Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner chase first Paris trophy: Scouting report | ATP Tour

Scouting report

Alcaraz, Sinner chase first Paris trophy: Scouting report

What every fan should know about the ATP Masters 1000 executive summary

October 25, 2025

Although Carlos Alcaraz and Yannick Sinner have amassed numerous titles and records, they have yet to conquer the Rolex Paris Masters, a distinction that makes this year’s event a prime opportunity for the top two players in the PIF ATP Rankings.

Defending champion Alexander Zverev will also take part, 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 as this year’s event kicks off a new era at La Défense Arena, Europe’s largest indoor sports venue.

1) Alcaraz’s goal is to win the first championship in Paris: Alcaraz, playing in his first ATP Tour event since winning in Tokyo in September, hopes to add the Rolex Paris Masters to his title hunt. The indoor event is just one of three ATP Masters 1000 titles (Canada, Shanghai) missing from the Spaniard’s resume. Alcaraz, who leads the tour with 67 match wins and eight titles in 2025, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, can also strengthen his bid for a second ATP year-end No. 1 ranking awarded by the PIF.

2) Sinner seeks to flip the script: Sinner has just one win from three starts in Paris and is aiming to rewrite his record in the French capital. Sinner and Alcaraz have been drawn in each of the past five tournaments, with the opponents meeting in the final – fans will hope to see this trend continue in Paris, where Alcaraz and Sinner met in their first Lexus ATP head-to-head meeting in 2021, which was ultimately won by the Spaniard. Sinner will move on to action in Vienna, where he will fight for the title on Sunday.

3) Defending champion Zverev’s eyes repeated: Think back to last year, when Zverev stormed to the Paris title dropping just one set in five matches, four of which were against top-20 opponents. Zverev has qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals for the eighth time and will try to win his eighth Masters 1000 trophy. The German will battle Sinner for the Vienna title on Sunday.

4) Fritz and Sheldon lead the American Stormtroopers: Americans Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton are among the top five seeds. The 27-year-old Fritz has 51 wins this season, two shy of matching his career bests over the past two seasons. The 10-time tour-level champion is aiming for a return to Turin after finishing runner-up at the Nitto ATP Finals last year. Shelton is trying to seal his first berth in Turin and could face Sinner in the Paris quarter-finals.

5) Turin chase intensifies: With the Nitto ATP Finals approaching, the Rolex Paris Masters has become a key battleground for those still vying for a ticket to Turin. Lorenzo Musetti is currently eighth (3,685 points), just 60 points behind seventh-placed Alex De Minaur (3,745 points). Felix Auger-Aliassime, who reached the Paris semi-finals in 2022, is 440 points behind Musetti and must make strides in France to keep his hopes alive. The Canadian doesn’t have a bye in Paris like those above him and will face a qualifier in the first round.

6) Medvedev returns to form and is ready for the trip to Paris: Former world number one Daniil Medvedev has breathed new life into his season after hiring a new coaching team of Thomas Johnson and Rohan Goetz following the US Open. Medvedev reached the semifinals in Shanghai and then won the title in Almaty, ending a championship drought of more than two years. Medvedev, the 11th seed, is just one win shy of reaching 40 wins this season and will be one to watch in Paris, where he won the title in 2020 and returned to the final the following year.

7) Dimitrov returns to the court: In one of the most heartbreaking moments of the season, Grigor Dimitrov tore his pectoral muscle against Sinner with a two-set lead in the fourth round at Wimbledon. Unable to lift his arm, an emotional Dimitrov was forced to retire, while Sinner went on to win his first Wimbledon title. Now, after an absence of more than three months, Dimitrov returns to Paris to face local favorite Giovanni Mpesi-Pericad in the first round. Click here to learn more about Dimitrov’s comeback.

8) Shanghai champion Vaccello wild card: Valentin Vacherot did the unthinkable at the recent ATP Masters 1000 event in Shanghai. The 26-year-old, then ranked 204 in the world, turned into the lowest-ranked ATP Masters 1000 champion in history (since 1990) with a fairy tale performance that culminated in a final victory over his cousin Arthur Rinderknech. Vaccello joins Rinderknech, Arthur Cazaux and Terence Atmane as PSG’s main draw wildcards. If Vachero defeats No. 14 seed Jiri Lehka in the first round and Lindekneich defeats Fabian Marozsan, the cousins ​​will meet in the second round.

9) #NextGenATP Stars: The Next Generation ATP Finals, hosted last year by PIF champion Joao Fonseca, will make his debut at the Rolex Paris Masters when he takes on Denis Shapovalov, becoming the youngest player in the draw. Cadet Tien, who is expected to return to Jeddah in December, was also present. No. 16 seed Jakub Mensik finished first at the PIF ATP Live event in Jeddah.

10) Arevalo/Pavik top seeds: Marcelo Arevalo and Matt Pavic lead the doubles field, along with PIF ATP doubles team No. 1 Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool. Arevalo and Pavich have won three of the eight ATP Masters 1000 events this season (Indian Wells, Miami and Rome). British team Cash and Glasspool have won six team trophies this year.