Jannik Sinner has very obvious decision to make as his bid to end the year as world number one is all but over

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Jannik Sinner will now be debating his next move after what happened at the Shanghai Masters.

Sinner was the defending champion at the Shanghai Masters, and had made a strong start after winning his opening match in straight sets.

There was even more motivation for the Italian, with Carlos Alcaraz’s withdrawal gifting Sinner an opportunity, as he looked to close the gap on the world number one.

However, this all came crashing down in his subsequent match, where Sinner was forced to retire against Tallon Griekspoor due to cramping.

Jannik Sinner should withdraw from upcoming ATP tournament

After spending 65 weeks at the top of the ATP rankings, Sinner was dethroned by Alcaraz as world number one after losing to him in the US Open final.

Although it was never explicitly said, Sinner’s busy schedule for the rest of 2025 suggested that he had his sights set on returning to world number one.

However, after suffering an early exit from the Shanghai Masters, Sinner has now dropped 950 points from his ranking and now trails Alcaraz by 1,340 points.

On top of that, Sinner has 1,200 more points to defend than Alcaraz before the end of the year and his bid to become year-end world number one is now all but over.

As a result, after clearly struggling in the humid conditions in Shanghai, which have caused many players to struggle, Sinner should withdraw from an upcoming tournament.

While it is understandable for him to compete at the Paris Masters, there does not seem to be a genuine reason for him to compete at the ATP 500 event in Vienna.

Sinner may be a defending champion in the Austrian capital, but it does not seem to serve a real purpose to his career and well-being at this moment in time.

The last 10 ATP players to end the season as world number one

Being the year-end world number one is a really prestigious status to hold, as it means that you have been the best player throughout an entire season.

Alcaraz is now set to achieve the feat for the second time in his career, and join the likes of Bjorn Borg, Stefan Edberg and Lleyton Hewitt as the other players who have done this.

The player who has achieved this feat more than any other is Novak Djokovic, who has ended the year as world number one an incredible eight times.

Pete Sampras has six reigns as year-end as world number one, while Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer have done it five times.

Although Djokovic has more year-end world number one trophies than any other player, Sampras achieved all of his six reigns in consecutive fashion between 1994 and 1998.