Sinner and Alcaraz, favorites of a tournament that distributes the last tickets in Turin

The new generation, represented by the Italian Jannik Sinner and Spanish Carlos Alcarazhas taken over the tennis circuit and The Masters 1,000 in Paris, last year, was a good example of this, without a hint of Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic.

Yes the former is taking his final steps on the court, which will take place in the Davis Cupthe Serbian recounted his appearances in dribs and drabs and Paris, a tournament he won seven times, including the last, was not one of them.

At 37 years old, at a time when he had not won any title beyond Olympic gold, Djokovic will leave the French capital’s indoor tournament somewhat destitutewhich for the last time will be held in the emblematic sports center of the Bercy neighborhood to move from 2025 to the more modern Arena de La Defense, known to sports fans for hosting swimming events during the recent Olympic Games in Paris.

Serbian is the tennis player who has won the 1,000th Masters in the French capital the most timesand the tournament in Paris was the most won by the Serbian, a sign of the symbiosis that existed between Djokovic and that court that bid farewell to the world of tennis after 38 editions. Masters pending from its teacher

His withdrawal raises another question, because The winner of 24 Grand Slams is not guaranteed to finish the year in the best eight and, therefore, earn a ticket for the Turin Masters dear to him.

He doesn’t care. The overload became stronger and Djokovic, already collecting all the records, preferred to take his foot off the accelerator at the end of a strange season for him, which led him to the operating room after leaving Roland Garros and dedicated to the winner of the Olympian title missing from his extensive record.

Currently it is sixth in “Race”, the classification that opens access to Turinwhere at the moment only Sinner, Alcaraz and the German Alexander Zverev are guaranteed to be there.

Ahead is, moreover, Russian Daniil Medvedev and American Taylor Fritz, while Norwegian Casper Ruud is hot on his heels, with 75 fewer points, Russian Andrey Rublev, at 290, and Australian Alex de Minaur, at 555.

A little further away, but there are also options to surpass him in a tournament that distributes 1,000 points, are the American Tommy Paul, at 775 and the Bulgarian Grigor Dimitrov, finalist of the last edition, at 810.

All of them could displace him for the first time since 2017 from the last individual tournament of the year, between November 10 and 17, an event he has won seven times, including the last two. A Sinner-Alcaraz final to say goodbye to Bercy?

In his absence, Sinner and Alcaraz will play the bosses of a circuit that often looks secretive in the Paris Masters 1,000, cornered at the end of a very long time and this particular character, the only one in the house, needs more adaptation.

Not Italian or Spanish, that is The four Grand Slams were distributed evenlyhas become famous so far in the second contest in Paris.

For the Italians this is a good opportunity add his fifth Masters 1,000 and put himself behind Alcarazin the rivalry that both are beginning to develop as one of the great rivalries in sport and the French capital dreams of seeing under the roof of Bercy.

He draw is kinder to the Spanishwho will meet in the hypothetical quarterfinal with the Norwegian Casper Ruudthere’s nothing scary about a fast track, or the American Tommy Paul while his opponent in the semifinals was the Russian Daniel Medvedev.

sinful, great favorite and number 1 in the worldwill have to overcome bigger obstacles on the way to the final: The Dane Holger Runewinner in 2022, in the round of 16 and the Australian Alex de Minaur in the quarterfinals, before facing Germany in the semis Alexander Zverev.