Jannik Sinner retained his ATP Finals crown on Sunday, defeating Carlos Alcaraz in a blockbuster final.
The Italian, who has now won 31 consecutive indoor hard-court matches, defeated Alcaraz 7-6, 7-5 at the Inalpi Arena in Turin, Italy.
The outcome of the match could have been different, as Alcaraz had a set point at 6-5 in the first set.
To the delight of Sinner fans, the Italian held his nerve to save the set point and played a high-level tiebreak to close out the set.
The 23-year-old broke the Alcaraz serve to close out the match in straight sets, and by doing so, he became the youngest player to defend his ATP Finals title since Roger Federer in 2004.
He and Alcaraz have contested six matches on the ATP Tour this season, with Sinner winning two of those encounters.
After their ATP Finals clash, Sinner’s coach – Darren Cahill – offered his thoughts on the contest.
Darren Cahill said Carlos Alcaraz was smiling at Jannik Sinner’s box
Darren Cahill, who could be stepping down as Jannik Sinner’s coach at the end of 2026, discussed the importance of Sinner’s return game throughout their clash in Turin.
The Australian – having previously worked with Andre Agassi – knows all about what it takes to have a good return.
Cahill also noticed Alcaraz smiling at him and the rest of Sinner’s coaching staff during the match.
Cahill told reporters: “The return of serve is incredibly important. I think if you don’t get the ball back in play, you’re not going to break serve too often.
“I think the fact that Jannik, even though he was down a break of serve in that second set, he was consistently putting pressure on Carlos’ service games. Finally, we got a couple of errors out of him.
“I thought the level of match was really high. Both players played really well. Carlos has been incredible in 2025 and certainly the years before.
Who do you think will win more Grand Slam titles in 2026?
“I sent him a congratulations note a couple nights ago when he secured number one. He’s an incredible young man.
“He actually gave us a couple smiles during the match. Jannik hit a backhand down the line at one point.
“He looked over to us with a big smile. It is a pretty rare athlete and competitor that does that. We have nothing but admiration for Carlos.”
Jannik Sinner is the 2026 Australian Open favourite
Jannik Sinner is the clear favourite for the Australian Open after his most recent triumph in Turin.
The 23-year-old clearly feels at home in Australia, having won back-to-back titles in Melbourne.
The Italian has also proven he can defeat Alcaraz on the biggest stage in 2025: at Wimbledon and the ATP Finals. This confidence will serve him extremely well when aiming for a fifth Grand Slam title win in Australia.
However, Carlos Alcaraz will surely have a major role to play. The Spaniard was a point away from taking the opening set in Turin on Sunday, and he defeated Sinner in the US Open final – a Grand Slam which uses the same surface as the Australian Open.
