Jannik Sinner became the first Italian to win the ATP Finals title by claiming a commanding straight sets victory over American Taylor Fritz in Turin.
World number one Sinner capped an excellent year in which he also won the first two Grand Slam titles of his career with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over fifth-seeded Fritz.
With this victory – his 70th of 2024 – the 23-year-old became the first player since Ivan Lendl in 1986 to win the season-ending ATP Finals title without losing a set.
In addition to his notable successes in 2024, the reigning Australian Open and US Open champion was also embroiled in an ongoing doping controversy that left him abandoned The immediate future of sports is uncertain.
“It's unbelievable – it's my first title in Italy and it means so much to me,” said Sinner, who was appeased by the crowd as he returned to the pitch for his post-match interview.
“It's something very special. For me it was a tournament at a very high level. I couldn’t have played better at times, so I’m very happy.”
After a spectacular light show and dramatic music created excitement, Sinner received a hair-raising reception as he walked onto the pitch in front of his home crowd.
The home favorite rose to the occasion and lost just one point in his first three service games before breaking Fritz's resistance with a magnificent drop shot on his fourth break point in the seventh game.
Sinner landed 16 winners and 10 aces in a professional performance in the first set, but had to fend off a first break point for Fritz before taking his second set point on serve.
However, Fritz, who lost the US Open final to Sinner in straight sets, was powerless to fend off his relentless opponent and failed to create another chance.
The American, who is on track to reach the highest ranking of his career as world number four on Monday, conceded a break with a long hit in the fifth game of the second set – and once again Sinner held his nerve to to complete the victory and delight the Turin audience.
Fritz said: “It's been a really good week for me, it's a good end to the year and gives me a lot of confidence. I have a good idea of what I need to improve on, but I also feel like I’m playing very good tennis.”
Earlier on Sunday, German eighth seeds Tim Putz and Kevin Krawietz defeated top seeds Marcelo Arevalo 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (8-6) to win their first ATP Finals title.
The eight-day ATP Finals will be contested by the eight singles players and eight doubles teams who have accumulated the most ranking points over the course of the season.
The ATP confirmed after Sinner's win that the tournament will be held in Italy until 2030 – although location options are “under consideration” after next year's event in Turin.