Jannik Sinner's lead as the world No. 1 will be reduced in a few weeks after making a curious scheduling decision.
The tennis calendar and how players schedule their years is a topic that has received much attention in recent weeks. Some of the biggest names in the sport have spoken out against the length of the season.
Carlos Alcaraz is one of those who believes the season is too long. The four-time Grand Slam champion admits that he has not wanted to go to tournaments because he feels burnt out and does not get time to rest and recuperate.
However, the Spaniard was forced to hit back after being asked why he played at the Laver Cup and signed up for exhibitions next month and in December. Alcaraz believes exhibitions should not be judged in the same way as other events.
Alexander Zverev has also been vocal about the length of the season. The German bluntly said that the ATP does not care about player opinions but is opposed to boycotting tournaments.
Criticism of the calendar is not exclusive to the ATP Tour. Iga Swiatek, the No. 1 ranked WTA player, has repeatedly said there are too many tournaments and that the future consequences for players could be severe.
However, Sinner gave a more nuanced answer when asked about the schedule. He said players do not have to play in all the tournaments and can choose when to compete, although the 23-year-old also acknowledged the season is long.
Sinner won his first match since the US Open in the opening round of the 2024 China Open in Beijing. The Shanghai Masters immediately follows, meaning it is a busy couple of weeks for the world No. 1.
The Italian won the 2023 Vienna Open, beating Daniil Medvedev in a thrilling three-set battle. But Sinner has demonstrated his point about not having to play at every tournament by choosing not to compete in Austria this year.
The 2024 Vienna Open entry list includes great players like Medvedev, Zverev, and Dominic Thiem, who will play the final tournament of his illustrious career on home soil, but not Sinner.
Sinner is also not on the entry list for the Swiss Indoors in Basel, which is the other ATP 500 tournament that will take place during the same week as the Vienna Open.
That means Sinner will lose the 500 points he gained from his title run in Vienna last year. The US Open champion's decision cuts his lead at world No. 1, and he is not mathematically sure to end the year at the top of the rankings.
Sinner is defending many points between now and the end of the season. He won last year's China Open and reached the final of the ATP Finals, as well as the 500 points he will lose from the Vienna Open.
However, it would still be a major surprise if Sinner did not end 2024 as the world No. 1. He is over 4,000 points ahead of Zverev at No. 2. and Alcaraz at No. 3. Only a collapse from Sinner would put his No. 1 ranking under threat.