Jannik Sinner cut a delighted figure on Sunday after he finished a turbulent season in the best possible fashion, seeing off rival Carlos Alcaraz in straight sets to retain his ATP Finals title.
Italian Sinner was roared to a 7-6 (4), 7-5 victory by supporters in Turin, who watched their idol cap a landmark season in which he became the first of his countrymen to win Wimbledon.
“It’s (an) amazing season… This year making four Grand Slam finals, coming here, winning here, having this big streak in end of the year, it’s amazing,” Sinner told reporters.
“But mostly I feel to be a better player than last year, I think this is the most important. It’s all part of the process. I always say and believe that if you keep working and trying to be a better player, the results, they’re going to come. This year it was like this.”
Sinner collapsed to the ground with a mixture of joy and relief after sealing his triumph at the season-ending tournament where he hasn’t lost a match since being beaten in the 2023 final by Novak Djokovic.
The win brought to a close a year in which the 24-year-old had to bounce back from a three-month ban, which chopped out a large chunk of his season despite the World Anti-Doping Agency accepting that the Italian was accidentally contaminated with banned substance clostebol in March 2024.
“I was thinking about a lot and at the same time not a lot. There was a lot of tension because if I lost that point we go into a tie-break and then it becomes a different match,” added Sinner.
“But in that moment I was probably more relieved about the end of the season. I had a similar feeling last year but it was different.
“This year it was a more powerful feeling for a variety of reasons. It was a really emotional moment.”
Sinner’s win was his second over Alcaraz this year and a big moment after he lost the year-end world number one spot to the Spaniard, who won eight tournaments this year and took his Grand Slam tally to six.
Alcaraz was left to rue missed opportunities at key moments of a typically tight match between the two best players in the world, with his backhand failing him when he had chances to strike.
“Right now I have some points and some shots on my mind. For example, the backhand volley that I missed. I missed a few of the backhand volleys… which I’m really disappointed in,” said Alcaraz.
“I would say that was the key because it was a really important moment that I didn’t finish the point with the backhand volley… I think that was a really important shot that I didn’t do well today.”
