Jannik Sinner made a surprise appearance at the ATP Finals in Turin on day one, despite being forced to end his 2026 season early with a knee injury. The five-time Major champion has not played a match since defending his Wimbledon title in July, missing the US Open, multiple Masters 1000 events and the season-ending championships.
Sinner attends No.1 Club gala and ceremony
Sinner attended a gala for members of the ATP's No.1 Club on Friday evening, a group comprising the 30 men who have reached the top of the rankings. He has also been at the Inalpi Arena for sponsorship opportunities with Head. However, he did not publicly step back on the court until the tournament began on Sunday.
Ahead of the first singles match between Alexander Zverev and Rafael Jodar, a special ceremony was held for the No.1 Club members. Not all former world No.1s were present, with Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray notably absent from the weekend's celebrations. Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev, who are competing in Turin this week, also did not take to the court for Sunday's presentation.
Sinner addresses crowd and outlines recovery
Sinner was the last of the cohort to step out, joining the likes of Boris Becker and Marat Safin as Italian fans showed their appreciation. The five-time Grand Slam champion briefly addressed the crowd during the ceremony. Sinner has lost his No.1 ranking during his injury layoff, with Zverev overtaking him at the top.
Asked how he would try to get it back, Sinner said: "First to get back healthy, this is my first goal. And then after, of course, I love the competition, I love to play in front of people, especially here. I miss this event, so it's okay, but I'm just looking forward for next year and hopefully it's going to be a good year."
Sinner also spoke in Italian, telling fans to enjoy their week at the ATP Finals and reminding them that they still had another home player, Flavio Cobolli, to get behind, plus a strong doubles field.
Return target set for early 2027
Earlier this week, the current world No.2 held a press conference in Italy and shared his hopes of returning to competition at the beginning of 2027, either at the Australian Open or at a warm-up tournament. Sinner has already signed up for the Six Kings Slam exhibition in late December.
"My goal is to be in Australia, and I hope I can make it in time, maybe even play a tournament before then," he said. "Right now I have to respect the timelines and follow the medical protocols, without trying to speed up my recovery. I have complete faith in the team treating me, and I'm working to be able to achieve that goal."
In a YouTube vlog shared in partnership with Allianz, Sinner also revealed that he had surgery to remove his tonsils and had "lost a lot of weight".
