It comes as little surprise that Jannik Sinner has chosen to take a well-deserved break after his remarkable performance at the Australian Open.
The Italian sensation made a statement in Melbourne, defending his hard-court Grand Slam title with impressive ease. Sinner breezed through the tournament, conceding just two sets before defeating Alexander Zverev in straight sets—6-3, 7-6 (7-4), 6-3—in a dominant final display.
While Sinner had been scheduled to compete in the upcoming Rotterdam Open, where he is the defending champion after clinching the title by beating Alex de Minaur in the 2024 final, he has decided to sit out this year’s ATP 500 event. The tournament is slated to run from February 3-9.
“After discussions with my team, we made the difficult decision to withdraw from the ABN AMRO Open,” Sinner explained. “My body requires some rest after the intense run in Australia.”
Tournament director Richard Krajicek expressed his disappointment, acknowledging the toll the Australian Open had taken on Sinner. “It’s unfortunate for both Jannik and the tournament that his hard-fought efforts in Melbourne are preventing him from competing in Rotterdam,” Krajicek remarked.
Sinner’s absence will have an immediate impact on the Rotterdam seeding, with Carlos Alcaraz now moving up to the top seed. He’ll be followed by Daniil Medvedev, Alex de Minaur, Andrey Rublev, Holger Rune, and Jack Draper.
Alcaraz, who has yet to play in Rotterdam due to his prior commitments in South America, will make his debut this year. With Sinner’s withdrawal, both Alcaraz and Zverev now have a prime opportunity to close the gap in the rankings, taking advantage of the Italian’s absence.
At present, Sinner holds the World No. 1 ranking with 11,830 points, while Zverev sits in second with 8,135 points and Alcaraz follows with 7,010 points. However, with Sinner now forfeiting 500 points by missing Rotterdam—his only event in February—the door opens for his closest rivals to edge a bit closer.
Both Zverev and Alcaraz are set to defend 100 points over the next few weeks, so strong performances by either of them could see them chip away at Sinner’s lead.
Looking ahead, Sinner’s next event will be the Qatar Open, before he heads to the United States for the prestigious Indian Wells Open, starting on March 5. Last year, he made it to the semi-finals of the ATP Masters 1000 event, but his run was marred by a doping controversy. Sinner was stripped of his points and prize money after testing positive for clostebol in separate samples. After appealing the provisional suspension, Sinner was cleared by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) in August, following an investigation that determined he had committed no wrongdoing.
Despite this, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has contested the ITIA’s ruling, seeking a ban for Sinner between one and two years. The case is now under review by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, and its outcome could significantly impact Sinner’s season moving forward.