The Foro Italico awaits its champion. As the draw ceremony for the Internazionali BNL d'Italia takes place this Monday at the Piazza del Popolo, Jannik Sinner arrives in Rome with a status no Italian player has ever known: world number one, winner of five consecutive Masters 1000 titles, and overwhelming tournament favorite.
Madrid confirmed what the tour already knew. Sinner, twenty-four, defeated Alexander Zverev in the final to claim a record fifth straight Masters 1000 crown, an unprecedented feat in tennis history. With 14,350 ranking points, the gap to Carlos Alcaraz, sidelined with a wrist injury, continues to widen. The Spaniard, who has withdrawn from both Rome and Roland-Garros, will shed another 3,000 points in the coming weeks.
The men's draw still promises intrigue behind Sinner. Zverev, the Madrid finalist, remains the most credible challenger. Novak Djokovic, ranked third, returns to Rome determined to prove he can still compete on clay at thirty-nine. Felix Auger-Aliassime, Ben Shelton, Alex De Minaur, and Lorenzo Musetti, the local crowd favorite, round out a refreshed top eight.
The absences will thin the field. Carlos Alcaraz, Taylor Fritz, Jack Draper, Holger Rune, and Arthur Cazaux have all pulled out, mostly due to injury. Thirteen withdrawals in total, an unusual number for a Masters 1000 that traditionally serves as the final dress rehearsal before Roland-Garros.
On the WTA side, Aryna Sabalenka leads a deep field that includes the entire top 20. Jasmine Paolini, the defending singles and doubles champion, returns to her home crowd with memories of last year's historic victory in front of President Mattarella. Marta Kostyuk, unbeaten on clay this season and fresh Madrid champion, arrives riding a wave of momentum.
The tournament runs from May 5 to 17, with a 96-player draw on both the men's and women's sides. For Sinner, the stakes go beyond the trophy: winning a first title on home soil, in front of his own fans, in a stadium that has been chanting his name for two years. All the ingredients are in place.
