At the conclusion of the Grand Slam calendar, who would have predicted that Zverev would end up with the most titles ahead of Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz?
It is the German who sits atop the ‘Race to Turin’ leaderboard, which highlights the calendar year leaders on the road to the ATP Finals in Turin, Italy. He has played more tournaments and won more points this season than the sport’s main duopoly.
Sinner’s recovery from a knee injury will determine whether he can hold on to his No. 1 spot, not least because the Italian has over 3,000 points to defend, up to and including a home appearance at the year-end finals.
Meanwhile, Zverev is fully fit and with far less to catch up on from last term, leaving him 1,800 points off the elusive number one ranking spot. The ceiling for the past four years has been second spot, but can the Olympic champion take the final step forward?
Both men, who contested the Wimbledon men’s singles final in July, have clinched their berths at the ATP Finals: Sinner has 1,300 more points to defend than Zverev.
Last season, both Sinner and Zverev played four tournaments between the US Open and Turin. Plenty of points remain on offer, and with Zverev in touching distance, he will be determined to clinch the No. 1 spot and year-end No. 1 trophy for the first time.