Jannik Sinner faces ripple effect of doping ban months later: Why World No. 1 is missing out on massive ATP bonus check

Despite a string of stellar results this year, World No. 1 Jannik Sinner won't be eligible to receive the hefty payout from the ATP's year-end bonus pool. In order to make the sport more financially lucrative for its players, the ATP Tour has taken quite a few steps. It all started with the launch of its OneVision initiative in 2023.

One of the key aspects of this strategic transformation includes a reward for the best performing players in a season across various tournaments. A massive $21 million will be split between the top 30 players who acquire the most points at this year's Masters 1000 tournaments and the ATP Finals (for those who qualify for the latter event). The prize money is nearly double of what was up for grabs in 2023.

However, Sinner won't be able to enjoy the fruits of his labor this year even after posting some impressive results at the Masters 1000 level. Players who skip four or more mandatory Masters 1000 tournaments in a season forfeit 100 percent of the bonus earnings. The Italian has skipped four such tournaments this year.

All of this traces to Sinner's positive test for the banned substance clostebol over a year ago. He served a three-month ban for the same starting from February 2025. He missed out on participating in four Masters 1000 tournaments during his suspension, the ones in Indian Wells, Miami, Monte Carlo and Madrid. He also skipped the Canadian Open following his triumph at Wimbledon.

Even with the Monte-Carlo Masters being a non-mandatory tournament, Sinner has missed four Masters 1000 events, thus making him ineligible for the bonus. He currently has 650 points at the Masters 1000 level, which he gained thanks to his runner-up finish at the Italian Open.

Sinner is through to the semifinals of the ongoing Cincinnati Open, which should push his tally to upwards of 1000 points and help him rise from his current position of 16th to at least 10th. He's bidding to reach his second straight final in Cincinnati as well.

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Jannik Sinner a couple of wins away from successfully defending his Cincinnati Open title

Jannik Sinner at the Cincinnati Open 2025. (Photo: Getty)

Defending champion Jannik Sinner is on the verge of mounting a successful title defense at the Cincinnati Open 2025. He's through to the semifinals without dropping a set. Following a first-round bye, he kicked off his title defense with a 6-1 6-1 win over Daniel Elahi Galan.

Following wins over 30th seed Gabriel Diallo and qualifier Adrian Mannarino, he thrashed 23rd seed Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-0, 6-2 in the quarterfinals. He will face Terence Atmane in the semifinals. The latter has advanced to his maiden Masters 1000 semifinal.

Sinner is bidding to become the first player since Roger Federer to win back-to-back titles at the Cincinnati Open. The Swiss maestro was the last man to successfully defend his title here after bagging consecutive titles in 2014 and 2015.