Carlos Alcaraz lifted a trophy again this Tuesday, half a year later and, practically at the same time, Jannik Sinner announced that he will miss the remainder of the season. One is returning and the other is leaving. This season, tennis lives in a kind of law of the pendulum of misfortune that has barely allowed duels between the two, only one, in the final of the Monte Carlo Masters 1000, and that suspends the spectacle of seeing them face to face until 2027, when both should already be at their best level. A strange year this year.
Alcaraz defeated Jiri Lehecka in the final of the ATP 500 in Tokyo 7-6 (4) and 6-4 and confirmed something that was still pending to be confirmed after his return at the US Open: his body responds again. Since that right wrist injury in the spring, he has only needed two tournaments to become champion again and clear all doubts about his condition. If in New York he reached the quarterfinals and already offered magnificent tennis, the last week in Japan has left any unknown behind. “It has been a slow and long process, with ups and downs, with bad moments and very good moments,” he explained after the game, excited, before admitting that the title meant a lot to him. In the most heartfelt moment of his speech, he especially thanked his team for preparing him to return by "making sure I didn't get injured again." «It has been incredible. I have to say thank you, thank you, thank you. "I feel lucky to be by your side," he added during the ceremony.
Before, he admitted that he had had to live with "negative thoughts", but that these already disappeared in the last Grand Slam. «A lot of thoughts went through my mind during the injury. "If I would be the same again, if I would feel pain when hitting the ball... a lot of thoughts," he acknowledged. The defeat against Ben Shelton, in a game at dawn and with more than four hours of play, could not be considered doubtful, but, if necessary, there is his third title of the year. After the Australian Open and the ATP 500 in Doha, the ATP 500 in Tokyo serves to close a gray period.
And in the capital of Japan he did not need to show all his weapons every day. Against Jaume Munar, in the semifinals, he won with blows, with his right foot and constant pressure from the bottom. Against Lehecka he found another way: he changed speeds, stopped the exchanges when he wanted to and forced the Czech to play one more ball. An important sign after an injury because it means you can play a full game, change your plan and still feel comfortable. There are no more doubts. Now the doubts are in Sinner.
The Italian, world number one, announced yesterday that he will not compete again in 2026: neither the Shanghai Masters 1000, nor the ATP Finals nor the Davis Cup. He has not played since July 12, when he won Wimbledon for the second consecutive year, and since then he has missed the North American tour, the US Open and the Asian tournaments. Despite the secrecy surrounding his injury, his team confirmed that he will undergo treatment to reduce the inflammation in his knee and that, in principle, he should recover in time to prepare for 2027 with guarantees.
"The doctors and I have decided that I need a course of treatment on my knee, which means that the 2026 season is officially over," Sinner explained on his social networks. «Now I also need to think about my long-term career. "I will do everything possible to return to one hundred percent."
Sinner thus closed a good season, with a Grand Slam and five Masters 1000 titles, but also with the feeling that he could conquer more. The strange defeat at Roland Garros due to the heat remains a stain on his resume and this injury ends his preeminence in world tennis. Alexander Zverev will rise to number one sooner rather than later and thus close 2026, while Alcaraz awaits his turn next summer, when he can compete at Roland Garros and Wimbledon.
