Paris Masters
Zverev complains of his late-season decline
Alexander Zverev has confessed that he would love to just write off the second half of this season after being slowed by illness and injury.
The German lost the No. 2 ranking behind Jannik Sinner this month, going down in his last match, the Vienna quarter-finals to Lorenzo Musetti.
Zverev is fighting pneumonia as he begins play at this week’s Paris Masters, final event of the ATP regular season.
He is into the field at the eight-man Finals which begin on November 10 and has vowed to fight through even in his reduced state.
The 27-year-old trails second-ranked Carlos Alcaraz by 395 points and is pondering his situation after his luck changed for the worse following Wimbledon.
“The last few months have not been too good for me, it’s no secret,” he told the ATP heading into the Masters 1000 at Paris Bercy.
The first six months of the year were fantastic. I reached a Grand Slam final (Roland Garros), I came very close to reaching another in Australia (semis)
“I won a Masters 1000 (Rome). I won a lot of matches, in general it was fantastic.”
But then things changed over the summer:
“(After) the (knee) injury at Wimbledon, from then on I had some health problems.
“I wasn’t playing well, I wasn’t playing good matches, I wasn’t feeling too good either.” the German freely admits: “
I’ve definitely had a slump . I just hope I can be back soon.
“We still have two big tournaments left at the end of the year and I want to get back to my best tennis in both events.”
Zverev takes the third Paris seeding and begins in the second round after a bye.
Jannik Sinner began his quest for an unprecedented fifth straight title at a Masters 1000 tournament with a runaway 6-3, 6-4 start over Stefan Ofner on Saturday in Rome.
The second-round clash between the German-speaking Italian world No. 1 from the former Austrian territory of Alto Adige and an actual Austrian was played in front of a packed-out Campo Centrale with local fans in full voice.
The final three games of the march were twice interrupted by medical emergencies in the stands, resulting in around 20 or more cumulative minutes of delay.
“It’s an amazing feeling,” Sinner said. “In the first matches, the most important thing is trying not to lose.
“The level changes day by day. This has always been a special tournament for me.
“Being Italian, you reflect on the year a little bit. I’m happy to be here. Every situation, every week is different I’m trying to get a good match rhythm again.”
Sinner has lifted four straight Masters titles – Paris, Indian Wells, Miami and Monte Carlo – and could become the first man to ever win five on the trot. His current Masters win streak was extended to 29 straight.
A title next weekend at the Foro Italico would also complete his career matched set of all nine Masters 1000 titles.
Ofner began with a love game and gave Sinner a challenge but eventually took the loss after his initial flurry of form.
Sinner claimed the opener in 36 minutes and began the second with a break of the 82nd-ranked player who turns 30 on Tuesday.
The Italian, who lost the Rome final 2 months ago to Carlos Alcaraz, finished off the crowd-pleasing win as Ofner could not handle a forehand winner deep into the corner after 91 minutes.
The Italian top seed won his 24th straight ATP match of the season as he advanced while denying Ofner a first win over a top 10 player after a dozen previous losses to the elite.
Main photo:- Jannik sinner won Miami Open in April – by ISF Ltd
Jannik Sinner enters this weeks Madrid Open in search of another record.
If the Italian World No. 1 claims the title on 3 May he will become the first player to win five consecutive ATP Masters 1000 titles.
Sinner was forced to retire during his third-round match in Shanghai last October but has since lifted the trophies in Paris, Indian Wells, Miami and Monte-Carlo.
The 24-year-old did not drop a single set at the three hard-court events, though Tomas Machac put an end to his record breaking streak at 37 in the Monte-Carlo third round.
When Sinner defeated Carlos Alcaraz in the Monte-Carlo final earlier this month he returned to No. 1 in the ATP Rankings for the first time since November 2025.
The Italian became the first player to win the ‘Sunshine Double’ with victories in Indian Wells and Miami, without dropping a set.
On three previous occasions Novak Djokovic and Rafa Nadal once each won four consecutive ATP Masters 1000’s
Djokovic won five trophies in a row at that level between Paris in 2014 and Rome in 2015 but did not play in Madrid that year.
Sinner is next aiming at breaking Djokovic’s record of winning six Masters 1000 titles in a single season in 2015.
The Italian is already an eight-time Masters 1000 champion, but Monte-Carlo was his first trophy at that level on the clay.
Sinner’s best result in Madrid thus far was a run to the quarter final in 2024
The top seed will open against qualifier, Benjamin Bonzi on Friday.
World No. 2 Jannik Sinner became the youngest man to complete the full set of hard-court victories by beating Daniil Medvedev 7-6 (8) 7-6 (7) in the searing heat of Indian Wells.
The 24 year old Italian, didn’t face a break point during the final nor did he drop a set on his way to claiming his first title of the year and his 25th overall.
Sinner has won both hard court Grand Slams, with victories at the Australian Open in 2024 and 2025 and at the US Open in 2024.
In addition he has lifted all six Masters 1000 series hard court titles – adding the Indian Wells title to victories in Miami, Toronto, Cincinnati, Shanghai and Paris plus the season-ending ATP Finals.
Only Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer have achieved the same feat.
Main photo:- Jannik Sinner lifts Indian Wells Trophy – by ATPTour.com
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