Sinner Is Back-To-Back Champion At ATP Finals

Jannik Sinner
Jannik Sinner (photo: Giampiero Sposito/FITP)

TURIN/WASHINGTON, November 16, 2025 (by Michael Dickens)

It’s been nine years since a World No. 1 and World No. 2 met in the championship match of the Nitto ATP Finals. For the time since 2016, when No. 1 Andy Murray went 5-0 and beat No. 2 Novak Djokovic to win the year-end championship, No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz looked to win his first title at the event, while defending champion and No. 2 Jannik Sinner, who was competing in his third consecutive final inside the friendly confines of 13,000-seat Inalpi Arena, aimed to extend his nine-match winning streak (18-0 in sets) in Turin.

After playing each other nearly all season long for the biggest titles in tennis – combined they had won 13 titles, including all four Grand Slams – it was no surprise that Alcaraz and Sinner would meet again in this northern Italian city, in their sixth 2025 tussle. They’ve all been in finals, in a series which Alcaraz has dominated – going 10-5 lifetime before Sunday, including 7-1 since the start of the 2024 season. However, Sinner was a slight favorite this time, thanks to playing indoors and at home in Italy.

Already one of the best men’s rivalries of the Open Era, the 2025 finale was won by Sinner, 7-6 (4), 7-5, in two hours and 15 minutes. Only six points separated the two rivals. It was that close.

Sinner arrived at Sunday’s final riding high atop a 30-match winning streak on indoor hard courts since losing to Djokovic in the 2023 title match. After beating Alcaraz, the 24-year-old Italian has become the youngest man to defend the title since Roger Federer, at age 23, in 2003-04. He’s become the fourth different man to win the year-end championships in consecutive years, joining Lleyton Hewitt (2001-02), Federer (2003-04, 2006-07, 2010-11) and Djokovic (2012-15, 2022-23). He ends 2025 with a 58-6 win-loss record in all matches, 31 straight wins on indoor hard courts, 10 straight wins and 20-0 in sets won in Turin. The ATP Finals title was the sixth trophy he lifted this year to go along with previous ones won at the Australian Open, Wimbledon, Beijing, Vienna and the Paris Masters.

In their final performance together, both Sinner and Alcaraz put on powerful as well as artistic and entertaining displays of tennis but with little room for error. By the end, after Sinner broke Alcaraz for the second time in the final game, after prevailing in one final 15-shot rally, the Italian champion joined John McEnroe and Boris Becker as the only men to win multiple ATP Finals crowns in their home countries.

Sinner ended the contest with 25 winners – including eight aces – and made 24 unforced errors. He won 84 percent (36 of 43) of his first-serve points, saved two of three break points, converted both of his break-point chances – including the final game of the championship – and outpointed Alcaraz 78-72. Alcaraz countered with 25 winners and committed 24 unforced errors – but it just wasn’t enough.

“We are individual athletes, obviously, but at the same time without my team this is not possible,” Sinner said during an on-court interview before lifting the ATP Finals trophy for the second year in a row. After sharing a warm embrace with Alcaraz at the net, Sinner went over to share hugs with his coaches and team. “Celebrating this trophy at the end of the year after such an intense last couple of months, there is no better ending for me. It was a very, very tough and close match-up.

“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.”

Despite coming up short in the final, Alcaraz topped the ATP Tour this season in wins (71) and titles (8) and ended the season on a 56-5 run since the start of April, advancing to the final in 10 of his last 11 tournaments. The 22-year-old Spaniard looked to become the first player from his country to win an ATP Finals title since Alex Corretja defeated Carlos Moya in an all-Spanish final in 1998, five years before Alcaraz was born. Winning the ATP Finals is something that not even Rafael Nadal, Alcaraz’s idol, was able to do. After clinching this year’s ATP Year-End No. 1 honors for the second time in his career, Alcaraz will start next year atop the PIF ATP Rankings, among the favorites to add to his majors collection after winning Roland-Garros and US Open trophies this season.

In accepting his runner-up prize during the trophy ceremony, Alcaraz praised Sinner. He said: “I’m just really, really happy with the level I played today. I just played against someone who hasn’t lost a match on an indoor court in two years. That shows what a great player you are. You and your team are putting in great work every time. You come back even stronger after every loss. You don’t have many but you come back stronger. … Well deserved.”

Heliovaara and Patten win first ATP Finals doubles title 

Two-time ATP Finals doubles champion Joe Salisbury of Great Britain entered Sunday’s final with a 14-match winning streak in Turin, seeking his first title of 2025 with fellow Briton Neal Skupski after going 0-5 in finals this season – three of them on hard courts.

On the other side of the net stood Australian Open champions Harri Heliovaara of Finland and Henry Patten of Great Britain, looking to avenge their 7-6 (7), 3-6, 10-7 loss to the all-British team in group stage play – a match that was decided by a match tie-break – and to win their fourth title of 2025, including their first ATP Masters 1000 crown in Paris two weeks ago.

Coming in, each team had beaten the other twice. In a worthy final, after playing superbly all week long, the right-handed Heliovaara, 36, and lefty Patten, 29, won their first ATP Finals title with a 7-5, 6-3 victory over Salisbury and Skupski in one hour and 20 minutes. 

Although Salisbury and Skupski saved a couple of championship points on their serve, soon Heliovaara and Patten put away the title victory on their third championship-point opportunity. Patten set it up with a solid ace up the middle, then won with another ace, this time served out wide. They won their 50th match of the season – and 89th overall as a team – in style and celebrated the joy of the moment.

Heliovaara and Patten, who were lights out during their six first-set service games after winning all but four points, broke their opponents on their fifth opportunity to win the 45-minute set 7-5. Then, the Finn/British duo broke Salisbury and Skupski, again, to go ahead 4-2 in the second set and never looked back. They completed the week not being broken on their serve. Overall, they played brave and went after their shots.

Upon securing the title victory, Heliovaara shared a victorious hug with Patten, then leapt into the air and pumped his right fist with a big smile on his face. Soon, they came over to the sideline and continued the celebration with their team, families and friends.

Just what are the emotions of the winning team, especially after winning their first ATP Finals trophy?

“It is hard to describe,” Heliovaara said during an on-court interview before the trophy ceremony. “The whole week I have looked at the list of winners, with huge letters and I thought, if there was ever going to be my name on that I am going to be so proud. To be there next to Henry … unreal.”

Added Patten, who became engaged to his longtime partner, Ellie Stone, a week ago: “The tennis, you know, is pretty good but the engagement was something special. It has been a complete dream for me. Ellie has been here supporting me all week. I am a very, very happy guy right now. I feel unbelievably lucky to have a partner like her and a partner like Harri.”

Overall, Heliovaara and Patten won 81 percent (44 of 54) of their total service points, faced no break points on their serve and converted two of eight break-points opportunities. They outpointed Salisbury and Skupski 66 to 45. 

Heliovaara and Patten finished the 2025 season 50-20, while Salisbury and Skupski, who will go their separate ways next year, ended the season 46-22.

“There’s so many emotions. Obviously, it’s the last event, the last match of the year,” Patten said. “We probably need a little break from each other (laughing), a little rest for a while. It’s been an absolute pleasure to share it with Harri, with our whole team. It’s been a lot of hard work but so many unforgettable times as well. Here’s to next year!”

By the numbers

Since 1970, Jannik Sinner is just the third player to reach the final at all four Grand Slam events and the ATP Finals in a single season, after Roger Federer (2006-07) and Novak Djokovic (2015, 2023). At age 24, Sinner is the youngest of the trio achieve the feat.

“Quotable …”

• “I said that playing against Jannik on indoor court is one of the best or most difficult challenge that we have in tennis right now. … On indoor court we’re playing in front of his home crowd. That makes even more difficult playing against him.”

– Carlos Alcaraz of Spain, during his post-match mixed zone interview Saturday evening, after defeating Felix Auger-Aliassime to advance to face defending champion Jannik Sinner in Sunday’s final.

• “I’m of course happy first of all to finish my season here, another final, has been an amazing year for me. I’m looking forward for tomorrow. These are matches I look up to. These are matches I look forward to. Also to see for me where my level really is but in the same time it’s great before the off-season to have this matchup. It’s a very tough, tough opponent. He loves to play indoors, as we know. Let’s see who is going to win.”

– Jannik Sinner of Italy, during his post-match news conference Saturday afternoon, after defeating Alex de Minaur to advance to face World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz in Sunday’s final.

 

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