Sep 7, 2025; Flushing, NY, USA; Carlos Alcaraz (ESP) and Jannik Sinner (ITA) pose for a photos a the net prior to the final of mens singles at Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.

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How Does Jannik Sinner’s Injury at ATP Shanghai Masters 2025 Affect His Shot at World No. 1 vs. Carlos Alcaraz?

Sinner will drop points for failing to retain his Shanghai title.

Sep 7, 2025; Flushing, NY, USA; Carlos Alcaraz (ESP) and Jannik Sinner (ITA) pose for a photos a the net prior to the final of mens singles at Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.

Defending champion Jannik Sinner had to retire from the 2025 Rolex Shanghai Masters due to a freak injury. The World No. 2 was engaged in a heated battle against Dutchman Tallon Griekspoor, before calling it quits and handing the 24-year-old a 6-7(3) 7-5 3-2 [RET] win. With Sinner currently fighting for the year-end No. 1 ranking against Carlos Alcaraz, his Shanghai withdrawal might significantly affect his chances at ascending the throne.

Jannik Sinner’s Stunning 2025 Season Revisited

Coming into the 2025 season, Jannik Sinner had won the US Open, Shanghai Masters, Six Kings Slam as well as the Nitto ATP Finals. He had also guided Team Italy to Davis Cup glory for the second consecutive season. Defending his crown at the 2025 Australian Open, the now 24-year-old dazzled at Melbourne Park to retain his championship. He defeated Alexander Zverev in straight sets in the final. Right after this, however, Sinner underwent a three-month suspension from the circuit due to a doping charge.

Upon returning at his home event in Rome, Jannik Sinner attained two consecutive runner-up finishes – at the Rome Masters and Roland Garros. The summit clash in Paris against Carlos Alcaraz is widely regarded as one of the greatest Grand Slam finals in recent times. Sinner made a quick switch to the grass courts, which culminated in his maiden Wimbledon success. During the North American hard court swing, two more finals losses to Alcaraz resulted in the four-time major champion losing his World No. 1 status.

JANNIK SINNER: WIMBLEDON CHAMPION 🏆

The moment @janniksin defeated Alcaraz to claim his first #Wimbledon title!
@Wimbledon

pic.twitter.com/h42JhBjcMy
— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) July 13, 2025

At the 2024 China Open, Sinner and Alcaraz played out a thrilling three-set final that went the Spaniard’s way. This year, Carlitos chose to play the ATP-500 in Tokyo instead. With the path clearing up for him, Sinner capitalized by dominating the field en route to his third title of the season in Beijing. But after beating Daniel Altmaier in his Shanghai opener, disaster struck when the Italian powerhouse had to retire mid-match against Griekspoor.

Jannik Sinner Injury – Can He Still Become World No. 1?

The video of the physio helping Jannik Sinner walk to his chair before retiring from the match in Shanghai.

Really tough scenes to watch.

Come back stronger. ❤️‍🩹
pic.twitter.com/JqrLYNDQ5M
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) October 5, 2025

Sinner’s ouster from the Rolex Shanghai Masters under brutal conditions leaves the men’s draw wide open. Moreover, it lands a huge blow to the Italian’s quest for the World No. 1 ranking. A Round of 32 exit means that Sinner will pocket 50 points from the competition – a mammoth 950 point decrease from the 2024 edition, where he earned 1000 points for beating Novak Djokovic in the final.

Alcaraz (quarterfinalist in 2024), who dropped 200 points after withdrawing from the Masters-1000 in Shanghai, will fall to 11,340 points after this week. But with Sinner letting go of crucial ranking points, he will fall to 10,000 points on the ATP Rankings. Although he has firmly secured the No. 2 ranking as of now, this leaves Alcaraz with a sizeable cushion of 1,340 points.

Looking ahead at the remainder of the season, Sinner is likely to play an ATP-500 in Vienna, before competing at Paris Bercy and the ATP Finals. Even if the 24-year-old goes unbeaten and secures three titles to close the year, Alcaraz would require just 461 points across his remaining tournaments to be crowned year-end World No. 1 for 2025. He has an approximate 85-90% chance at holding off his Italian counterpart, all things considered.

(Image Credits: Robert Deutsch, Imagn Images)

ATP

Carlos Alcaraz

Jannik Sinner

Nitto ATP Finals

Roland Garros

Shanghai Masters 2025

Tennis

US Open

Wimbledon

Sankalp Harikrishnan

A passionate sports fan through and through, I am currently pursuing my MA in Global Sports Journalism. I specialise in tennis and football writing at The Playoffs News, and I have prior experience working at EssentiallySports and Sportskeeda. Born and raised in Bengaluru, India, sport was my safe space right from my childhood. After trying my hand at multiple sports and representing my educational institutions in cricket, badminton and table tennis, I found sports media to be my calling.