Why Jannik Sinner’s ATP Finals triumph was so important for his rivalry with Carlos Alcaraz

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Jannik Sinner defeated Carlos Alcaraz on Sunday, defending the ATP Finals title he won in Turin 12 months ago.

The Italian, who will end the year as the world number two, defeated his Spanish rival 7-6, 7-5 at the Inalpi Arena in Italy.

Sinner has now won 31 consecutive indoor hard-court matches and is the youngest player to defend his ATP Finals title since Roger Federer in 2004.

This was a vital win for the Italian, who would not have wanted to lose further ground to the Spaniard after falling in the US Open final two months previously.

Sinner simply had to win this match to keep his rivalry with Alcaraz alive, and he did just that.

Jannik Sinner’s win against Carlos Alcaraz was vital in maintaining the balance of their rivalry

Heading into yesterday’s match, Jannik Sinner had won just one of his past eight meetings against Carlos Alcaraz on the ATP Tour.

The Italian’s only win [excluding the Six Kings Slam] came in the Wimbledon final this year – a match he won in four sets against his great rival.

Simply put, if Alcaraz had defeated Sinner last night, their rivalry would be hanging by a thread. A rivalry cannot be called a rivalry if one player dominates the matchup over an extended period of time.

Thankfully, despite almost conceding the first set to Alcaraz on Sunday, Sinner defeated the Spaniard.

If Alcaraz had been the one to halt Sinner on the Italian’s best surface, their rivalry would have truly developed into a one-sided affair dominated by the Spaniard.

Could Carlos Alcaraz vs Jannik Sinner become the greatest rivalry in the history of men’s tennis?

Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have played each other 16 times on the ATP Tour, despite both players being aged under 24.

They have already contested one of the greatest matches in tennis history – the 2025 French Open final – and seem to put on a show for fans every time they step foot on court to face each other.

There are three matchups that come to mind when discussing the greatest rivalries in men’s tennis: Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, and John McEnroe and Bjorn Borg.

Alcaraz and Sinner’s rivalry may have already overtaken that of Borg and McEnroe’s, as the Swede and American contested only 14 matches during their respective careers.

However, the Spaniard and Italian are yet to match the greatness of Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer, who contested 150 ATP Tour matches combined.