Jannik Sinner, schedule change: world No. 1 may stop

With Jannik Sinner’s debut at the Internazionali d’Italia now just around the corner, the possible outline of his commitments in the coming months is also outlined. And, compared to past seasons, it is not excluded that there may be some changes to the schedule, accomplice to a dense and time-consuming calendar that has seen him starring without extended breaks in recent weeks.

The entry list for the ATP 500 in Halle has been published in these hours and, among the participants, the name of the world number one does not appear. Sinner had taken part in the last two editions of the German tournament, winning in 2024 and stopping last year against Alexander Bublik, but for 2026 his schedule could follow a different direction.

Considering the load of matches played, the hypothesis of a break of about three weeks after Roland Garros, with a return directly to Wimbledon, cannot be ruled out. However, the situation remains open: in the coming days the scenarios could change, and if necessary, both Halle and Queen’s would be ready to grant a wild card to the world number one. On the other hand, the names already announced include Flavio Cobolli, while at the moment the number one seed on the scoreboard is Alexander Zverev.

Before thinking about the season on grass, however, Sinner has an important appointment to honor this evening at the Foro Italico. The South Tyrolean will take the court on the Central at 7 p.m. to face Austrian Sebastian Ofner, number 82 in the ATP rankings, in what will be their first official confrontation on the major circuit. The match will be televised live on Sky Sports and streamed on Sky Go and NOW.

The previous precedent between the two dates back to 2019, when a very young Sinner won in the final at the Ortisei Challenger with a score of 6-2, 6-4. It was the last Challenger tournament of the South Tyrolean’s career, and it was after that victory that he decided to make the final leap to the ATP circuit. In a sense, then, Ofner was unwittingly the springboard for the world number one’s extraordinary rise. The Austrian, on the eve of the challenge, made no secret of his ambition: “I have to think I can beat him, otherwise I wouldn’t even be able to take the court. One of the keys could be my serve. I have to stay in the match and try to take advantage of the opportunities I will have.”