By Richard Pagliaro | @Tennis_Now | Sunday, November 17, 2024
Jannik Sinner smacked 14 aces sweeping Taylor Fritz 6-4, 6-4 to capture his eighth title of 2024 and become the first Italian to win the ATP Finals.
Photo credit: Marco Bertorello/AFP/Getty
Capping a blockbuster season, Jannik Sinner hammered home a powerful point.
World No. 1 Sinner turned Turin homecoming into transformative tennis statement—and widened the gap on the talented pack chasing him.
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In front of buzzing home fans singing his name, Sinner solidified his status as world’s best player—and a true health hazard—making history as the first Italian to win the ATP Finals.
In a rematch of the US Open final, world No. 1 Sinner torched 14 aces in a 6-4, 6-4 triumph over Taylor Fritz to become the first man since Ivan Lendl in 1986 to capture the season-ending crown without surrendering a set.
It is the eighth title of the season for Sinner, who is just the third man to sweep Australian Open, US Open and ATP Finals championship in the same season.
The 23-year-old Italian scored his 11th straight win.
Competing under the cloud of WADA appealing the result of his doping case, Sinner has played some of his most dynamic tennis winning 26 of his last 27 matches with his lone loss in that stellar stretch to world No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz in Beijing.
“I do surprise myself with the result, but I know how much I practice,” Sinner told Tennis Channel’s Prakash Amritraj after becoming the first man since Andy Murray in 2016 to win 70 matches and 8 titles in the same season. “I know how much I dedicate to the sport. I also know that I still have matches.
“We are gonna work for it. Obviously to end the season like this. It means a lot to me making this huge effort in Italy, sharing this moment with so many people. I’m just very very happy at this moment.”
Whiplash serving from the world No. 1 left the dangerous Fritz looking like his head was on a swivel at times while wearing the quizzical expression of a commuter seeing a subway repeatedly blur by him.
Sinner served 71 percent, smacked 14 aces against no double faults and saved the only break point he faced in a near-flawless one hour, 24-minute victory that came one year after he lost to Grand Slam king Novak Djokovic in the Turin final.
“He's playing great. I felt like from the baseline, it was pretty similar to the previous match we played," said Fritz, who fell to Sinner by the same score on Tuesday. "What I was really impressed with today was how he served. He served absolutely lights out. So many, so many lines. He placed the serve great. He took a lot of risk on the second serve as well. I think that was probably one of his main game plans, is to not let me get on, attack his second serve.
"He did a great job of not only mixing up the second but being very aggressive with it, not throwing in double-faults for serving bigger and being a little riskier with it. Really impressed with how he served."
The first American man since James Blake in 2006 to contest the season-ending final, Fritz did not do much wrong today.
He was just overwhelmed by a dominant opponent who did everything right.
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How commanding was Sinner in capturing his 70th win of the season—as well as a 1,500 ranking points and a massive $4.811 million champion’s check for going undefeated in Turin?
An oppressive Sinner permitted just 33 games and dropped serve only twice in five tournament victories.
When Fritz’ final shot strayed wide, Sinner thrust both arms in the air.
Fritz took the court bidding to become the first American since Hall of Famer Pete Sampras in 1999 to capture the ATP Finals crown.
Sinner stamped a Sampras-style serving display on the opening set.
The lanky Italian’s right arm was a whip as Sinner slashed successive aces in his opening service game.
Recovering from love-30 down, Fritz won four points in a row holding for 3-2.
Across the net, Sinner was giving Fritz little to look at on serve. Sinner pumped four aces in his first three serve games holding for 3-all.
Because Sinner is the better mover and generally sharper striking on the run, Fritz knew he had to go big when he got the forehand from a favorable spot on court. Fritz flew a forehand long to face double break point. Fritz saved both break points, including hitting an ace on the second break point.
The fifth seed got back to deuce but missed a 114 mph second serve long to confront a third break point.
On the ensuing point, both men made slick half-volley pick-ups, with Fritz pulling off pirouette half-volley, before Sinner strayed a backhand.
An unrelenting Sinner smacked a return down the line for a fourth break point. Backing Fritz up with a drive, Sinner pulled the string on a drop shot breaking with finesse for 4-3.
Throwing down three big bolts, Sinner held at love to back up the break. The US Open champion won 16 of his first 17 serve points in building a 5-3 lead.
Serving for the set, Sinner slid an ace out wide for set point, but sprayed an inside-out forehand. Fritz roped a clean backhand winner down the line for a break point, but Sinner stamped out stress with a serve winner.
Fittingly, the top seed, who had dropped serve only twice in the tournament, torched his 10th ace wide to close the 41-minute opener. Sinner served 78 percent and won 19 of 21 service points in the first set snuffing out Fritz’s lone threat in the final game of the set.
As the top seed continued piling up holds, Fritz was struggling to try to finish points with the fluffier Dunlop balls. Fritz bunted a forehand drop shot attempt into net to face a break point in the fifth game. Curling a slice down the T he erased it.
Sinner smoked a backhand strike down the line for a second break point.
Sinner is the more fluid athlete and was serving lights out forcing Fritz to try to red line. Over-hitting a forehand, Fritz succumbed to Sinner’s pressure dropping serve in the fifth game.
When Fritz gained break point in the eighth game, Sinner swept his 13th ace to save it. Sinner smacked his 14th ace out wide to quiet the challenge and hold for a 5-3 lead.
When Fritz’s final shot sailed, Sinner thrust his arms in the air before climbing into his support box where he embraced his coaches and his father.
Considering all of the career peaks and valleys Sinner has traversed this season—he won his maiden major in Melbourne then showed strength of character capturing the US Open with the cloud of controversy over his two failed doping tests hanging over his head.
Can anyone stop Sinner on hard court when he plays at this lofty level?
Consider Sinner’s 8 titles to only 6 losses on the season—he improved to 70-6 on the season—shows just how hard the 23-year-old Italian is to beat at his best.
In fact, 1996 Wimbledon winner and Rotterdam Tournament Director Richard Krajicek told the media in Turin this week this version of Sinner is tougher to beat than prime Pistol Pete Sampras because the Italian lacks a real weakness.
“Beating Sinner today is more difficult than beating Sampras when I was playing,” Krajicek told the media in Turin. “Sampras was an incredible player but I knew that if I could attack him on the backhand I would have a chance to beat him.
“Everyone can do everything and moves very well. I look at them and think: if I played now, how could I beat them? Today Sinner has no weaknesses.”
Heading into his maiden major title defense in Melbourne in January, it looks like only a prime Carlos Alcaraz, resurgent Novak Djokovic or WADA, which is appealing Sinner's steroid case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport—and seeking a ban of one to two years for the world No. 1—can stop the superb Sinner we saw this week.
Sinner said the goal for 2025 is simple: Play his best in every match.
“[Playing] even better [in 2025] is very difficult,” Sinner said. “This year the goal was trying to play every match in the best possible way I can and we see the result.
“It has been an amazing year. Next year we are gonna see. Everything can change very fast very quickly. We are going to try to start in a very special way in Australia and then see how the rest goes.”