Jannik Sinner may not have finished the year as world No. 1, but he retained the Nitto ATP Finals title at the expense of rival Carlos Alcaraz.
It was a very, very exciting match. I saved a set point in the first set and I am extremely happy with the way I handled the situation and it means a lot to me Jannik Sinner
The Italian not only improved his record of consecutive indoor court victories to 31 and joined John McEnroe and Boris Becker as the only players to lift multiple ATP Finals trophies on home soil with his 7-6(4) 7-5 win. Furthermore, the world number 2 ended the week without dropping a set – a feat he has now achieved twice in Turin.
As expected, the atmosphere of the lights was electric at the Inalpi Arena, where Sinner had – and used – the raucous crowd to his advantage, laying down the gauntlet from the first point.
The 24-year-old controlled aggressively from the baseline with accurate fierce shots as he matched Alcaraz’s wizardry.
His biggest test came when he faced a break point at 5-6 in the first set, but he avoided a set point with a cool second serve from 187 km/h.
“We are individual athletes, but without my team this is not possible. Celebrating this trophy at the end of the year after such intense last months, there is no better ending,” Sinner said after his victory.
“It was a very exciting match. I saved a set point in the first set and I am extremely happy with the way I handled the situation and it means a lot to me.”
Sinner suffered a rare break of serve – the first he dropped all week – in the second set, but was able to recover for 3-3 with a perfect drop shot and hold off the inevitably strong challenge from Alcaraz to deal a major psychological blow to his rival after two hours and fifteen minutes of high-quality tennis.
Although Alcaraz sealed the year-end No. 1 spot on Thursday after a flawless 3-0 round-robin campaign that Sinner matched, it is the Italian who heads into the season with more confidence ahead of next season.
(Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
“I am very happy with the level I played today,” Alcaraz, who has yet to win the title at the end-of-year tournament, admitted during the award ceremony. “He’s someone who hasn’t lost an indoor track match in two years, so that means what a great player you are. Doing a great job with your team every time. After every loss you come back even stronger.” [and] you don’t have many. A well-deserved final.”
The Italian is still trailing 6-10 in the pair’s personal series, but his victories at Wimbledon and now in Turin serve as a clear message that the defining battles of this era are being fought by these two.
“It was tough today,” Sinner added. “When you play against Carlos, you have to play your best. I served very well at times, but he is one of the best returners in the game. Obviously Novak is there. But I am very happy. It was a tough match, but it means a lot to me to end the season this way. It is great.”
Now 10-0 in his last two appearances at the prestigious year-end event, including a perfect 5-0 run this week, Sinner leaves Turin with a record payout of US$5,071,000, the largest in tournament history.
Sinner finished the year with a 58-6 record, winning trophies at the Australian Open, Wimbledon, Turin, Paris, Beijing and Vienna, but Alcaraz’s record surpasses that at 71-9 after victories at the French and US Opens, Monte Carlo, Rome, Rotterdam, Queen’s, Cincinnati and Tokyo.
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