Why Jannik Sinner Needs a Strong Performance in Vienna to Keep Year-End No. 1 Aspirations Alive
The Italian star is on the hunt for glory, determined to close the gap on Alcaraz.
October 21, 2025
Photo Credit: AFP/Getty Images
Jannik Sinner ranks as the No. 2 player in the PIF ATP Live Rankings.
By ATP Staff
Carlos Alcaraz currently holds a commanding lead in the race for the ATP Year-End No. 1, presented by PIF. Can Jannik Sinner orchestrate a late-season surge to wrest this honor from his formidable rival?
Sinner’s journey begins this week at the Erste Bank Open in Vienna, where he aims for a remarkable run.
Competing in this prestigious ATP 500 event, Sinner has the chance to secure an additional 500 points for his PIF ATP Live Race To Turin. If victorious, he would close the gap on Alcaraz, who is absent from this tournament.
PIF ATP Live Race To Turin
This situation is crucial for Sinner, considering he faces a tight margin for error. The 24-year-old currently lags 2,540 points behind Alcaraz in the Live Race, a key indicator in the quest for the year-end No. 1.
Looking ahead, both champions are slated to compete in the Rolex Paris Masters (worth a maximum of 1,000 points) and the Nitto ATP Finals (offering up to 1,500 points). To capitalize on his opportunities, Sinner must accumulate every point possible and hope Alcaraz, boasting an impressive 67-7 record in 2025 according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, stumbles along the way.
Should Sinner secure his second Vienna title, he would enter Paris trailing Alcaraz by 2,040 points, allowing him to potentially reduce the gap further. While Alcaraz would still hold a decisive lead, added pressure could shift the dynamic.
Conversely, a disappointing outing in Vienna would leave Sinner with a daunting 2,540-point deficit as he heads into the season’s final ATP Masters 1000 event. Even with wins in Paris and Turin, Sinner could only reach 11,000 points, narrowly behind Alcaraz’s current total of 11,040. Notably, Sinner has no scheduled events in Athens or Metz in the week following Paris and before Turin.
Both players are in pursuit of their second ATP Year-End No. 1 finish, with Alcaraz achieving this milestone in 2022 and Sinner claiming it last year.
