Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner contested their final match of 2025 at the ATP Finals on Sunday.
In this final matchup, Sinner emerged victorious, defeating Alcaraz 7-6, 7-5 in front of a jubilant Turin crowd.
However, it is Alcaraz who had the upper hand in 2025, winning four of their six contests.
Alcaraz won in Rome, Paris, Cincinnati and New York, while Sinner emerged victorious in London and Turin.
In fact, despite losing the final in Turin on Sunday, Alcaraz has won seven of his last nine matches against Sinner.
Why might this be the case?
Carlos Alcaraz’s 2025 return statistics
Carlos Alcaraz’s return game may explain why he has had the upper hand against Jannik Sinner in 2025.
As per OptaAce, against Alcaraz, Sinner has saved 53.5 per cent of Alcaraz’s break-point opportunities across their six matches this season.
Against all other opposition this year, Sinner has saved 76.8 per cent of break-point opportunities on his serve.
Sinner also dropped an average of 3.3 games on his serve when playing Alcaraz this year.
In the 58 other matches he contested, Sinner dropped an average of 0.7 games on his serve.
Alcaraz’s success on Sinner’s serve may go some way in explaining why the Spaniard has registered a positive record against Sinner this year.
After defeating Alcaraz in Turin, Sinner acknowledged the strength of Alcaraz’s return game.
He said: “Playing against Carlos you have to play at your best. I was serving very well at times. He is one of the best returners, if not the best in the game. Obviously, Novak is in there.”
Who do you think will win more Grand Slam titles in 2026?
Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner beaten by John McEnroe and Ivan Lendl
As per OptaAce, in the Open Era, only Ivan Lendl and John McEnroe in 1984 have faced each other more often than Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner in 2025 in a single season – with the only meetings occurring in ATP-level finals.
McEnroe won six of the seven finals: in Philadelphia, Brussels, Forest Hills, at the World Team Cup, the US Open and the Masters.
Lendl’s only victory against McEnroe that year came in the French Open final.
Lendl fought back from two sets down to defeat McEnroe 3-6, 2-6, 6-4, 7-5, 7-5.
