Tennis World Number 1, Jannik Sinner, capped off an incredible year of success on the court with an ATP Finals 2024 victory over Taylor Fritz.
Sinner won for the first time on home soil, defeating his American opponent 6-4, 6-4 in Turin to avenge his defeat to Novak Djikovic in last year's finals.
In a rematch of the US Open final, which also saw Sinner win in straight sets, Fritz labored to break down the Italian and was constantly trying to hang on for the entire duration of the match.
A Dominant Performance
Breakthrough came for Sinner during the seventh game of the first set that stretched on for a lengthy period. Fritz fought hard to hold on to his serve, but the double grand slam winner found a way to pull ahead with a magnificent drop shot. His serve was also a huge factor in the win, helping the Italian fire in 10 aces in the opening set and winning 83% of his first-serve points across the match.
The break came even earlier in the second set, the Italian pulling ahead in the fifth game and holding the American at arm's length until the end of the contest. Surprisingly, Fritz failed to generate a break point throughout the match.
At match point, Fritz squandered a cross-court forehand out of bounds to send the Italian crowd into a frenzy. Speaking after the game, Sinner reflected on the contest, “It’s amazing, it’s my first title in Italy and it means so much to me. It’s something very special. I just tried to understand what works best for each opponent, trying to play my best possible tennis. That was the key.”, he said.
“It was a very high-level tournament from my side. At times, I couldn’t have played better, so I am very happy.”
It was an utterly dominant performance from the world No. 1, a result which brings him into an esteemed company. As per the ATP, Sinner has become the first man since eight-time winner Ivan Lendl in 1986, to win the ATP Masters without dropping a set. He joins Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer as the only tennis players to triumph in the US Open, the Australian Open and the ATP Finals in the same year.
The Sinner Italy win also makes him the first player born in the 21st century to win the ATP Finals, after becoming the first Italian to be world number 1 in June, dethroning the injured Novak Djokovic.
With this Janik Sinner ATP Finals victory, it is the eighth title of a hugely successful season, the most by any ATP player in 2024. Asides his maiden grand slam victories, he also claimed Masters 1000 titles in Cincinnati, Miami and Shanghai, winning 500-level finals in Rotterdam and Halle. Throughout the season, he won a tour-leading 70 wins, losing only six matches—half of which came against Carlos Alcaraz.
Not The End Of The World For Fritz
Despite the defeat in the Taylor Fritz final, the American moved up to number 4 in the world rankings, a career-high position for him in a hugely impressive year.
He won two titles and reached the final of a grand slam for the first time in 2024. Earlier in the year at the Paris Olympics, the American also won a bronze medal for the US alongside Tommy Paul in the men’s doubles event.