Jannik Sinner added a 22nd ATP Tour title to his collection on Sunday after winning the Vienna Open.
Sinner is chasing down Carlos Alcaraz for the year-end number one spot, and will continue his hunt this week when he competes at the Paris Masters.
On Sunday, the Italian defeated Alexander Zverev 3-6, 6-3, 7-5, and consequently surpassed an impressive record that was previously held by Andy Murray.
The final against Zverev tested Sinner’s physical capabilities, as he suffered from physical issues during the match.
The Italian overcame these struggles, demonstrating his immense grit and determination to succeed.
However, these physical issues are a concern, as conveyed by Matt Roberts and David Law.
Matt Roberts says Jannik Sinner’s physical issues are his ‘biggest question mark’
Journalists David Law, Catherine Whitaker and Matt Roberts recently discussed the Vienna Open final on the Tennis Podcast.
During their analysis of the final, Matt Roberts said he was impressed with both players, noting that Zverev’s performance was his best against a top player in a ‘long, long time.’
However, Roberts also expressed his concern regarding the physical condition of Jannik Sinner.
Sinner has now suffered from physical issues at two consecutive ATP events [ed. Sinner has also played the Six Kings Slam exhibition]. At the Shanghai Masters, he was forced to retire from his match against Tallon Griekspoor.
In Vienna, he again dealt with physical issues during the final.
“From a Jannik Sinner perspective, really interesting that he kept up his pledge to use more variety,” Roberts said.
“A lot of drop shots in this match, particularly off the forehand. They were pretty effective.
“We’ve seen Novak Djokovic have a lot of success with that shot against Alexander Zverev this year, and Carlos Alcaraz many times. I think it was a good play from Sinner.
“Then we got to this third set where Sinner was really struggling physically with some cramping. I think that is the biggest question mark I would have for Jannik Sinner coming out of these last two tournaments where he has cramped.
“Okay, Shanghai was extreme conditions. But it was odd to me that he was cramping in this match, considering he hadn’t had a particularly taxing week physically.
“Wasn’t an especially taxing match. I think there are some question marks there for Jannik Sinner about why this keeps happening.”
“But what it did was actually make him a little more aggressive, and then the whole match kind of came down to 5-5, 30-30, I thought, and Jannik Sinner was a little bit bolder in that point than Zverev.
“Goes for the backhand down the line after a really long rally, and you kind of see the big difference between the two players there.
“In that crucial moment, as well as Zverev had done all match, he didn’t really impose himself, and Sinner did. And that is a massive difference between the two players. Then Sinner played another great point and ended up managing to break and then win the match the next game.”
Fellow journalist David Law later echoed Roberts’ concerns, saying: “I’m just really confused about the cramping, and the physical issues he’s having in relatively short matches, so I think there’s still some way to go for him… I’d love to know whether that is nerves or whether that is a physical issue. It’s very interesting.”
Ahead of his first-round match in Paris, Sinner was asked whether he was surprised to have suffered the same physical issues at consecutive ATP events.
Sinner replied: “It was not same issue at all. I feel like was normal. You know, played five days in a row. The final was very physical. It can happen.
“The body feels good now. A bit tired, of course, playing five matches in a row and coming here is not much time to recover.
“But I’m happy. You know, I’m happy with how I’m feeling. I recover every day better. So tomorrow is my first match. I’m very focused to hopefully play some good tennis also here. Then we see how it goes.
“But I’m not worried physically. You know, I feel in a good shape also tennis-wise. So I hope for a good start, and then we see how it goes.”
Jannik Sinner’s first match at the 2025 Paris Masters
After receiving a first-round bye, second-seeded Jannik Sinner will face Belgian player Zizou Bergs in the Paris Masters second round on Wednesday.
Bergs defeated young American star Alex Michelsen in the first round, winning the contest 6-3, 2-6, 6-2.
Sinner and Bergs have never played each other before on the ATP Tour.
Bergs, the world number 41, recorded an excellent run at the Shanghai Masters earlier this month, reaching the quarter-finals.
Bergs defeated Sebastian Korda, former world number two Casper Ruud, Gabriel Diallo and Francisco Cerundolo to reach the quarter-finals.
There, he lost in straight sets to Novak Djokovic: 6-3, 7-5.
In Paris, the winner of Sinner and Bergs will face either Francisco Cerundolo or Miomir Kecmanovic. Cerundolo defeated Aleksandar Kovacevic in the first round, while Kecmanovic beat Damir Dzumhur.
