ATP Finals: Sinner closes his season with indoor perfection
The 2025 Rolex Paris Masters champion retained his crown at the ATP Finals in Turin, defeating his great rival Carlos Alcaraz.
After a year defined by their epic battles - the now-iconic Sinalcaraz clashes - it was almost impossible to imagine the season-ending finale without the world’s two best players standing across the net from one another. Both flawless on their way to the championship match, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner squared off for the sixth time this season inside a packed Inalpi Arena, whose crowd left little doubt about its favourite. True to his reputation as an indoor invincible, Sinner prevailed in a breathtaking, hard-fought contest (7-6(4), 7-5 in 2h15), securing his sixth title of the year and extending his astonishing winning streak on indoor hard courts to 31 matches.
A masterful victory in which the champion saved a set point in the opening set before raising his level even further to come back from a break down in the second. “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.”
Having also dispatched Alexander Zverev and Félix Auger-Aliassime (like in the last four and in the Paris final) earlier in the week, Sinner closes out 2025 with a remarkable 58-6 record - four of those six losses coming against his Spanish rival - all crowned by a spectacular Vienna – Rolex Paris Masters – ATP Finals triple crown. “This year making four Grand Slam finals, coming here, winning here, having this big streak in end of the year, it's amazing,” he added. “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… Honestly, amazing season. Many, many wins, and not many losses.”
Guaranteed to finish the year as world No.1 thanks to his three round-robin victories (over Alex de Minaur, Taylor Fritz and Lorenzo Musetti), Alcaraz pushed until the very end, mixing in his trademark drop shots and blistering forehands in an attempt to break down the Sinner wall. The Spaniard was the only player all week to take the Italian’s serve, but ultimately faltered in the money time. Ever gracious, he acknowledged his rival’s superiority while sending a cheeky warning for 2026. “I am really happy with the level I played today,” he said to warm applause. “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. […] It’s time to rest, hopefully you’re going to be ready for next year, because I will be ready!”
As they did in Rome, Roland-Garros, Wimbledon, Cincinnati and the US Open, the two men shared smiles during the trophy ceremony. No doubt because they are aware that in this new era of the ‘Big 2’, the situation is bound to happen again. And why not at Paris La Defense Arena? We’ll find out from 31 October to 8 November 2026.
