Jannik Sinner successfully defended his ATP Finals crown with a commanding straight-sets victory over Carlos Alcaraz, winning 7-6 (7-4) 7-5 in the championship match. The Italian star did not drop a single set throughout the entire tournament and has now extended his remarkable unbeaten run on indoor hard courts to 31 consecutive matches.
His achievement makes him the youngest man to defend the ATP Finals title since Roger Federer accomplished the feat in 2004. Sinner’s triumph over his biggest rival further solidified his dominance on the surface and crowned a stellar season.
Reflecting on his victory, Sinner said, “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. 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. 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. 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.”
Despite the loss, Alcaraz expressed confidence in his ability to challenge Sinner under the same conditions. He said, “First of all, I never doubt about myself. I never doubt about my level on indoor court. I did not doubt about playing and fighting toe to toe with Jannik on indoor court. I thought at the beginning of the match, I thought right after just this match that I can beat him, that I can compete against him here.
“I didn’t surprise at all that I was really close. It was just about the tennis. I’m just really happy with the performance that I did today. I’m pretty sure that it’s going to keep growing up, my level on indoor court. Obviously I felt the improvements of Jannik.
“I said many times, I think a player like him, he always come back stronger from the loses. He always learn from the loses. Once again, he has shown everybody that he did it. Especially in the serves, putting so much pressure on you. It’s really difficult to play against him obviously.”
The rivalry between Sinner and Alcaraz has defined men’s tennis since 2024, with the duo dominating nearly every tournament they both entered. Since the start of 2024, the pair has won 18 of the 19 events in which they competed together, resulting in an extraordinary combined winning rate of 94.74 percent. Their shared titles include Australian Open, Indian Wells, Miami, Roland Garros, Wimbledon, Cincinnati, US Open, Beijing, Shanghai, Paris Masters, Rome, and the ATP Finals across the 2024 and 2025 seasons.