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Jannik Sinner looks to Melbourne with a clear plan

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From the sunshine of Abu Dhabi to the bright lights of Seoul and on to Melbourne in the Australian summer: Jannik Sinner&#8217s journey to take back the top spot in world tennis has already begun. The South Tyrolean is speeding toward a crucial season, after a 2025 closed at No. 2 in the rankings behind Carlos Alcaraz: Sinner won two of the four Grand Slam tournaments in the season just past as did his Murcian rival, and it is against Alcaraz that the Sesto Pusteria outfielder will play a highly anticipated exhibition match in Seoul, capital of South Korea, on Jan. 10.

Sinner, in the UAE, has been training both with his team and with other athletes, such as former WTA No. 1 Simona Halep (who throughout her career had been tutored by Darren Cahill, Sinner‘s Australian ‘supercoach’) and Italy&#8217s Matteo Berrettini, who after helping to win the fourth Davis Cup overall, third consecutive, for the ’Italy is ready to put behind him the difficulties that have marked him in recent seasons and play his chances at the Australian Open, a tournament that Jannik Sinner won in both 2024 and 2025, beating Daniil Medvedev and Alexander Zverev in their respective finals.

Francesco LuciveroJannik Sinner, there’s a rule change already causing discussion

The ATP tries to run for cover against extreme heat.
Before the start of the 2026 season, the board approved a set of new rules to cope with prohibitive weather conditions.
Extreme situations that also involved Jannik Sinner, who was forced to retire during the Shanghai Masters 1000.
The ATP decided to intervene after a particularly tough second half of the season, especially during the Asian tour.
The matches played in sweltering heat conditions, particularly in China, have ignited debate and led numerous players to call for concrete interventions.
Hence the introduction of three new main measures.
When the WBGT (Wet Bulb Globe Temperature) index exceeds 32.2°, matches will be suspended.

In the presence of very intense heat it will also be possible to request a 10-minute break at the end of the second set, even by a single player.
To these are added cooling breaks, already adopted in recent years in soccer as well, to allow athletes to cool down and recover.
One of the iconic episodes of last season was precisely the one involving Jannik Sinner.

During the match against Tallon Griekspoor of the Netherlands at the Shanghai Masters 1000, the South Tyrolean was forced to retire in the third set.
In the Chinese tournament several players suffered from the heat.

The climate within Jannik Sinner’s team remains one of the strengths ahead of the new season. Seriousness and light-heartedness coexist, as demonstrated by the social posts of Jannik himself and his staff, confirming the recipe that has allowed the Sesto Pusteria outfielder to establish himself at the highest level. The ability to alternate between concentration and moments of leisure is an integral part of a path that aims to bring him back to the No. 1 ranking. Sinner, now No. 2 in the world, closed out 2025 with the knowledge that he can compete steadily with Alcaraz, beating him in the very intense final act of the ATP Finals.

The New Year is a year in which he will be able to compete with Alcaraz.

The new year thus opens with a pair of prestigious dates that will not award ranking points but will give insight into Sinner’s level of form: in addition to the Jan. 10 super-match against Carlos Alcaraz, a luxury friendly that will replay the most anticipated rivalry in world tennis, the South Tyrolean will return to the court six days later, on the 16th, to face Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime, a recent star at the ATP Finals, in the Opening Week of the Australian Open, which will feature several exhibition matches that will be played simultaneously with the qualifiers of the first Slam of the season.

The new season will be a decisive test: defending the titles he has won, confirming himself in the Slams and, above all, returning to the top are Jannik Sinner’s goals for 2026. After proving he can handle the pressure and the weight of expectations, the goal is to shift gears and turn continuity into absolute dominance.

The performances in Seoul and Melbourne will offer a first concrete test, while daily work with the team remains the basis for aiming for a return to number one in the world rankings. Sinner will be the No. 2 seed in Australia, while Alcaraz will have the No. 1 seed: the two could meet, therefore, only in the finals.

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