Jannik Sinner is ramping up preparations ahead of his return to action on North American hard courts.
Tennis fans last saw the world number one in action at Wimbledon, when Sinner defeated Carlos Alcaraz in the final to clinch his fourth major title.
Deciding against making a swift return to competition, Sinner withdrew from the Canadian Open, instead choosing to rest up ahead of his trip to Cincinnati.
Photo by Tim Clayton/Getty Images
The Italian has a lot of work to do over the coming months, as he prepares to defend 3,000 points at the Cincinnati Open and US Open.
Ahead of his title defence in Ohio, Sinner has broken his silence on social media, updating fans for the first time since July 16.
Jannik Sinner is ‘feeling great’ ahead of return in Cincinnati
Sharing a video of him practising on social media, Sinner revealed how he is feeling ahead of the Cincinnati Open.
“Back to work, feeling great,” he said.
Sinner has been training with his fellow Italian, Matteo Berrettini, on hard courts in Monte-Carlo this week before heading to Cincinnati.
Berrettini won’t be competing at the Cincinnati Open as he continues his comeback from injury, but will no doubt have learned a lot from his time practising with the four-time Grand Slam champion.
Photo by Tim Clayton/Getty Images
Looking to build momentum ahead of the final Grand Slam of the season in New York, Sinner will be hoping to pick up another Masters 1000 title in Cincinnati.
12 months ago, Sinner defeated Frances Tiafoe in the final of the Cincinnati Open to win his third Masters 1000 title, before adding to his tally in Shanghai a few months later.
Missing five of the six Masters 1000 events in 2025 through suspension and scheduling decisions, Sinner has been unable to pick up another title since, as he remains the fifth most successful active player at the level.
Active ATP players with three or more Masters 1000 titles
Sinner will be in with a good chance of closing the gap to Daniil Medvedev with a win in Cincinnati, but is he the favorite to win the tournament?
Top three favorites to win the 2025 Cincinnati Open1. Carlos Alcaraz
If you’re going to bet on anyone other than Sinner in 2025, it’s got to be Alcaraz, who is one of two men (alongside Alexander Bublik) to have beaten him this year.
The Spaniard may have lost in the Wimbledon final last time out, but like Sinner, he skipped the Canadian Open to rest up ahead of a trip to Cincinnati.
Alcaraz famously lost a thrilling Cincinnati Open final two years ago to Serbia’s Novak Djokovic, coming up short in three sets.
He’ll be confident of going one better in 2025, as he looks to pick up his third Masters 1000 title of the year.
2. Jannik Sinner
The defending champion will make his return to Cincinnati as one of the favorites, and while Alcaraz has performed better at the Masters 1000 level in 2025, Sinner’s hard-court prowess shouldn’t be forgotten.
Sinner hasn’t lost a match on hard courts in 303 days and has picked up four titles during that period.
- 2024 Shanghai Masters
- 2024 ATP Finals
- 2024 Davis Cup Finals
- 2025 Australian Open
It was, of course, Alcaraz, who was the last man to beat Sinner on hard courts, defeating him in the final of the China Open last October.
The rest of the ATP Tour will have their work cut out for them if they want to stop either Alcaraz or Sinner from winning in Cincinnati, but there is one player who could well work themselves into contention.
3. Ben Shelton
American youngster Ben Shelton has saved his best tennis for the Grand Slam tournaments during his career to date, reaching two semifinals and a quarterfinal, but now might be the time for him to make a breakthrough at the Masters 1000 level.
On his day, Shelton can beat pretty much anyone on the ATP Tour, although he has struggled against Sinner and Alcaraz.
In fact, Shelton hasn’t lost to anyone bar Sinner and Alcaraz at Grand Slams in 2025, as he continues to falter against the world number one and two.
Photo by HENRY NICHOLLS/AFP via Getty Images
Never one to shy away from a challenge, those defeats certainly won’t have discouraged Shelton, as he will no doubt relish the opportunity to prove himself against the world’s best in Cincinnati.
If he can play at the level he’s capable of, there’s no reason why Shelton can’t challenge for his first Masters 1000 title at this year’s Cincinnati Open.
The 2025 Cincinnati Open is scheduled to begin on Saturday, August 9.