Jannik Sinner to miss Italy's Davis Cup defence, instead turning focus to Australian Open preparation - 'Need an extra week off'
Published 20/10/2025 at 22:05 GMT+1
Jannik Sinner will miss Italy's Davis Cup defence, instead opting for an extra week's preparation ahead of the 2026 Australian Open in January. Sinner defeated rival Carlos Alcaraz in the Six Kings Slam in Saudi Arabia on Saturday, which saw him pocket $6 million in total. The Italian had to withdraw from the Shanghai Open through injury and admitted he needs a week off.
Sinner beats Alcaraz to win $6m prize in Saudi Arabia
Video credit: SNTV
Jannik Sinner will miss the Davis Cup as Italy bid to win their third consecutive title in Bologna next month.
The World No. 2 has enjoyed a stellar 2025, winning both the Australian Open and Wimbledon and reaching the finals of the US and French Open.
He also defeated rival Carlos Alcaraz - who has been named in the Spain team - in the Six Kings Slam in Riyadh on Saturday, taking home the $4.5 million jackpot in addition to the $1.5m he earned for participating.
Sinner will take part in the ATP Tour Finals in Turin between November 9 and 16 but he has not made himself available for the Davis Cup defence, which starts two days later on November 18.
Italy’s squad does still involve the eighth and 22nd ranked players in the world in Lorenzo Musetti and Flavio Cobolli.
They begin their attempt at a three-peat with a quarter-final showdown with Austria.
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Italy captain Filippo Volandri explained that the Davis Cup remains hugely important for Sinner and that he would be back within the squad soon.
He said: "The Davis Cup is, and will remain, always his home and I am sure that Jannik will soon be part of the team again.
"In the meantime, I can count on a group ready to fight and give everything for the blue jersey."
The 24-year-old has shown signs of struggling recently, as shown by his withdrawal during the Shanghai Masters to Tallon Griekspoor.
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Sinner forced to retire in Shanghai as Griekspoor gets the walkover and moves forward
Video credit: SNTV
Despite that, Sinner returns to action after his success in Riyadh on Wednesday, when he will face German Daniel Altmaier in the first round of the Vienna Open, a competition he won in 2023.
He revealed that his decision not to partake in the Davis Cup was due to the busy tennis calendar, with Sinner already eyeing up the Australian Open, which starts on 12 January next year.
"I've won the Davis Cup twice, my team and I decided this because the season at the end of the year is very long, and I need an extra week off to start training sooner," he told media ahead of the Austrian Open.
"The goal is to get back on track in Australia, in the last two years, I haven’t been at the top because there was little time, so we made this decision - we’ll see."
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