Sinner regains World No. 1, race still alive

The race for tennis supremacy between Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz has entered its final, thrilling stretch. On Monday, Italy’s Sinner officially reclaimed the world No. 1 ATP ranking after his triumphant run at the Paris Masters displacing Spain’s Alcaraz, who had held the top spot for nearly two months. But the celebration may be short-lived, with the year-end No. 1 still hanging in the balance ahead of the ATP Finals in Turin.

Sinner currently leads with 11,500 points, narrowly ahead of Alcaraz’s 11,250. However, due to the ATP’s ranking system and expiring points from last year’s tournaments, the tables will turn again next Monday. When the 2024 ATP Finals points drop off, Sinner will lose 1,500 points from his title win, while Alcaraz loses only 200. That means Alcaraz will regain the top spot with 11,050 points, ahead of Sinner’s 10,000.

Despite the shuffle, there’s no threat from below world No. 3 Alexander Zverev (5,560), No. 4 Taylor Fritz (4,735) and No. 5 Novak Djokovic (4,580) remain far behind. The battle for No. 1 has been a two-man duel all season, with Sinner and Alcaraz splitting the sport’s biggest prizes.

Sinner captured the Australian Open before Alcaraz took revenge in a classic French Open final. The Italian struck back with a thrilling Wimbledon victory, only for Alcaraz to level the score by winning the US Open.

The stage is now set for a dramatic showdown at the ATP Finals in Turin, starting Sunday. Curiously, even though Sinner will enter the event as world No. 1, Alcaraz will be the top seed because the tournament uses the separate “Race to Turin” standings, which count only results from this calendar year. Alcaraz leads that list by more than 1,000 points.

To end the year as No. 1, Sinner must win the ATP Finals and hope Alcaraz fails to reach the final. For Alcaraz, three wins in Turin would secure his second year-end No. 1, having first achieved it as a 19-year-old in 2022.

On the women’s side, Aryna Sabalenka has already sealed the WTA year-end top spot.

Meanwhile, Zverev, Djokovic, Ben Shelton, Fritz, and Alex de Minaur have qualified for the ATP Finals, with Felix Auger-Aliassime and Lorenzo Musetti still chasing the last spot. Djokovic.

The draw for the season-ending finals will be made on Thursday, as the tennis world awaits a thrilling conclusion to the Sinner–Alcaraz rivalry that has defined 2025.