WATCH: Jannik Sinner introduces unusual ritual involving water bottle in China
NewsThursday, 02 October 2025 at 15:00
Many players have particular habits and superstitions they follow, but what Sinner does after opening water bottles is especially original.
Jannik Sinner won his first title since the 2025 Wimbledon Championships at the 2025 China Open. The Italian dismantled Learner Tien 6-2, 6-2 with a ruthlessly clinical display that gave the American no chance.
That was Sinner's best performance of the tournament. Although he did not perform flawlessly against Terence Atmane, Fabian Marozsan, and Alex de Minaur in the previous three rounds, he showed determination and focus to win.
Sinner does not show much emotion on the court and prefers to stay calm. That includes being focused on his routines and ensuring nothing feels out of place before he plays each point on serve and return.
One account on X dedicated to content about the ATP world No. 2 noticed Sinner's unusual habit after opening water bottles, and made a video showing three instances of him doing it.
Each time Sinner opens a new bottle, he spills a small amount on the ground before drinking from it. The video below shows him doing this twice during a match and once in a practice session, meaning he does not just follow the routine in professional situations.
It is impossible to know for sure why Sinner does this without asking the four-time Grand Slam champion. Not wanting to drink out of a bottle without spilling some first is not the most typical of habits.
Sometimes, as the account that made the video notes in its post, there is no coherent explanation for why a player consistently does something; it just feels right for them. Sinner also does not like stepping on the lines in between points.
Sinner needs to win the Shanghai Masters to keep his year-end No. 1 hopes alive
Sinner was overtaken at No. 1 by his great rival Carlos Alcaraz after the Spaniard defeated him in the 2025 US Open final. That was their third consecutive meeting in a Grand Slam final this year.
Alcaraz staged a scarcely believable comeback from three championship points down in the fourth set to win the French Open final before Sinner responded by beating the Spaniard 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 in the Wimbledon final.
Those two finals meant Alcaraz's task in the US Open final looked steep. Instead, the 22-year-old overcame Sinner 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 with an outstanding display. He won even more comfortably than the final score suggests.
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Sinner's chances of overtaking Alcaraz at No. 1 look minute. The two-time French Open champion matched his rival by winning the 2025 Japan Open in Tokyo, the day before Sinner defeated Tien in Beijing.
This year's Australian Open winner has a massive number of points to defend from the Shanghai Masters and ATP Finals after securing the title at both events in 2024. By contrast, Alcaraz does not have many points to defend.
Sinner must know that his hopes are good as over if he does not win the 2025 Shanghai Masters, but his hopes of achieving that improved after Alcaraz's withdrawal from the tournament.
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