TURIN, Italy– On his preferred surface and in front of a raucous home crowd, Jannik Sinner capped off an extraordinary season with a commanding victory over his rival Carlos Alcaraz, producing a masterclass to defeat the Spaniard 7-6(4), 7-5 and successfully defend his ATP Finals title in Turin.
Despite a season slightly disrupted by a three-month doping suspension—and with Alcaraz claiming the year-end No. 1 ranking after a stellar campaign of his own—Sinner closes 2025 with six titles, a 58-6 win-loss record, and three of the year’s five biggest trophies.
“It was an incredible season,” Sinner said according to AP. “To finish it this way, before my Italian fans, is very special for me.”
Sinner’s dominance on indoor hard courts remains undeniable. The Italian has now won 31 consecutive matches on the surface, a streak dating back to his pivotal role in Italy’s Davis Cup triumph in 2023.
At just 24, he becomes the youngest man to defend an ATP Finals title since Roger Federer in 2004, and only the second player after Novak Djokovic to claim the title consecutively without dropping a set.
Alcaraz had already secured the year-ending No. 1 ranking and was contesting his first final at the event for the year´s top eight players.
Alcaraz still leads his career meetings with Sinner, 10-6.
Sinner and Alcaraz have met in the last three Grand Slam finals. Alcaraz beat Sinner in a fifth-set tiebreaker to win the French Open; Sinner gained a measure of revenge at Wimbledon; then Alcaraz again came out on top at the US Open.
They also clashed this year in the Italian Open final (won by Alcaraz) and the Cincinnati Open final (won by Alcaraz when Sinner retired due to illness).
“I hope you are going to be ready for next year because I will be ready to hopefully play more finals against you,” Alcaraz said during the trophy ceremony.
To which Sinner added that he hopes they have “great, great battles ahead of us.”
Sinner also won the Australian Open – beating Alexander Zverev in the final – so he and Alcaraz each won two majors this year.
In all, Alcaraz has won six majors and Sinner has won four. Already early in the first set, the pro-Sinner crowd chanted its customary “Ole, Ole, Ole, Ole; Sin-ner, Sin-ner.”
One fan even held up an image of Sinner depicted as a saint. Sinner saved a set point at 5-6 in the tight first set with a big second serve that Alcaraz couldn´t return. Then the Italian took control of the tiebreaker by running down a drop shot and responding with a lob that led to an overhead put away.
“I´m extremely happy with how I handled the situation,” Sinner said of saving the set point.
Added Alcaraz, “He came up with a second serve 185-190 kph (115-118 mph) that surprised me.”
Alcaraz had his right thigh treated by a trainer on two occasions – and got it wrapped after the first set.
“Didn´t affect me too much, to be honest, because I could run well,” Alcaraz said.
Alcaraz broke Sinner´s serve in the opening game of the second set but Sinner then evened it at 3-3.
Sinner then got the crowd going again in the next game when he won a long rally and held his finger to his ear – signaling for more noise inside the Inalpi Arena.
Sinner broke Alcaraz again to close it out when the Spaniard missed a backhand wide – then fell down to the court on his back in relief.
“It was a huge emotion,” said Sinner, who was banned for three months earlier in the year after settling a doping case.
Alcaraz led 28-25 in winners but also had more unforced errors, 26-24. Sinner said he wanted to improve his serve after the loss to Alcaraz at the US Open and he led 8-5 in aces but also had five double-faults to Alcaraz´s none.
