Jannik Sinner against his taboo to return world No. 1

Jannik Sinner returns to the Rolex Paris Masters for the first time since 2023. The Italian, world and seeded No. 2, will make his debut against Belgium’s Zizou Bergs (No. 41 ATP), fresh off a first-round success against Alex Michelsen of the United States. Just as he did two years ago, Sinner arrives in Paris after triumphing at the ATP 500 in Vienna, and benefited from a bye in his debut.

The defeat of Carlos Alcaraz now makes every win even heavier for the South Tyrolean, who has a real chance to end 2025 as world No. 1: To do so, he will have to win both in Paris and at the Nitto ATP Finals, provided the Spaniard does not get more than two wins in Turin.

The one between Sinner and Bergs will be an unprecedented encounter. The 26-year-old from Lommel, who touched his best ranking (No. 39) last October, is making his first appearance in the Paris Masters 1000, while for Sinner it will be his fourth appearance. In previous editions, the Italian was eliminated at the opener in 2021 and 2022, and in 2023 he withdrew before the round of 16, exhausted after his victory in Vienna.

This year, however, Sinner arrives in Paris with a completely different status. After occupying the world throne continuously from June 2024 to September 2025, he is undefeated for 21 matches on indoor concrete and aims not only to win one of the few Masters 1000s still missing from his trophy cabinet, but also to complete the quarterfinal “set” in all tournaments in this category.