
Although his season did not start the way he would have wanted, as his quest for a historic Australian Open three-peat fell short, Jannik Sinner remains firmly a top two player in the world and the chief rival to Carlos Alcaraz. The pair once again defined the tournament in Melbourne, extending their remarkable run to nine consecutive Slam titles won between them.
And due to the nature of tennis, where every week brings new opportunities, Sinner will not dwell on missing out on the Australian Open for long. His schedule leading into the clay swing has now been revealed, giving the Italian a chance to rebuild momentum quickly.
Sinner will return to competition at the ATP 500 in Doha, a tournament expected to feature both Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic. Interestingly, every event Sinner plays from now until the Masters 1000 in Rome represents pure upside, as he missed this entire three-month stretch last season.
That absence came during a suspension agreed upon with WADA, meaning Sinner enters this run of tournaments with a clean slate and nothing to defend. As a result, he has an opportunity to make a push toward the No. 1 ranking, despite currently trailing by more than 3,000 points.
Following Doha, Sinner will head to the United States to contest the Sunshine Double. Indian Wells remains the only big hard-court event the Italian has yet to win, with his closest run coming in 2024 when he lost to Alcaraz in a tight three-set semifinal. Miami, however, has been far kinder, with Sinner reaching two finals and lifting the trophy in dominant fashion in 2024.
After the Sunshine Double, Sinner will take time away from competition to begin his preparation for the clay swing. While clay is arguably his least-preferred surface, the Italian has shown clear year-on-year improvement and will enter Roland Garros chasing a Career Grand Slam at the French Open this season.
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