Despite amassing numerous titles and records, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have yet to conquer the Rolex Paris Masters, an accolade that makes this year’s edition a major opportunity for the top two players in the PIF ATP Rankings.
Defending champion Alexander Zverev will also be in action, as will Taylor Fritz, who leads a group of players trying to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals.
ATPTour.com highlights 10 things to watch in Paris, where this year’s tournament begins a new era with the move to Europe’s largest indoor sports venue, La Défense Arena.
1) Alcaraz aims for the first crown in Paris: In his first ATP Tour event since his September victory in Tokyo, Alcaraz will look to add the Rolex Paris Masters to his title tally. The indoor event remains just one of three ATP Masters 1000 titles missing (Canada, Shanghai) from the Spaniard’s CV. Alcaraz leads the Tour with 67 match wins and eight titles in 2025 according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index and can also strengthen his bid for a second ATP Year-End No. 1, presented by PIF finish.
2) Sinner who wants to flip the script: Sinner has just one match win in his three appearances in Paris and is looking to rewrite his record in the French capital. In each of the past five events where Sinner and Alcaraz were both in the draw, the rivals met in the final – a trend fans would like to see continue in Paris, where Alcaraz and Sinner met in 2021 for their first Lexus ATP Head2Head clash, won by the Spaniard. Sinner will look to carry the momentum from a deep run into Vienna, where he will play for the title on Sunday.
3) Defending Champion Zverev Eyes Repeat: Flashback to last year and Zverev stormed to the Paris title, dropping just one set in five matches, four of which were against Top 20 opponents. Zverev has already qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals for the eighth time and will look to claim his eighth Masters 1000 trophy. The German will face Sinner for the Vienna crown on Sunday.
4) Fritz, Shelton lead US indictment: Americans Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton round out the Top 5 seeds, respectively. The 27-year-old Fritz has 51 match wins this season, two wins short of his career best of the past two seasons. The 10-time tour-level title winner is vying to return to Turin after last year’s runner-up finish at the Nitto ATP Finals. Shelton, who was trying to earn his first qualification in Turin, could face Sinner in the Paris quarter-finals.
5) Turin Chase intensifies: With the Nitto ATP Finals approaching, the Rolex Paris Masters takes center stage as a key battleground for those still vying for a ticket to Turin. Lorenzo Musetti currently occupies the final qualifying spot in eighth place (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 needs to make a deep run in France to keep his hopes alive. The Canadian does not have a bye in Paris like the one above him and will face a qualifying match in the first round.
6) Back in form, Medvedev ready for Paris push: Former world number 1 Daniil Medvedev brought on board a new coaching team with Thomas Johansson and Rohan Goetz after the US Open and has since revived his season. Medvedev reached the semi-finals of Shanghai before ending his title drought of more than two years with his win in Almaty. Now just one win away from 40 match victories this season, the 11th-seeded Medvedev will be one to watch in Paris, where he won the title in 2020 and returned to the finals 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-set lead at love against Sinner in the fourth round. Unable to lift his arm, an emotional Dimitrov was forced to retire, while Sinner claimed his first Wimbledon title. Now, after being sidelined for more than three months, Dimitrov returns to Paris, where he will face home favorite and great Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in the opening round. Read more about Dimitrov’s comeback here.
8) Shanghai Champ Vacherot among the wildcards: Valentin Vacherot did the unthinkable at the latest ATP Masters 1000 event in Shanghai. The 26-year-old, then world number 204, became the lowest-ranked ATP Masters 1000 champion in history (since 1990) with a fairytale run, which ended with a victory in the final against his cousin Arthur Rinderknech. Vacherot joins Rinderknech, Arthur Cazaux and Terence Atmane as wildcards in Paris. If Vacherot beats 14th seed Jiri Lehecka in the first round and Rinderknech beats Fabian Marozsan, the cousins will meet in the second round.
9) #NextGenATP Stars: Last year’s Next Gen ATP Finals, hosted 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. Student Ten, who is set to return to Jeddah 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 event, which also features Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool, the duo ranked first in the PIF ATP Doubles Teams Rankings. Arevalo and Pavic have won three of the eight ATP Masters 1000 events this season (Indian Wells, Miami and Rome). Britain’s Cash and Glasspool collected six team trophies this year.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]
#Alcaraz #Sinner #chasing #trophy #Paris #Scouting #Report