Jannik Sinner heard the roar from the Turin crowd and asked for more. As Carlos Alcaraz looked for momentum in the second set of their ATP Finals clash, Sinner withstood his rival to win a 24-shot rally and then stood with his finger to his ear. It was a move drawn from Alcaraz’s playbook, the showman whipping the crowd into a frenzy and finding inspiration from the spark it created. In an electric atmosphere in northern Italy, Sinner fell onto his back as he won match point to win a second ATP Finals title in a row without dropping a set.
There was more emotion on show than when Sinner defeated Alcaraz to win the Wimbledon title in July. His fitness coach Umberto Ferrara, who returned to Sinner’s team before Wimbledon having fired him the year before for his role in the Italian’s doping case, was in floods of tears as the champion celebrated in his coaching box. “There is for sure no better ending for the season,” Sinner said. “It has been an incredible season, so many ups, difficult moments obviously, for various reasons.”
In what is turning out to be a key theme to Alcaraz and Sinner’s rivalry, which has taken over the sport and dominated the men’s ATP Tour in 2025, the victory meant more for Sinner because of what unfolded two months before. His defeat to Alcaraz in the US Open final prompted Sinner to question himself, as the 24-year-old lamented how “predictable” his game had been. He made a vow to make changes, even if it resulted in defeats in the short-term.
In Turin, Sinner’s reworked serve was his biggest weapon but against Alcaraz, he needed to bring variety as well. In the first-set tiebreak, Sinner won a crucial point with a forehand lob after Alcaraz rushed into the net. As he broke Alcaraz in the second set to get the final back on serve, Sinner turned to the forehand drop shot, angled inside the lines. “You don't have many, but after every loss you come back stronger,” Alcaraz said. The 22-year-old had won seven of their previous eight meetings, heightening the importance of year-end tour decider for Sinner.
Alcaraz’s victory at the US Open came after he took the lessons from his Wimbledon defeat and was the signature moment of an excellent campaign. In New York, he raised the bar again and produced a series of devastatingly complete performances, only dropping one set and losing just three games on serve. With the year-end No 1 secured, this has been the most consistent season of Alcaraz’s career, with eight titles won from 11 finals. He reached nine consecutive finals, with at least two on all three surfaces, during an imperious stretch from April to September.
Given how both men are fuelled by the other, it was no coincidence that Alcaraz’s worst run of results came during Sinner’s three-month doping suspension, served after the Italian defended his Australian Open crown at the start of the year, before he found his focus once his rival returned. Jack Draper, Jakub Mensik and Valentin Vacherot all became Masters champions, but in events where one of Alcaraz or Sinner were missing from the draw. In the eight events where Alcaraz and Sinner both started the tournament, including all four grand slams and the ATP Finals, all were won by either the World No 1 or World No 2.
Their six meetings in 2025 all came in finals, the pick coming in Paris as Alcaraz saved three championships to win one of the greatest matches of all time and launch their rivalry skyward. At the start of the year, Sinner recognised how had to improve on the the clay and grass and proved he can challenge for grand slam titles on all surfaces as he became the youngest player to reach the final at all four majors in a single season. In turn, Alcaraz ended Sinner’s hard-court winning run at the grand slams at 27 matches at the US Open.
And in pushing each other to new heights, Alcaraz and Sinner have locked out the rest. Between them, they have won eight grand slam titles in a row and they will start the 2026 season at the Australian Open expecting to see a familiar face should they reach the final. Novak Djokovic’s remarkable achievement of reaching the semi-finals at all four grand slams at the age of 38 was overshadowed amid their dominance.
It was telling that even in the twilight of his career Djokovic asserted himself as the biggest contender to upsetting their duopoly, ahead of Alexander Zverev and Taylor Fritz. The 24-year-old time grand slam champion remains in a curious position, openly admitting that Alcaraz and Sinner are “too good” while still standing as the third-best player in the world this year.
For all of Alcaraz and Sinner’s brilliance, no one wants the biggest tournaments to be predictable and there will be high hopes for Draper, Ben Shelton and Arthur Fils after injury-hit seasons, as well as Joao Fonseca, Mensik and Learner Tien to continue building their emerging careers. Felix Auger-Aliassime returned to the top-5 after a strong end to the season but was still swept aside by Alcaraz and Sinner at the ATP Finals.
But for Alcaraz and Sinner, only one other player mattered in 2025. “You're the one I look up to for a lot of motivation,” Sinner said. “I need this [to have] every practice session with a big, big purpose.” And for the first time, both players will start 2026 knowing they are one title away from completing the career grand slam; with Alcaraz requiring victory at the Australian Open and Sinner needing to win Roland Garros, both against one of the other’s developing fortresses. They know what they need to prepare for. “Hope you're gonna be ready for next year,” Alcaraz laughed. “Because I will be ready for more finals against you!”
