Sinner makes history with back-to-back ATP Finals wins without dropping a set

Turin lit up on Sunday night, not just with the electric haze of stadium floodlights, but with the unmistakable fire of Jannik Sinner’s brilliance.

In front of a raucous home crowd at the Inalpi Arena, the 24-year-old Italian put the perfect punctuation mark on a stunning season, defeating Carlos Alcaraz 7-6, 7-5 to defend his ATP Finals title and etch his name into a page of tennis history only one other man occupies.

Not since Ivan Lendl in the mid-1980s has a player claimed back-to-back year-end championship titles without conceding a single set. Lendl did it in 1985 and 1986. Until now, he stood alone. Sinner joins him, completing the feat in 2024 and 2025 with surgical precision and unrelenting composure.

“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 said courtside, surrounded by his team in an emotional embrace. “Celebrating this trophy at the end of the year after such an intense last couple of months, there is no better ending.”

The match against Alcaraz, a rivalry that has rapidly become the sport’s most compelling, was a final worthy of its billing.

Both men had split the four Grand Slams between them this year. Alcaraz at Roland Garros and the US Open, Sinner at the Australian Open and Wimbledon. A showdown indoors, under the Italian lights, felt like destiny’s final act for 2025.

From the first ball, Sinner dialed into a gear reserved for champions.

When Alcaraz held a set point at 6-5 in the opener, Sinner erased it with a nerve-shredding 117mph second serve into the body. Moments later, he landed two dazzling lobs in the tiebreak, lifting the roof and the hopes of every Italian in attendance.

“It was tough today. Playing against Carlos, you have to play at your best,” Sinner added. “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.”

Alcaraz, ever gracious, acknowledged the level his rival brought to the court. “I am really happy with the level I played today,” he 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.”

Indeed, Sinner’s indoor streak now stretches to 31 matches. His last loss came two years ago in Turin to Novak Djokovic. Since then, he’s swept titles in Rotterdam, Vienna, Paris, and back-to-back championships here at the Finals. He also helped guide Italy to two Davis Cup titles along the way.

With his victory, Sinner not only extended his perfect ATP Finals record to 10-0 over the last two editions, but also took home a record $5,071,000 prize, which is the largest payout in tournament history. His win percentage at the event now stands at a blistering 88.2%, higher than even the great Ilie Nastase.

In total, Sinner has now won 20 consecutive sets at the ATP Finals, second only to Lendl’s 24-set streak between 1985 and 1987. Among players to win the event without dropping a set, he now joins legends: Ivan Lendl (1982, 1985, 1986) and John McEnroe (1983).

This victory also places him among just nine men to win the ATP Finals in consecutive years. Since 2000, only Lleyton Hewitt, Roger Federer, and Novak Djokovic have achieved that.