Alcaraz, Sinner chase first Paris trophy: Scouting Report
Despite amassing numerous titles and records, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have yet to conquer the Rolex Paris Masters, a distinction that makes this year’s edition a big opportunity for the top two players in the PIF ATP Rankings.
Defending champion Alexander Zverev will also be in action, as well as Taylor Fritz, who leads a pack of players trying to clinch their qualification for the Nitto ATP Finals.
ATPTour.com highlights 10 things to watch in Paris, where this year the tournament begins a new era, relocating to Europe’s largest indoor sports venue, La Défense Arena.
1) Alcaraz Aims For First Paris Crown: Playing his first ATP Tour event since his September triumph in Tokyo, Alcaraz will look to add the Rolex Paris Masters to his title haul. The indoor event remains just one of three ATP Masters 1000 titles missing (Canada, Shanghai) from the Spaniard’s résumé. Leading the Tour with 67 match wins and eight titles in 2025 according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, Alcaraz can also strengthen his bid for a second ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF finish.
2) Sinner Seeking To Flip Script: Holding just one match win across his three Paris appearances, Sinner aims to rewrite his record in the French capital. In each of the past five events where Sinner and Alcaraz have both featured in the draw, the rivals have met in the final — a trend fans would love to see continue in Paris, where in 2021 Alcaraz and Sinner met for their first Lexus ATP Head2Head clash, won by the Spaniard. Sinner will carry momentum from a deep run in Vienna, where he will play for the title Sunday.
3) Defending Champ Zverev Eyes Repeat: Flashback to last year and Zverev stormed to the Paris title, dropping just one set across five matches, four of which were against Top 20 opponents. Already qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals for the eighth time, Zverev will try to claim his eighth Masters 1000 trophy. The German faces Sinner on Sunday for the Vienna crown.
4) Fritz, Shelton Lead American Charge: Americans Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton round out the Top 5 seeds, respectively. The 27-year-old Fritz boasts 51 match wins this season, two shy of tying his career-best mark from the past two seasons. The 10-time tour-level titlist is vying to return to Turin after last year’s runner-up finish at the Nitto ATP Finals. Shelton, bidding to lock in his maiden Turin qualification, could face Sinner in the Paris quarter-finals.
5) Turin Chase Intensifies: With the Nitto ATP Finals looming, the Rolex Paris Masters takes centre stage as a key battleground for those still battling for a ticket to Turin. Lorenzo Musetti currently holds the final qualifying spot in eighth (3,685 points), just 60 points behind seventh-placed Alex de Minaur (3,745). Felix Auger-Aliassime, who reached the Paris semi-finals in 2022, is 440 points behind Musetti and must make a deep run in France to keep his hopes alive. The Canadian does not have a bye in Paris like those above him and he will face a qualifier in the first round.
6) Back In Form, Medvedev Poised For Paris Push: Daniil Medvedev, the former World No. 1, brought a new coaching team onboard after the US Open with Thomas Johansson and Rohan Goetz, and has since revitalised his season. Medvedev reached the Shanghai semi-finals before ending his title drought of more than two years with his triumph in Almaty. Now one victory shy of 40 match wins this season, the 11th-seeded Medvedev is one to watch in Paris, where he won the title in 2020 and returned to the final the following year.
7) Dimitrov Returns To Action: In one of the most heartbreaking moments of the season, Grigor Dimitrov tore his pectoral muscle at Wimbledon while holding a two-sets-to-love lead against Sinner in the fourth round. Unable to lift his arm, an emotional Dimitrov was forced to retire while Sinner went on to claim his first Wimbledon title. Now, after more than three months sidelined, Dimitrov makes his return in Paris, facing home favourite and big-serving Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in the opening round. Read more about Dimitrov’s comeback here.
8) Shanghai Champ Vacherot Among Wild Cards: Valentin Vacherot did the unthinkable at the most recent ATP Masters 1000 event in Shanghai. The 26-year-old, then World No. 204, became the lowest-ranked ATP Masters 1000 champion in history (since 1990) with a fairytale run, which concluded with a victory in the final against his cousin Arthur Rinderknech. Vacherot joins Rinderknech, Arthur Cazaux, and Terence Atmane as main draw wild cards in Paris. If Vacherot beats 14th seed Jiri Lehecka in the first round and Rinderknech defeats Fabian Marozsan, the cousins will meet in the second round.
9) #NextGenATP Stars: Last year’s Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF champion Joao Fonseca will make his Rolex Paris Masters debut as the youngest player in the draw when he takes on Denis Shapovalov. Learner Tien, who is on track for a Jeddah return in December, is also in the field. Jakub Mensik, seeded 16th, is first in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah.
10) Arevalo/Pavic Top Seeds: Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic lead the doubles field, which also features Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool, the first-placed duo in the PIF ATP Doubles Teams Rankings. Arevalo and Pavic have won three of this season’s eight ATP Masters 1000 events (Indian Wells, Miami and Rome). Britons Cash and Glasspool have collected six team trophies this year.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]