Jannik Sinner wants time away from tennis after Paris Masters glory

Jannik Sinner is looking forward to taking a brief break from tennis after lifting the Paris Masters trophy. The Italian clearly wasn't at his best this week, but he still managed to storm through the draw without dropping a set. He will now overtake Carlos Alcaraz in the rankings and return to No. 1 in the world.

Sinner now has one tournament left before heading into the off-season - the ATP Finals in Turin, where he is the defending champion. But he will be taking a couple of days off after a challenging week in the French capital, where he admitted he had to "push through" and listen to his body.

Earlier in the tournament, Sinner appeared to be struggling physically and admitted that he wasn't feeling 100 per cent. The No. 2 seed even grew frustrated with his team during his quarter-final tie, swearing at his box mid-match.

But the 24-year-old improved as the week went on, sealing a statement 6-0 6-1 victory over defending champion Alexander Zverev, who was clearly physically hampered, in the semi-finals. Then he beat Auger-Aliassime in the championship match.

The victory was even sweeter for Sinner, given how much he "struggled on court". And he knows it will be crucial to take a break before turning his attention to the ATP Finals.

"The season is not over yet, so it doesn't mean that you don't enjoy these moments, because it doesn't matter how big the title is. It's an amazing feeling having this with us now," the Italian explained.

"But also relieved, you know. After a week like this, it has been very intense, so I'm extremely happy. I will take a couple of days off. It's very important now for the body but also for the mind. Then of course we try to prepare ourselves for the best possible way then in Turin."

Sinner is now on a 10-match winning streak, coming to the Paris Masters fresh off the back of his Vienna Open title win last week. The 24-year-old struggled with the quick turnaround - but he learned some important lessons about looking after his body.

The four-time Major winner continued: "I feel like this week has been a learning process also to understand my body much better, you know.

"It also shows that every day it's really different, you know. It can be in good and it can be in bad. You know, I was pushing through some matches, even if from outside it seems that it was, from the scoreboard, that it was okay.

"But, you know, you always have struggles on court, and it's not easy. Then at some point, from one day to the other, you feel much better. So I think this is the lesson what I learned throughout this week."

Sinner will now return to No. 1 in the world, but when his 2024 ATP Finals points drop off, he'll be behind Alcaraz again. They can both still fight for the year-end No. 1 ranking, but the Italian isn't too bothered.

"Well, it's not only in my hands, but I'm of course happy. I knew from the beginning of the week that there is this chance," he explained.

"But as I said, you know, before the final, before every tournament or before every match, I try to put the best performance I can on the court, and then whatever comes, comes. And this is how I went on court. In Turin, I'm going to do the same. I watch my side, and I just play the best possible tennis I can, and if it's not gonna be, it's not gonna be."