The ATP Finals have lost their defending champion before a ball has been hit. Jannik Sinner, the two-time reigning champion, has withdrawn from the season-ending championships in Turin due to an ongoing knee injury, according to the tournament’s official records on Wikipedia. The Italian’s absence reshapes the event entirely, with Alexander Zverev taking the top seed and Carlos Alcaraz the second seed for the tournament, which runs from Sunday, November 15 to Sunday, November 22 at the Inalpi Arena.
Sinner’s withdrawal is a blow to the tournament and to the home crowd, who had hoped to see their hero defend his title for a third straight year. The Italian had won the last two editions without dropping a set, beating Alcaraz 7-6(4), 7-5 in last year’s final, and he arrived in Turin on a remarkable indoor hardcourt winning run. His knee injury, however, has ended his season early, and the event will go on without him.
A wide-open field
With Sinner out, the tournament is wide open. Zverev, the top seed, leads a field that includes Alcaraz, and the draw — which takes place on Thursday, November 12 at 11:45am UK time — will determine the two round-robin groups of four. The top two from each group advance to the semi-finals, with the finals scheduled for Sunday, November 22.
The field also features debutants, with Flavio Cobolli, Arthur Fils, Frances Tiafoe and Rafael Jódar all making their first appearances in the singles competition. Jódar’s qualification is a story in itself: he is the first player in tournament history to qualify for the ATP Finals in his first season on the main professional tour, having made his first tour-level main draw appearance at the 2026 Australian Open. With Alcaraz also qualified, it is the first time two Spaniards have reached the Finals since Rafael Nadal and David Ferrer in 2015.
Alcaraz’s chance
For Alcaraz, Sinner’s absence is an opportunity. The Spaniard has never won the ATP Finals, and his best performance at the event was last year’s run to the final. He ends the year as the world No. 1, having won the French Open and the US Open, and he will be the favourite to lift the trophy in Turin. But Zverev, a former champion himself, will have other ideas, and the round-robin format has a habit of producing surprises.
The tournament starts on Sunday, and the Inalpi Arena will be packed. Sinner’s absence will be felt, but the show goes on — and for the first time in three years, someone new will lift the trophy.
