ANALYSIS: DID DOPING BAN & DAVIS CUP SNUB COST JANNIK SINNER THE TOP AWARD
Despite winning two Grand Slams and the ATP Finals, Jannik Sinner was snubbed for the Gazzetta Sportsman of the Year by Lorenzo Musetti. His doping ban and Davis Cup snub were key factors.
Jannik Sinner had a great 2025, grabbing two Grand Slams and the ATP Finals. He wrapped up the year ranked No. 2. Still, he didn't get the Sportsman of the Year award at the Gazzetta Sports Awards.
Even though he was out for three months because of a doping ban, Sinner was just behind Carlos Alcaraz in titles won this season. He took home six trophies, while Alcaraz won eight.
Besides his Australian Open, Wimbledon, and ATP Finals wins, the Italian also won the Paris Masters, China Open, and Vienna Open. He earned the most prize money in 2025, pocketing $19,120,641. The $5.071 million check he got at the Finals in Turin—the biggest prize in ATP Tour history—helped him beat Alcaraz ($18,803,427).
But it wasn't enough to win the Gazzetta Sports Award for the second year in a row. Fellow tennis player Lorenzo Musetti took home the trophy instead.
Musetti, ranked No. 8, didn't win any titles in 2025. But he was a runner-up at the Monte Carlo Masters, Chengdu Open, and Hellenic Championships. He also made it to the semi-finals at Roland Garros and the quarter-finals of the US Open.
The 23-year-old broke into the top 10, starting the year at No. 17 and reaching a career-high of No. 6 in June. He also played at the ATP Finals for the first time but was knocked out after the group stage.
This season has been amazing, with lots of firsts. "I got into the top 10, reached my first final in Monte Carlo, and made it to the Finals for the first time," Musetti said.
I've wanted to improve for a while now. Meeting Sinner and Alcaraz this year helped me see where I can get better. That's why I brought in coach [Jose] Perlas to work with [Simone] Tartarini. I hope this will help me take my career to the next level.
Sinner's ban for failing anti-doping tests in 2024 and his choice not to play at the Davis Cup Finals this year likely influenced La Gazzetta dello Sport's decision to give the award to Musetti.
After winning the Australian Open in January, Sinner was suspended for three months after testing positive for the banned substance clostebol in March 2024.
Later in the year, he stirred up controversy in Italy by not playing in the Davis Cup Finals in Bologna. He wanted a longer break after the 2025 season.
Gianni Valenti, the Italian publication's deputy director, asked Sinner in October to change his mind. He wrote, For any athlete, the national team should always come first. It's something special that brings the country together.
Repeating the success at the ATP Finals in Turin is important. But winning the Davis Cup would be even greater. We hope Jannik reconsiders. He has until November 17th to change his plans. It would mean a lot to his teammates, fans, and his image.
He finished. Think about it, Jannik. Great people know when to change a puzzling decision.
But Sinner didn't change his mind, and Musetti also pulled out due to personal and fitness problems.
The Italians still managed to defend their Davis Cup title, winning three in a row without their two biggest stars.
EMMA RADUCANU DROPS TO NO. 29 AS VIRAL ILLNESS DELAYS COMPETITIVE TENNIS RETURN
Emma Raducanu falls to World No. 29. Discover her Madrid Open comeback plans and the viral illness that halted her WTA season.
Emma Raducanu has slipped further down the WTA rankings as she focuses on regaining her full fitness. At 23, she has faced several interruptions since her breakthrough win at the US Open in 2021.
While Raducanu stands out as a major title winner, having claimed her US Open victory after navigating the qualifiers, she reached her highest ranking at No. 10 less than a year later. Since then, she hasn’t added another singles title to her name, working instead on finding steadiness in her game. She’s aiming to kick off her clay-court season at the Madrid Open later this month. Yet, her ranking has dipped ahead of that event, partly because she withdrew from both the Miami Open and the Linz Open.
Currently listed at No. 29, down one spot from 28, Raducanu hasn’t gained ranking points recently due to recovering from a viral illness. Her last appearance was at Indian Wells in March, where she exited in the third round against Amanda Anisimova.
Her decision to miss Miami and Linz came after falling ill. Reports from BBC Sport noted that she started feeling unwell in February but kept competing until she pulled out of the Austrian tournament.
As Raducanu prepares for a potential comeback at Madrid, which kicks off on April 21, Romania’s Sorana Cirstea has moved ahead in the rankings. At 36, Cirstea climbed three places to 26th after reaching the quarter-finals in Linz.
Interestingly, Raducanu and Cirstea met earlier this year at the Transylvania Open final in Cirstea’s home country. Cirstea won decisively, 6-0, 6-2, though Raducanu admitted she wasn’t at her best even before the match started.
“In Cluj, I picked up a virus at the start of the tournament,” Raducanu shared with the Guardian in February. “I was dealing with that and its after-effects... which lasted for three weeks. I’ve been trying to shake it off. The Middle East trip was really tough for me.”
It seems Raducanu is keen to recover fully before stepping back onto the court. Looking back, Aryna Sabalenka took the 2023 Madrid Open title with a 6-3, 7-6 win over Coco Gauff in the final.
JANNIK SINNER TAKES WORLD NO. 1; ALCARAZ CAN RECLAIM LEAD IN BARCELONA
Jannik Sinner is World No. 1! Discover how Carlos Alcaraz can reclaim the top spot at the Barcelona Open this week.
Jannik Sinner’s win over Carlos Alcaraz at the Monte-Carlo Masters wasn't just a big match; it sent Sinner straight back to the world number one ranking. Now, the Italian leads Alcaraz by 440 points after his Monte-Carlo victory.
But the clay season is packed, and with so many tournaments coming up, there’s still plenty of room for the rankings to shift before Roland Garros rolls around.
Alcaraz doesn’t have to wait long for his shot to reclaim the top spot. His next chance comes right away at the Barcelona Open, his home tournament. Last year, Alcaraz made the final in Barcelona, and now he’s set to chase down Sinner again.
Honestly, their Monte-Carlo match didn’t quite live up to the hype. Blame the wind. It was a pretty scrappy three out of ten match, if we’re being honest. Not exactly the fireworks everyone expected.
Still, Sinner and Alcaraz will be only 160 points apart at the start of the Barcelona Open, really close. If Alcaraz wins in Barcelona, he actually jumps above Sinner in the rankings, but just barely. He’d have 13,410 points, Sinner would have 13,400. It’s that tight.
Plus, if the rumours are true and Sinner skips the Madrid Open, Alcaraz could hang onto the top spot pretty easily.
Even with the recent slip in the rankings, Alcaraz shouldn’t be discouraged. He knew Sinner had been playing out of his mind lately and probably expected the rankings to flip. Sinner outplayed him in Monte-Carlo and fully deserved that win.
But there’s a lot of tennis left this spring. Alcaraz is strong on clay and has more chances, especially in Madrid, to rack up points. Neither player competed in Madrid last year, so both have a great shot to stretch their leads.
With Alcaraz picking up extra points in Barcelona, Sinner might not stay number one for long. Expect this battle at the top to keep flipping back and forth; it’s far from over.
