Looking for Tennis and Racket Sports International News?

Twelve months ago, Jannik Sinner beat Novak Djokovic in the round-robin stage but fell to the Serbian in the title match at the Nitto ATP Finals. On Sunday, the Italian will take on Taylor Fritz in the championship match in Turin, having overcome the American in Ilie Nastase Group play.

Since his final defeat to Djokovic in 2023, the 23-year-old has won majors at the Australian Open and US Open, while he has earned ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF honours.

With added experience in his locker and feel-good factor high, Sinner is ready to write a different narrative on Sunday.

“It's a very similar position as I was in last year,” Sinner said in his post-match press conference. “Just I've grown in the past 12 months as a player. Sunday is going to be a very interesting day in any case. I'm happy again to be in this position. It's a very special occasion. Sundays in each tournament means that you had a great, great week.

"Hopefully I'm going to enjoy tomorrow and we see what's coming out. I'm happy to be in this position again.”

Is Alexander Zverev’s stone-cold powerful backhand perhaps one of the biggest weapons in his arsenal?

The German’s sensational hitting against Carlos Alcaraz features in the latest Nitto ATP Finals Immersive Highlight, which aims to help attract a younger audience and present ATP tennis in a new and innovative way during the 2024 season finale. Thanks to a combination of Augmented Reality technology, 3D modelling and live data, fans can enjoy a scintillating court coverage from Zverev that ends with a booming backhand!

Jannik Sinner moved to within one win of capping his standout season in style on Saturday when he dispatched Casper Ruud 6-1, 6-2 to reach the title match at the Nitto ATP Finals for the second consecutive year.

The Italian received a roaring reception from the vocal home crowd when he walked onto court inside the Inalpi Arena and the World No. 1 used the energy to his advantage in an electric 70-minute display.

Sinner’s depth, weight of shot and pinpoint accuracy were too much for Ruud, who was blown away by a tidal wave of power in the pair’s third Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting (3-0 Sinner).

"I felt I was returning well in the first games of each set and then when going up a break I tried to be very concentrated with service games,” Sinner said. “I tried to be intense with each shot and I'm very happy with the performance and to be in the final again."

With the 69th win of his historic season, the 23-year-old became the youngest player since 20-year-old Lleyton Hewitt in 2002 to reach multiple title matches at the prestigious year-end event.

‘I’m here to relish this week and then we’ll see what happens.’ These were Rafael Nadal’s first words in Málaga before he says goodbye to tennis in his last professional tournament this November.

It’s not just any week or any Davis Cup Finals. A heady blend of excitement, emotion and nostalgia is in the air at the Martín Carpena Arena. Because one of the sport’s great icons is soon to say his adiós.

A gigantic 2,600-square-metre poster welcomes the Spanish legend. On a blue background, two words sum up what every fan is feeling: Gracias, Rafa, a few days before Spain takes to the court for the quarter-finals against the Netherlands on Tuesday 19.

‘I’ve been able to prepare pretty well, which is why I’m here, I’ll have to take it day by day,’ the Mallorcan admitted in his comments to the Spanish Tennis Federation (RFET). ‘I haven’t competed for a while and I really just want to experience this week however I can.’

Alexander Zverev was close to solving the Taylor Fritz puzzle, but fell short again.

On Saturday, the 27-year-old lost to the inspired American in the semi-finals at the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin. In a tight three-set battle where only a few points set the two apart, Zverev admitted he fell short at crucial moments.

"This one will hurt maybe a bit more because I thought I played at a decent level and I had more chances generally in the third set. I felt like statistically and shot-wise, my level maybe was even higher than his until the important moments. That's where I kind of blew it. This one will hurt more than the other few," said Zverev.

"I didn't use my chances in the third set at all. I feel like I had more than enough. I played a below-average tie-break, I would say. A lot worse than what the level was throughout the third set from my end."

In one of the most noteworthy rivalries of 2024, Zverev and Fritz faced each other five times, including battles at Wimbledon and the US Open, which went Fritz’s way. Overall, the American, enjoying his best season on the Tour, edged Zverev 4-1 in the Lexus ATP Head2Head series.

Top seeds Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic have engineered a remarkable turnaround to reach the championship match of the Nitto ATP Finals.

Despite arriving in Turin having lost their three matches since reaching the US Open semi-finals, Arevalo and Pavic have moved to within one victory of the season finale trophy. They defeated seventh seeds Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten 7-6(1), 7-6(4) in the semi-finals.

“It means a lot. I think this was the goal at the beginning of the tournament and also ending the season in the best way possible,” Arevalo said. “We cannot ask for a better position at the moment. We’re playing the final tomorrow. One last match, you cannot play another match in the season. So we’re trying to compete hard and enjoy at the same time. Tomorrow we go back [to] business and we’re going to do what we do the best, which is competing, have a great energy tomorrow and hopefully we can lift the trophy tomorrow.”

Arevalo and Pavic lost their first match in the Bob Bryan Group to the team they will play on Sunday for the crown: Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz. The Salvadoran-Croatian team already clinched Year-End ATP Doubles No. 1 presented by PIF honours earlier in the week.

Taylor Fritz became the first American to reach the Nitto ATP Finals title match since James Blake in 2006 on Saturday when he overcame World No. 2 Alexander Zverev 6-3, 3-6, 7-6(3) in a Turin thriller.

The fifth seed produced a high-class serving display, struck 32 winners and became the first player to break Zverev’s serve this week en route to his dramatic two-hour, 20-minute triumph. Fritz has now won his past four matches against Zverev, who made three critical errors in the third-set tie-break, and leads the German 7-5 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series.

Into his fifth final of the season, the World No. 5 will aim to win the biggest title of his career when he takes on Italian Jannik Sinner or Norwegian Casper Ruud on Sunday evening.

"I felt like I played an almost perfect first set, but things can change so quickly when you're playing someone like Sascha," Fritz said. "I found myself in some tough spots in the third, when we both started to get on each other's serves even more.

"When I was trying to be aggressive I didn't feel like it was doing much. I just told myself at the end that I had to fight and be solid and tried to take care of my serve the best I could and give him absolutely nothing from the back."

Video Review led to the overturn of a call and the replay of a point on Saturday in the Nitto ATP Finals semi-final between Alexander Zverev and Taylor Fritz.

At 1-0 in the second set, Zverev rushed forward and lunged to retrieve a ball with a backhand swipe. Chair umpire Adel Nour called not up, awarding the point to Fritz.

However, upon Video Review requested by Zverev, Nour overturned his call and ordered that the point be replayed. Zverev then won the replayed point.

When a reviewable call is challenged, the Video Review operator finds the best view of the incident through available camera angles, then sends the video to a screen attached to the umpire’s chair. The umpire then reviews the video to determine if there is clear evidence to support the original decision or to overturn the decision. If there is no clear evidence, the original decision stands.

Sustainability is in the spotlight once again at this year’s Nitto ATP Finals in Turin.

In the heart of the Nitto ATP Finals Fan Village, fans are greeted by The Green Wall, a lush installation created by Nitto, ATP and Italian Tennis and Padel Federation (FITP). Adorned with live plants, it is more than just a scenic backdrop; it Is an educational experience where fans can explore Nitto’s initiatives to reduce CO2 emissions and promote environmental responsibility.

This installation transforms the Fan Village into a hub of awareness, making sustainability as much a part of the event as the tennis itself.

There are also activities at the Nitto sponsor's booth to help educate visitors about sustainability.

Visitors can learn about CO2 and the effects of CO2 reduction while playing a reflective game that simulates collecting CO2, and a large wall with many characters depicting CO2 in the city of Turin, using colour pen and stickers, many visitors enjoyed the “Art Wall” where they could erase the CO2 characters while making them colourful.

Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz became the first all-German team in tournament history to reach the Nitto ATP Finals title match on Saturday in Turin. The eighth seeds rallied from a set and a break down and saved one match point in the Match Tie-break to overcome Max Purcell and Jordan Thompson 2-6, 6-3, 11-9.

The Germans looked in trouble when they trailed 2-6, 0-2, but upped their aggression to turn the second set around and force a Match Tie-break. Krawietz and Puetz then fought back from 5/7 and 8/9 in the Match Tie-break to eventually advance to the title match after 80 minutes.

"The first part of the match was a lesson and then we tried to apply what we learned from those two," Puetz said. "They lowered their level a bit and we came up a bit and it was close and at the end it was quite strange. But that is what happens in doubles with the scoring format."

Krawietz and Puetz are aiming to become the first No. 8 seeds to win the title since Top Eight seeding was introduced in the doubles' field in 1995.

"We knew when we came here we could beat everyone," Krawietz said. "Being No. 8, we were happy to qualify here and then just tried to see what we could do and it has worked out very well."

After six days of elite group-stage action at the 2024 Nitto ATP Finals, Saturday begins the knockout rounds in Turin.

Home favourite Jannik Sinner, the No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings, will seek to continue his perfect week when he takes on Casper Ruud in the Inalpi Arena. World No. 2 Alexander Zverev, who also posted a 3-0 round-robin record, will meet Taylor Fritz.

In doubles action, Aussies Max Purcell and Jordan Thompson take on Germans Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz before top seeds Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic play Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten.

[ATP AWARDS]

[1] Jannik Sinner (ITA) vs. [6] Casper Ruud (NOR)
Playing on home soil for the first time this year — and for the first time as World No. 1 — Sinner has soared into the semis without dropping a set. The Italian has not lost more than four games in a single frame and was broken just twice on four break chances combined against De Minaur, Fritz and Medvedev.

They say lightning never strikes twice. Perhaps Taylor Fritz disagrees.

The American’s sizzling hitting against Alex de Minaur features in the latest Nitto ATP Finals Immersive Highlight, which aims to help attract a younger audience and present ATP tennis in a new and innovative way during the 2024 season finale. Thanks to a combination of Augmented Reality technology, 3D modelling and live data, fans can enjoy a baseline barrage from Fritz that ends with a forehand thunderbolt!

[NEWSLETTER FORM]

The semi-finals for the 2024 Nitto ATP Finals are set.

Jannik Sinner won the Ilie Nastase Group and will face Casper Ruud, the second-placed finisher in the John Newcombe Group. They will compete in the evening match, not before 8:30 p.m.

Sinner has won both of the pair's previous Lexus ATP Head2Head meetings, which came in Vienna in 2020 and 2021. The Italian triumphed in straight sets on both occasions.

Two-time Nitto ATP Finals champion Alexander Zverev topped the John Newcombe Group and will take on Taylor Fritz, who came in second in the Ilie Nastase Group.

Fritz leads his series with Zverev 6-5, having claimed four of their previous five clashes, including three straight victories this year. Fritz most recently emerged victorious 6-4, 7-5 at the Laver Cup. They will meet in the first semi-final not before 2:30 p.m.

Casper Ruud sealed his spot in the semi-finals at the Nitto ATP Finals for the third time on Friday night in Turin, where he overcame Andrey Rublev 6-4, 5-7, 6-2 to end the World No. 9’s own progression hopes.

Ruud needed just a set to join the John Newcombe group winner Alexander Zverev in the semi-finals but ensured he would finish the round-robin stage with a 2-1 record after producing a high-class third-set performance against Rublev.

HE'S DONE IT ?@CasperRuud98 defeats Rublev 6-4 5-7 6-2 and is back in the semi-finals for a third time in Turin!#NittoATPFinals pic.twitter.com/Y3OO9rxL22

Ruud arrived in Turin having lost his past four matches but has looked close to his best this week, also defeating Carlos Alcaraz.

"Tennis is interesting sometimes. I don't know what I am doing better this week than the past few weeks but the only thing is serving, I am serving really well," Ruud said after reaching the semis. "It is tough to play the best players in the world but nice because you feel you are an underdog and can play free and you know if you don't bring your A plus level you will likely lose.

Has Alexander Zverev identified the path to challenging Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz for major titles in 2025?

The German maintained his red-hot late-season form on Friday at the Nitto ATP Finals, where he defeated Roland Garros and Wimbledon champion Alcaraz in straight sets for his eighth consecutive tour-level win. After the match, Zverev was asked about what he could do replicate his Friday-afternoon victory more regularly against his young rivals Sinner and Alcaraz.

“I think everybody talks about how great they are defensively. I don't think they play defence a lot anymore,” said the No. 2 in the PIF ATP Rankings after his 7-6(5), 6-4 win against Alcaraz. “Tennis is not about defence anymore. It used to be a few years back when tennis was quite different, a little bit slower still.

“I think now those guys, 90 per cent of the time they're only playing offence. It's about making sure that you can keep up offensively with them, being able to keep up with their speeds of groundstrokes as well. That's the number one thing. Not backing off, going for your shots in the most important moments.

“That's maybe where I struggled, as well, in my career, trusting my shots and going for them when I need to. I think personally that's something that I still continue to need to work on. Hopefully next year's going to be even better.”

Earlier this week the groundbreaking ATP No. 1 Club was unveiled in Turin. Stefan Edberg, a member of the prestigious group, has been on site Thursday and Friday taking in the scenes.

The Swede has enjoyed being around the tournament, which he won in 1989 when it was held at Madison Square Garden in New York.

“It’s always been of great importance,” Edberg told ATPTour.com. “I think it’s even grown since the past. Everybody wants to play well here. Everybody wants to perform. You’re playing against the [seven] best players, so it’s super exciting I think for a lot of the players just to be here and challenge each other.

“I feel very good about the [Nitto] ATP Finals, the way it’s progressed since my time.”

The former No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings marvelled at the evolution of sport since his days at the top of tennis, when serve-and-volleying was prevalent.

Casper Ruud will qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals semi-finals after winning the first set 6-4 against Andrey Rublev on Friday night in Turin, providing the match does not end in retirement or disqualification.

The Norwegian went 1-1 across his opening two round-robin matches and just needed to win a set against Rublev to reach the last four at the prestigious year-end event for the third time.

The 2022 finalist Ruud, who finished second in the John Newcombe Group behind Alexander Zverev, will face Jannik Sinner in the semi-finals on Saturday night. Zverev takes on Taylor Fritz. 

Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev, Alex de Minaur and Rublev all fell in the round-robin stage.

[ATP AWARDS]

Former ATP Tour titlists who announced their retirement this season received a celebratory sendoff Friday at the Nitto ATP Finals.

Dominic Thiem, Ivo Karlovic, Joao Sousa and John Millman were honoured with an on-court ceremony and earlier received a token of appreciation from ATP Chairman Andrea Gaudenzi.

“It was a dream,” Thiem said. “I never thought I would have that great career when I was young. I never thought I would achieve that much. Standing here in Torino getting my farewell is so nice."

The four players among this year’s retiring class have been close to the action in Turin. Not only have they enjoyed watching the season finale, but Thiem, former No. 3 in the PIF ATP Rankings, also held a kids’ clinic.

Carlos Alcaraz was left ruing a few “key moments” he failed to capitalise on in his match against Alexander Zverev at the Nitto ATP Finals. The defeat at the hands of the German, which means he is almost certainly knocked out of Turin, tipped their Lexus ATP Head2Head in favour of his opponent (6-5). The Murcia native’s focus will now be on the Davis Cup Final 8, where he will join Rafael Nadal to represent Spain.

“The tie-break was pretty close, with a lot of points I could have played better,” lamented the No. 3 in the PIF ATP Rankings. “At 6/5, I don’t know what I was thinking when I tried to volley that ball... That’s tennis for you; you have to make choices in less than a second and sometimes you get it wrong.

“Losing the set in that way hurts,” he admitted. “In the second, I was at 0/40 after several stupid points and I was in trouble. I have to learn from these moments because I didn’t make the most of the chances I had.”

Despite starting the week off battling illness, Alcaraz managed to get through his days in Italy with the help of antibiotics, rest and a nose strip to help him breathe (which he wore again in his match against Zverev) and a lot of self-belief that he could turn a situation around and reach the semi-finals, as he did in 2023.

“It was a difficult week for me, but it’s a privilege to be here among the eight best players in the world,” Alcaraz said. “I’m going to learn from what has happened. I played good tennis, but today I faced one of the best. I’m disappointed with the defeat,” he continued.

Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic held their nerve Friday in a high-stakes, round-robin finale to secure their place in the Nitto ATP Finals semi-finals. The Salvadoran-Croatian duo knocked out home favourites Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori 6-3, 3-6, 10-3 to finish second in the Bob Bryan group.

Arevalo and Pavic have already guaranteed their finish as Year-End ATP Doubles No. 1 presented by PIF and now they look to claim their first Nitto ATP Finals crown.

The top seeds overcame a topsy-turvy encounter with the Italians that featured hot and cold runs from each team. After winning the opening set, Arevalo and Pavic dropped five consecutive games. But in key moments, they relied on aggressive returning and applied pressure with their close positioning at net. Arevalo and Pavic won 84 per cent (32/38) of their first-serve points, according to Infosys ATP Stats.

[ATP AWARDS]

Following their win, Arevalo and Pavic improved to 4-0 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series against Bolelli and Vavassori. All four meetings came this season, including a championship clash at Roland Garros.