Jannik Sinner has become the first player in 38 years to win the ATP Finals without dropping a set in the tournament after disposing of Taylor Fritz in the title match on Sunday.
The two-time Grand Slam champion powered his way to a 6-4, 6-4, win over his American rival who he also beat in the US Open final, as well as earlier this week in the group stages. Sinner is the first Italian and the first player born in the 2000s to win the season-ending event. The triumph is his 70th win on the Tour this season which is a milestone that was last achieved by Andy Murray in 2016.
Playing in front of 12,500 people in a packed Inalpi Arena, the 23-year-old blasted 28 winners and won 83% of his first service points against Fritz in what was a clinical performance. En route to the trophy, he also produced straight-set wins over Daniil Medvedev and Alex de Minaur in the group stage, followed by a dominant victory over Caser Ruud in the semi-finals. Making him the first person to win the ATP Finals without dropping a set since Ivan Lendl in 1986.
“I just tried to understand whatever works best for each opponent,” Sinner said during his on-court interview.
“I tried to play my best possible tennis and I think that was the key.
“It was a very high-level tournament from my side. At times, I couldn’t have played better so I’m very happy.”
Five days after their meeting in the round-robin stage of the competition, top seed Sinner settled into the final straight away as he won 12 out of the first 13 points played behind his serve. Fritz, who defeated world No.2 Alexander Zverev on Saturday, also stood firm when serving but eventually cracked under pressure. During the seventh game, Sinner drew blood for the first time by catching his rival off guard with the help of a delicate drop shot that sealed a break for 4-3 in his favor. In control of proceedings, he held his nerve to close out the opener in 41 minutes by firing a blistering ace out wide.
Closing in on history, a relentless Sinner continued to frustrate Fritz who hit a forehand error to hand him a break for 3-2 in the second set. Cheered on by an highly animated crowd, he surged to a game from victory with relative ease. Then on his first championship point, Sinner was victorious after a Fritz forehand drifted wide.
It is the first time Sinner has won a title on home soil since 2019 when he won the Next Gen Finals in Milan. Overall, he has won 18 ATP titles so far in his career with eight of them being achieved during 2024.
“It’s just an amazing week for me,” said Sinner.
“It’s my first (ATP Tour) title in Italy and it means so much to me. I’m very, very happy about this. It’s it’s something very, very, very special.”
Fritz, who is the first American man to reach the ATP Finals final since 2006, exits the tournament with his head held high despite defeat. He has yet to beat a current No.1 player on the Tour with his record standing at 0-11.
“I just want to say congrats to Jannick and his team, (you’re) playing incredible tennis. Great match and, a great tournament. Insane insane year,” he said during the trophy ceremony.
“It’s amazing to end the year here at the ATP finals and with a good result. It’s been a great week for me. I really felt the love all week long, which is amazing. Just being an American here in Italy and then even even playing Jannick twice this week, I still felt like the crowd was, was amazing.”
Sinner is the third player to have won the Australian Open, US Open and ATP Finals in the same year. The first two to achieve this were Roger Federer (2004, 2006-07) and Novak Djokovic (2015, 2023). At the ATP Finals alone, he has won $4,881,500 in prize money.
