Jannik Sinner has been warned that he will need to return to winning ways quickly ahead of a crucial summer in his ongoing rivalry with Carlos Alcaraz.
World No 1 Sinner defeated Alcaraz to claim his fourth Grand Slam title at Wimbledon this summer, triumphing in four sets to win his first title at the All England Club.
The Italian already had a comfortable cushion over Alcaraz in the ATP Rankings, but with the Spaniard losing points as the reigning Wimbledon champion, his advantage only grew last month.
Former world No 12 Paolo Bertolucci claimed that Sinner will need to be mindful of “real rival” Alcaraz over the coming weeks.
“Now in Cincinnati, Jannik will need to immediately deliver a high-level performance to consolidate the points he’s gained or make up for those he’ll lose,” said Bertolucci.
“He’ll have to watch his back from the Spaniard [Alcaraz], now his only real rival for the world number one spot. The Spaniard has followed the same path as Sinner and will also restart on the scorching American hard courts of Cincinnati, but unlike the Italian, despite being behind in the rankings,” he added.
Sinner currently holds a staggering 12,030 points in the ATP Rankings, with No 2 Alcaraz 3,430 points behind on a total of 8,600.
The Italian will drop 200 points from the Canadian Open, skipping the event in 2025 after reaching the last eight in 2024, though he will still hold a substantial lead at the top.
