The tennis world was caught off guard when World No. 1 Jannik Sinner announced that he would be ending his 2026 season early. A persistent knee problem has forced the Italian to pull the plug on the rest of his campaign, ruling him out of the upcoming ATP Finals in Turin.
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Sinner, who has won the prestigious year-end title in each of the last two seasons, was expected to be one of the biggest draws at the Inalpi Arena. His absence, however, has already started to shake up the secondary ticket market, with thousands of fans reportedly looking to get their money back.
The consequences were quickly seen on the ticketing websites and social media sites within hours of Sinner’s announcement. As reported by the Italian agency Adnkronos, the ticket reselling platforms were immediately hit with listings for the group-stage and important title match set for November 22. Before the withdrawal, tickets for the later stages were sold at extremely high primary and secondary prices.
In fact, the fans who already bought the tickets started to get rid of them at large discounts. As per reports, the ATP finals was listed at about €932. Meanwhile, seats for the general sessions dropped sharply, varying from €50 up to as much as €400 depending on the level.
Tennis analyst Iván Aguilar pointed out the rapid change on social media and added, “No one wants to go anymore. Once it was announced that Jannik Sinner will not play the rest of the year, many of those who had already bought their tickets to the ATP Finals put them on sale.”
Even though the big ticket agencies deny any such negative impact on the total income of the tournament, the current situation says otherwise.
When superstars step away
The situation in Turin is not the first time a major sporting event has had to deal with the loss of a star after tickets have already been sold.
Golf and Formula 1 have faceed similar problems before. Athletes like Tiger Woods and Michael Schumacher’s sudden withdrawals caused the local ticket systems and hospitality to suffer drastic deflation. In the case of motorsports, resale values for tickets to particular Grand Prix weekends have in the past dropped by double-digit percentages.
Tennis has an added layer to that problem because spectators often buy tickets with a specific player in mind.
Rafael Nadal’s withdrawal from the 2024 BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells was another example. Nadal pulled out shortly before the tournament, leaving fans who had hoped to see him without one of the biggest names on the entry list.
The same concern now hangs over Turin.
The ATP Finals will still feature Carlos Alcaraz, Alexander Zverev and other leading players, and the tournament itself has not lost its status as one of the biggest events on the tennis calendar. But Sinner’s connection with the Italian crowd gave this edition an extra attraction.