Jannik Sinner's coach, Darren Cahill, has confirmed that the Italian's schedule will differ next year, which might lead to him skipping one of the most significant clay-court tournaments on the calendar.
Sinner is currently in Turin ahead of the ATP Finals. He qualified for the season-ending tournament before any other player after an exceptional 2024 that saw him become the year-end No. 1 quicker than anyone since Novak Djokovic in 2015.
Winning the ATP Finals on home soil would be the perfect end to a breakthrough ATP season for Sinner. He raced out of the blocks by winning his maiden Grand Slam title at the Australian Open, beating Daniil Medvedev after trailing by two sets.
Sinner's other successes in 2024 include securing titles at the US Open, Miami Open, Cincinnati Open, and Shanghai Masters. Those triumphs have given him a huge lead at No. 1.
The 23-year-old's chances of adding the ATP Finals to that list of titles may have been improved after Novak Djokovic withdrew from the tournament, something Sinner responded to at a recent event.
Despite Sinner's outstanding success this year, he did not win a title on clay. Reaching the semifinal of the Monte-Carlo Masters and the French Open were the closest the world No. 1 came to achieving that.
Sinner's clay-court season was also disrupted by illness. He withdrew before his quarterfinal at the Madrid Open and was forced to miss the Italian Open in Rome.
After winning the Miami Open, Sinner's clay-court season began a week later in Monte-Carlo. That was a pretty quick turnaround after spending the entirety of March competing on the hard courts in Indian Wells and Miami.
Sinner and his team are planning a different approach for 2025. Cahill told La Gazzetta that the transition from the Miami Open to the clay-court season was too abrupt and will be changed.
"In 2025 we will change a few things in terms of the schedule. The Miami-clay transition was too abrupt this year, we will prepare for clay better. Everything will continue to revolve around the Slams."
The Monte Carlo Masters is the only non-mandatory Masters 1000 tournament on the ATP calendar. That means Sinner can skip it without being worried about possible penalties.
Cahill's statement that Sinner's 2025 schedule will revolve around the Grand Slams demonstrates how much he has progressed. All tournaments are important, but the Italian is now at a point as the No. 1 that he prioritizes the biggest stages.
Precisely planning the schedule for the grass and clay-court seasons will be especially important because the French Open and Wimbledon are the two Grand Slams that Sinner has not won yet.
Sinner established himself as the most formidable hardcourt player in the world in 2025 by securing the Australian Open and US Open. Adapting his schedule could be crucial to his chances of toppling Carlos Alcaraz at next year's French Open and Wimbledon
However, Sinner will be focused for now on trying to win a maiden ATP Finals titles on home soil in Turin.