory at the Australian Open, defeating Alexander Zverev in straight sets. This would be his final tournament until May, when he disappeared off the tour, patiently waiting for his suspension to end.

He returned conveniently to his home event in Rome, where he was defeated in straight sets by Carlos Alcaraz. Then at Roland Garros, he reached the final without dropping a single set, defeating the likes of Andrey Rublev and Novak Djokovic on his way to a rematch against Alcaraz. Despite taking a two-set lead, the Spaniard forced an unprecedented comeback, surviving multiple match points before taking victory in Paris.

Heartbroken by the tough loss, Sinner bounced back in typical fashion, serving sweet revenge to Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final, coming back from a set down to win his first title at SW19. He is currently participating at Cincinnati, through to the third round after getting the better of Daniel Elahi Galan, Gabriel Diallo, and Adrian Mannarino without dropping a set. His next match will be against Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime, with another potential matchup against Alcaraz beckoning in the final.

At the end of the year, the top 30 players who earn the most ranking points from the nine Masters 1000 events and the ATP Finals get a portion of the huge bonus. This year, it stands at a whopping £15.5 million, a huge increase from 2023. This was introduced to take money off the players' mind, making sure they can compete without cash troubles. There is also a version for the ATP 500, with an extra £2.2 million for six lucky players who rack up the most points.

This is all good, but players must rack up a certain number of tournaments to receive their share of the pot. If you end up in the top 30 but miss out on four or more of the six mandatory Masters 1000 events, you do not get any of the hefty bonus, and Sinner has fallen into this trap.

He did not compete in a Masters 1000 event until Rome, with his suspension ruling him out of a number of them. This included Indian Wells, Miami, Madrid, and Monte-Carlo. With only the first three being mandatory, he was still in contention for the lucrative reward at the end of the year. He returned to Rome, but after Wimbledon, he made the executive decision to skip the 1000 event in Toronto to rest and recover from fatigue ahead of a busy North American hardcourt swing.

His decision in skipping the Canadian Open meant that he is now no longer eligible for the luxurious prize pot. Sinner has put his mind on the more important, bigger upcoming tournaments like the US Open and the ATP finals over the end of year bonus.

On the other hand, he is probably not too bothered about the prize pool. Despite the lack of events he has played in, he has racked up an eye-watering $8.4 million this year. Out of anyone on the tour who has money troubles, the Italian would be near the back of that list.