World No. 1 Jannik Sinner earned his first ATP Tour Finals trophy with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over American Taylor Fritz in Turin. The Italian was roared on by his home fans at the Inalpi Arena as he closed out victory in one hour and 25 minutes. This is Jannik Sinner’s eighth title of the year and he ends the season atop the rankings. The 23-year-old won his first two Grand Slam titles at the Australian Open and US Open in 2024 and had already clinched the year-end No. 1 ranking.
By sweeping all five of his matches en route to the trophy, Jannik Sinner earned the largest winners’ prize on the men’s tour -$4.8 million. He secured all the wins without dropping a set to become the first man since Ivan Lendl in 1986 to do so. He also became the first Italian to win the finals and the home winner of the event since Andy Murray achieved the feat in London in 2016.
Jannik Sinner Maintained His Mastery Over Taylor Fritz
Sinner had beaten the American Taylor Fritz in the US Open final in September and in the ATP Finals group stage earlier this week. Fritz seemed to have a chance to fight after defeating World No. 2 Alexander Zverev in the semifinal. Sinner served better than he had all week, leading 14-8 in aces without any double faults. The Italian also had 28 winners to Fritz’s 19 and fewer unforced errors than his opponent. Jannik Sinner extended his winning streak to 11 matches. He has won 26 of his past 27 matches and ends the ATP season with eight titles and a record of 70-6.
Fritz was attempting to become the event’s first American champion since Pete Sampras beat Andre Agassi in the title match 25 years ago. Still, the 27-year-old will rise to a career-high No. 4 in the rankings after beating Zverev in a third set tiebreak in the previous round. That will make him the highest-ranked American man since Andy Roddick hit No.4 in August 2007. This is the latest achievement for Fritz who previously became the first American man to reach a Grand Slam singles final since Roddick lost to Roger Federer at Wimbledon in 2009.
Sinner Opens Up About Doping Case
Jannik Sinner tested positive in two separate drug tests in April. He then was found to bear “no fault or negligence” by an independent tribunal after the ITIA accepted his explanation for how the banned substance entered his body. This decision to clear him of wrongdoing was appealed by the World Anti-Doping Agency in September.
WADA believes the finding is not correct and wants to have the case reviewed. In a statement, WADA declares it, “is seeking a period of ineligibility of between one and two years. WADA is not seeking a disqualification of any results, save that which has already been imposed by the tribunal of first instance.” A final ruling is expected from the Court of Arbitration for Sport early next year.
“I’ve kept on thinking about where we went wrong and what we could have done better,” Sinner said according to the Associated Press. He admitted he had days where he wasn’t feeling great. Although it was tough for him, Sinner claimed he was fortunate to have people around him to keep him stable. “Thanks to them we’ve continued to work hard every day like there’s no tomorrow and we’ve even improved in this period.”
Next Up: Davis Cup and Rafael Nadal’s Retirement
Both Fritz and Jannik Sinner will close out their seasons representing their country in the Davis Cup finals, which start Tuesday in Malaga, Spain. The event will also mark Rafael Nadal’s retirement. Sinner will help Italy try to defend the title, while Fritz will represent the USA team with the evolutionary performances he got during this season.
Fritz had a standout year in 2024, ending his string of cursed quarterfinal defeats at Grand Slams. At Wimbledon, he reached his first semifinal and followed it up with his first US Open final. He also firmly established himself to be part of the elite group with Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz in terms of victories over top 10 players. The Italian leads with an impressive 15 victories, followed by Alcaraz with 12, and Fritz securing 10 with Alexander Zverev handing the four of the ten.
