ATP Finals: Italy Hopes Sinner Brings Home the Trophy
A final hurrah to close out an exciting tennis season.
The tennis world is in the thick of change. The era of the Big Three is finally at an end, with Federer retiring in 2022, and Rafael Nadal set to retire this November. His last event will be in the Davis Cup, where he’ll compete alongside fellow countryman Carlos Alcaraz in what feels like a passing of the torch moment. The final part of the trio, Novak Djokovic is still competing at an exceptionally high level, although he has called 2024 one of his worst years to date. He won the Olympic Gold medal in Paris, but has gone without a Grand Slam, and, at 37 years old, is nearing the end of his career. Andy Murray, one of Britain’s great champions, has done just that, retiring earlier this year after many historic on-court battles with Federer, Nadal and Djokovic.
It is time then for the next generation to take over, and things are looking promising. There’s the aforementioned Alcaraz, who plays with a fire and power comparable to Nadal, yet with a quickness and athleticism all his own. He won two out of four Grand Slams this year, taking home the French Open crown and Wimbledon. Alexander Zverev is currently ranked world number two, finishing runner up at this year’s Australian Open. The world number one is Italian Jannik Sinner, who took first place trophies in Australia and at the US Open, and as we close out the season, he’s hotly tipped to win the ATP Finals, taking place in his homeland.
Sinner has enjoyed a great season as arguably the best player on the tour. But it’s not been without its difficulties. Earlier in the year in March, he tested positive for clostebol, a performance enhancing drug that is banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). An independent panel working with the International Tennis Integrity Agency stated there was "no fault or negligence" on behalf of Sinner, and he’s been allowed to carry on competing throughout the year. WADA has since appealed against that decision however, and a hearing will take place at some point in the near future, riddling the 23-year old’s season with controversy. Novak Djokovic, who hasn’t been shy of his own controversies over the years, stated that "it’s quite obvious that we have a system that is not working well. There’s way too many inconsistencies, way too many governing bodies involved. This whole case is not helping our sport at all. Whatever's going to happen, I just wish for it to be resolved as soon as possible."
With the ATP Finals now in full flow, it would be difficult to bet against Sinner. With Italy behind him, and a mighty 2024 win-loss record of 65-6, he’s only been beaten once in his past 23 matches and looks on dominant form. He’s been drawn into a group consisting of Daniil Medvedev, Taylor Fritz and Alex de Minaur. Sinner comfortably beat de Minaur 6-3, 6-4 in the opening match on Sunday, much to the delight of the Turin crowd. In the other group match, Medvedev had somewhat of a meltdown, becoming frustrated in his eventual loss to Fritz and losing his head.
Sinner’s main rival for the ATP title, alongside Zverev, is Carlos Alcaraz. Only 21 years of age, the Spaniard has proven to be one of the sport’s most exciting prospects. His 2024 win-loss record is 52-11, and with a total of four titles under his belt so far this year alone, he’s in great form. But in his opening match on Monday, Alcaraz lost 1-6, 5-7 to Casper Rudd. He’s also set to face Zverev and Andrey Rublev in what will no doubt prove to be challenging opponents. After beating Alcaraz, Rudd spoke with assuredness about his confidence and whether he can cause further upset. " really returned really well when I needed to", he told Sky Sports. "When you play Carlos, you don’t want him to find rhythm. Luckily he made a few more errors than usual. We all know his level. He can play out of this world. It’s the first match of the tournament for both of us. I play as an underdog. I think there are a lot of players ahead of me here but I tend to do well here. I don’t know why." If he can find out, he might be able to surprise everyone and go all the way.
Featured image: Jannik Sinner of Italy receives the ATP World Tour No. 1 trophy during day two of the Nitto ATP finals. Inalpi Arena, Turin, Italy 11/11/2024.
