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Sinner conquers Fritz for maiden Nitto ATP Finals crown
Jannik Sinner bookended his stellar season in style Sunday by capturing his maiden Nitto ATP Finals trophy.
The home favourite produced a near-flawless performance to down Taylor Fritz 6-4, 6-4 and become the first Italian champion in the tournament’s 55-year history. Sinner's standout year, which began with victory at the Australian Open, has concluded with his first title on home soil. All dimensions Sinner's vastly improved game were on full display throughout the contest, but his serve proved to be the distinct weapon, from which he won 83 per cent (33/40) of points behind his first delivery, according to Infosys ATP Stats.
“It’s amazing, it’s my first title in Italy and it means so much to me,” said Sinner, who improved to 50-3 on hard courts in 2024. “It’s something very special. I just tried to understand what works best for each opponent, trying to play my best possible tennis. That was the key.
“It was a very high level tournament from my side. At times, I couldn't have played better, so I am very happy.”
THE UNDEFEATED ITALIAN KING ???
In front of his adoring public, World No. 1 @janniksin becomes the first Italian to capture the Nitto ATP Finals title, defeating Fritz 6-4 6-4!!!#NittoATPFinals pic.twitter.com/fObgL0n4U9
With his straight-sets triumph, Sinner became the first player to win the Nitto ATP Finals without dropping a set since Ivan Lendl in 1986, highlighting the ruthless season that he has enjoyed on the Tour in 2024.
After notching his Tour-leading 70th win of the season, Sinner has joined Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic as the only men to win the Australian Open, US Open and Nitto ATP Finals in the same season. The 23-year-old also became the first player born in the 2000s to capture the trophy at the prestigious season finale, having fallen to Djokovic in last year’s title clash.
Nitto ATP Finals Champions who did not drop a set
| Year | Player |
| 2024 | Jannik Sinner* |
| 1986 | Ivan Lendl |
| 1985 | Ivan Lendl** |
| 1983 | John McEnroe** |
| 1982 | Ivan Lendl** |
** played under knockout format
In a rematch of the US Open final and Tuesday’s round-robin match, Sinner produced an expertly measured performance to limit Fritz's ability to gain a foothold. The Italian was relentless from both wings from the back of the court as he eased to a 85-minute victory, improving to 4-1 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series.
Following his run to the championship match in Turin, Fritz has ensured that he will reach a new career-high of No. 4 in the PIF ATP Rankings on Monday. The 27-year-old was bidding to become the first American champion at the event since Pete Sampras in 1999, but came unstuck by a steely Sinner, who extended his winning streak to 11 matches.
“It’s been a really good week for me, it's a good way to end the year,” said Fritz. Gives me a lot of confidence finishing the season. Going into my off-season, starting next year, I feel like I have a good idea of what things I need to improve on, but I also feel like I'm playing very good tennis.
“Back when I was 5 [in the world], I didn't feel like I was 5. Now I'm ranked where I'm at, I feel like I belong. It's a different feeling. It's been a great year. That gives me a lot of confidence to have that belief. That's a huge part of having the big results.”
The highest combined #PerformanceRatings score between two players in ANY match in 2024 ?
Congratulations to @janniksin for his incredible performances this week?
Huge credit to @Taylor_Fritz97 for an incredible week of tennis ?#TennisInsights | @atptour | #NittoATPFinals pic.twitter.com/6Td8LFl4Zt
Buoyed by the 12,500 strong crowd inside the Inalpi Arena, Sinner applied significant pressure to crack Fritz’s serve in the seventh game. The American saved three break points, but was unable to fend off the World No. 1, who dragged him around the court before producing an inch-perfect drop shot to break on his fourth attempt.
In an expertly measured first set, Sinner limited Fritz’s ability to attack from his favoured wing, reducing the American to zero forehand winners. The driving force was, however, the Italian’s serve, from which he fired 10 aces out of the 21 first serves he landed.
Sinner continued to wear Fritz down in the second set before pouncing in the fifth game to seal an ultimately decisive break. Fritz was unable to carve out any break points on his opponent serve as Sinner surged to his 50th hard court win of the season.
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