Following Carlos Alcaraz’s ascent to world No. 1 at the Arthur Ashe Stadium in September, Jannik Sinner wasted no time in focusing on his own development. He secured a victory in Shanghai and overcame his rival in Saudi Arabia at the Six Kings Slam. Despite the saying that there’s no “I” in team, Sinner has opted out of Italy’s Davis Cup defense in Bologna next month, shifting his focus to preparing for the Australian Open.

Sinner, who has already tasted Davis Cup success twice, explained his decision to Sky Sports during the Vienna Open media day, a tournament he claimed victory in 2023. “The season is long, and my team and I decided I need an extra week off to begin training earlier,” he stated. Sinner is determined to reclaim his place among the top singles players.

His objective is clear: peak performance in Australia. “The last two years have seen me fall short due to insufficient preparation time, so we believe this is the best choice,” he elaborated. Some may find this reasoning debatable, especially since the current Melbourne champion secured the title with an impressive run of eleven consecutive set wins in 2025.

Sinner is set to compete in the ATP Finals from November 9 to November 16, with the Davis Cup Final 8 commencing just two days later. Italy’s captain Filippo Volandri attempted to remain diplomatic, referring to the Davis Cup as Sinner’s “home” but expressing confidence in the other team members’ commitment to the national cause. Meanwhile, former French Open champion Nicola Pietrangeli criticized Sinner’s decision, labeling it as “a huge slap in the face for Italian sport.”

Pietrangeli’s sentiments are rooted in tradition, having led Italy to their inaugural Davis Cup victory in 1976 as coach. However, in today’s demanding schedule, top athletes are increasingly prioritizing their personal workloads. Notably, Alcaraz withdrew from the Valencia second-round tie shortly after his second U.S. Open triumph.

Unlike Sinner, who has yet to participate in the Laver Cup, world No. 3 Alexander Zverev is a regular, and Carlos Alcaraz made an appearance in San Francisco just weeks after his sixth slam victory in New York. In Sinner’s defense, he also withdrew from the 2024 Paris Olympics due to tonsillitis, while Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic faced off in a fierce final.

Sinner has never played in the Laver Cup, while world No. 3 Alexander Zverev is a regular and Carlos Alcaraz appeared in San Francisco less than a fortnight after his sixth slam success in New York. In mitigation, Sinner withdrew from the 2024 Paris Olympics with tonsillitis as Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic battled out a ferocious final.

However, Sinner was backed heavily by his countrymen during his three-month doping ban, entering the Italian Open like a returning gladiator. “We’re waiting for him with open arms,” said tournament director Paolo Lorenzi. Even Italy’s second-best-selling newspaper, La Gazzetta dello Sport, insisted that he should have a rethink.

Italy has won the Davis Cup in the last two campaigns with Sinner as a central figure in both, winning all of his singles and doubles matches from the knockout stages. The 24-year-old’s Davis Cup comeback victory against Serbia’s Novak Djokovic in 2023, when he came back from 504 and 0-40 down, really changed the dial on his confidence against the 24-time major champion in Malaga. It set the path for his dominance of the major circuit alongside the other standout Next Gen graduate.

Sinner started his head-to-head against Alcaraz in the ascendancy, but has lost seven out of his last eight professional matches against the Spaniard. The current Australian Open and Wimbledon champion admitted that he needed to make changes after his loss at Flushing Meadows. Sinner took the Six Kings title exhibition in Riyadh with a brand of tennis that meant business, while Alcaraz enjoyed the ride. The majors mean more.

Sinner’s performance in Riyadh showed a new resolve to up the ante on serve, but he also showed a change of pace outside of his automated artillery of returns and groundstrokes. Alcaraz mentioned that “he could feel” the difference.

If both competitors click at the same time, then it’s going to be a battle for the ages. Alcaraz was off his game on serve at Wimbledon, while Sinner’s first serve percentages dipped in New York. The epic French Open was a blast, and surely more of that is to come as both continue to push the envelope.