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World No. 1 Jannik Sinner has disagreed with Carlos Alcaraz's coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero , over what it takes to become a top tennis player. After defeating Felix Auger-Aliassime in the Paris final last weekend, Sinner reclaimed his position at the top of the men's rankings. However, the Italian ace will be dethroned by Alcaraz when his ATP finals points are deducted, as he was the victor in last year's event. Yet, the 24-year-old could snatch back the top spot from the Spaniard in Turin if a series of results go his way. Sinner finds himself in the Bjorn Borg group alongside Alexander Zverev, Ben Shelton and either Lorenzo Musetti or Auger-Aliassime. As it stands, the Canadian has qualified, but he could be overtaken by Musetti if the Italian triumphs in Athens this weekend. Both Auger-Aliassime and Musetti could end up qualifying for the season-ending event if Novak Djokovic withdraws. The 24-time grand slam champion, currently competing in Athens, has not yet confirmed whether he will participate in Turin, reports the Express . Ahead of Sinner's first match in Italy, the Australian Open and Wimbledon champion has been asked about a provocative statement from 2003 Roland Garros winner and former world No. 1 Ferrero. The Spaniard, who has coached Alcaraz to six grand slam titles, expressed his belief that one must be a 'slave to tennis' to reach the pinnacle. "I would use another term, I would say passion," Sinner told Sky Sports . "I have a lot of passion in what I do. I was lucky enough to practice a lot of sports as a kid, I played football, I did ski, I did cyclism, running... but tennis taught me I can find myself. "Anything can happen outside the court, but on court I feel safe. And especially when things are good, you need to work more because when you feel good the mind learns every tiny detail. "When you lose, you're more negative and it doesn't make sense to go on court at times. In tennis you have to make a lot of sacrifices but for me it will always be the most important thing, until I decide it's like this. The moment I realise it's over, that my body doesn't respond to me anymore, I will stop." When asked about his reaction to returning to world No. 1 following Paris, Sinner said: "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. "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. "The goal of this week was to go day by day, trying to maximise my potential, which I have done for this week, and I'm extremely happy. As I said, now we recharge and hopefully be as ready as possible then for Turin, and we hope for a great tennis week there." Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
