ATP Tour

It all adds up for Sinner at the Nitto ATP Finals, Italian defeats Alcaraz for title

Jannik Sinner successfully defended his Nitto ATP Finals title on Sunday in Turin, where he used the backing of a raucous Italian crowd to overcome his great rival Carlos Alcaraz 7-6(4), 7-5.

World No. 1 Alcaraz and World No. 2 Sinner have dominated the 2025 season, winning 14 titles between them, including all four majors. A season of twin supremacy deserved nothing less than a final act on the sport’s most electric indoor stage.

Under the lights, in a crackling atmosphere, Sinner delivered red-line tennis from first ball to last. The 24-year-old unloaded from the baseline with fierce pace and accuracy, mixing in flashes of Alcaraz-like artistry, including several dazzling lobs. His biggest test came at 5-6, 40/A in the first set, when he erased a set point with an ice-cold 117mph second serve. With his two-hour, 15-minute victory, the Italian joined John McEnroe and Boris Becker as the only men to lift multiple Nitto ATP Finals trophies on home soil.

"We are individual athletes but without my team, this is not possible. Celebrating this trophy at the end of the year after such an intense last couple of months, there is no better ending," said Sinner, who hugged his team courtside following victory. "It was a very, very close match. I saved a set point in the first set and I am extremely happy with how I handled the situation and it means the world to me."

Sinner rallied from a break down in the second set and absorbed Alcaraz’s trademark variety with poise, extending his extraordinary indoor winning streak to 31 matches. His last indoor defeat came two years ago against Novak Djokovic in the final in Turin. Since then, he has swept indoor titles in Rotterdam, Turin (twice), Vienna and Paris and played a central role in Italy’s two Davis Cup triumphs.

Now 10-0 across his past two appearances at the prestigious year-end event, including a perfect 5-0 run this week, Sinner departs Turin with a record $5,071,000 champion’s payout, the largest in tournament history. He did not lose a set all week and has the best Nitto ATP Finals win percentage in history at 88.2 per cent, surpassing Ilie Nastase.

Although Alcaraz sealed ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF honours on Thursday after a flawless 3-0 round-robin campaign, and claimed their US Open final showdown in September, Sinner will head into the off-season buoyed by a resounding response on home turf.

“I am really happy with the level I played today,” Alcaraz said during the trophy ceremony. “He is someone who has not lost a match on an indoor court for two years now, so that means how great a player you are. Putting in great work with your team every time. You come back even stronger after every loss, you don’t have many. A well-deserved final.”

The Italian still trails 6-10 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series, but his wins 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. "Playing against Carlos, you have to play at your best. I was serving very well at times but he is one of the best returners in the game. Obviously Novak is in there. But I am very happy. It was a tough match but it means a lot to me ending the season like this. It is amazing."

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In front of an electric Inalpi Arena crowd, both players came out swinging in a high-quality opening. Alcaraz escaped trouble at 2-2, 40/40 with a backhand laser down the line that clipped the paint, only for Sinner to answer in the following game by whipping a backhand winner off his shins, a shot that drew an approving nod from Alcaraz and sent the crowd into a thunderous chorus of ‘Ole, Ole, Ole, Ole, Sinner, Sinner’.

After holding for 5-4 in the first set, Alcaraz received a medical timeout for an upper right leg issue but he did not seem overly hampered by the issue despite his leg being taped. The Spaniard moved to set point when he hit a deft forehand drop shot followed by a punched volley winner, but Sinner survived with a huge second serve into the body of Alcaraz. He then hit a 105mph forehand winner and a big serve out wide to hold and force a tie-break. Sinner hit two stunning lobs in the breaker to lift the roof of the Inalpi Arena, before he converted on his first set point to lead.

However, the atmosphere inside the stadium quickly changed at the start of the second set when Alcaraz became the first player this week to break Sinner's serve. The Italian hit two double faults in the game to gift Alcaraz a foothold. Yet Sinner enjoyed a slice of luck to respond. He framed a return on break point that dropped in and followed it up with a perfect dropshot to level at 3-3. Sinner then upped his aggression once again in the closing stages of the set, landed more first serves and earned one final break of serve to record a memorable win.

Sinner ended the season holding a 58-6 record, lifting trophies at the Australian Open, Wimbledon, Nitto ATP Finals, Paris, Beijing and Vienna. Alcaraz went 71-9 in 2025, winning a tour-leading eight crowns, including majors at Roland Garros and the US Open.

Did You Know?
The 24-year-old is the ninth man to triumph at the year-end championships in consecutive years. This century, only Lleyton Hewitt (2001-02), Roger Federer (2003-04, 2006-07 and 2010-11) and Djokovic (2012-15, 2022-23) have also accomplished the feat.