In his hands, the tree of the artist Lucio Fanti, one of the most beautiful trophies in tennis; in his ATP ranking account, 11,500 points. Jannik Sinner He was proclaimed champion of the Paris Masters 1000 this Sunday and returned to number one in the world, ahead of CarlosAlcaraz and its 11,250 points. Beyond the duo, Happy Auger-Also He is one of the most dangerous rivals on hard indoor courts, but the Italian also defeated him in the final in just two sets, as he had already done against his previous opponents.
Now the year is still open. It seemed impossible after the Spaniard’s success in the last US Open; it is no longer. Despite the enormous gap of the three-month doping ban, Sinner could still finish 2025 at the top of the world ranking, as he did last year. It doesn’t depend only on him, he needs to win practically all the remaining games, but it is not impossible.
The ATP Finals in Turin will be more conclusive than ever. Starting next Sunday and until the 16th, Sinner and Alcaraz will send number one. The Spaniard will need to win all three group stage matches or reach the final; The Italian will have to lift the old Masters Cup and wait for a ruling from his rival. The first arrives with some mental fatigue and doubts about his indoor performance; the second, launched and in full flow. With these speculations on the table, the tension will be greater than ever in the last tournament of the course. But what are they really at stake?
The boat, for Alcaraz
Prestige, mainly. Whoever finishes the season as number one in the ATP ranking will be, by definition, the best tennis player of the year or, at least, the most consistent. Since the list’s creation in 1973, the record for seasons closed at number one is held by Novak Djokovic with eight, followed by Pete Sampras with six and Jimmy Connors, Roger Federer y Rafa Nadal with five. Alcaraz finished 2022 at the top and Sinner did so in 2024, so this 2025 will decide the tiebreaker. Whoever dominates will keep that honor: a note for history, a reward for oneself. Everything else will be an empty milestone. Whoever celebrates in Turin, number one will be up for grabs again at the Australian Open in January, and there is no specific financial bonus for achieving it.
AFP
In fact, in terms of awards, Alcaraz has already won. If the income from exhibitions is deducted – especially the more than five million euros from the Six Kings Slam in Saudi Arabia that Sinner pocketed -, the Spaniard will end the season with a bigger loot than his great rival. His total prize money exceeds 16 million euros, while the Italian’s is around 14 million. In the ATP Finals there will be less than a million at stake, although the distribution of the circuit’s ‘bonus pool’ will tip the balance even more.
Alcaraz will earn at least an additional 3.8 million for being the best in the Masters 1000 – champion in Monte Carlo, Rome and Cincinnati – and another million for dominating the ATP 500 – winner in Rotterdam, Queen’s and Tokyo. In principle, his absence at the Masters 1000 in Madrid, Canada and Shanghai could take away part of that bonus, but the amount will be compensated by variable income linked to points and promotional participation, as in Madrid. For his part, Sinner will not be eligible for the ‘bonus pool’ of the Masters 1000 for having missed four of them – Indian Wells, Miami, Madrid and Canada, in addition to Monte Carlo, which is not mandatory – and he will barely receive bonuses for his performance in the ATP 500.
«In Turin it will be another story»
In short, at the ATP Finals a piece of history and honor, little more, will be at stake. Both, in fact, have been downplaying their dispute for number one for weeks.
«Being number one is always special, of course, but what motivates me most now is enjoying tennis and continuing to grow. If I get it, great; If not, there will be another opportunity,” commented Alcaraz, before his disappointment in the Paris tournament, surely his worst competition of 2025. “The ranking comes and goes, the important thing is how you finish the season and the feelings it leaves you. Winning in Paris gives me confidence, but I know that in Turin it will be another story,” added Sinner, once again with a trophy in his hands, once again at number one in the ATP ranking.