Italian tennis star Jannik Sinner is looking forward to a flawless ATP Finals campaign on home soil. From 10 to 17 November, on indoor hard courts at the Inalpi Arena in Turin, the national hero will be hoping to win the year-end tournament for the first time to end his brilliant yet controversial 2024 season on a high note.
The 23-year-old is considered a favourite for the title having come a long way since losing last year’s final to Novak Djokovic, who pulled out of this year’s Finals injured. This year Sinner won his first two Grand Slam titles at the Australian and US Opens alongside five ATP titles and became the first ever Italian to top the men’s world rankings.
GROWING RIVALRY His blossoming rivalry with World no. 3 Carlos Alcaraz, who also won two Slams this year at Wimbledon and Roland Garros, headlines the season-ending tournament. It is certain though that both players will not meet in the Round Robin stage, having been drawn in separate groups on Thursday.
“It’s difficult to talk about a rivalry when you’re so young. We’re two players who like to do battle,” Sinner said.
“Being considered favourite is definitely different compared to last year but I’m going to have the same approach to the tournament.”
Sinner’s dominance in 2024 is such that he finished the “Race To Turin” with more than 10,330 points, 3,000 points more than second-ranked Alexander Zverev.
CONTROVERSY However, Sinner’s season has also been plagued by controversy.after he twice tested positive for clostebol in March but was cleared of any wrong doing by the International Tennis Integrity Agency in August.
The case then took a new twist in September when the World Anti-Doping Agency, despite accepting the ruling that Sinner did not intentionally dope, appealed, seeking a ban of up to two years.
“We don’t know anything yet (about the appeal),” Sinner, who has denied any wrongdoing, told reporters in Turin on Thursday.
“It’s not a pleasurable situation to be in but we remain optimists.”
THE TOP EIGHT
The eight stars set for business in Turin are: Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev, Taylor Fritz, Casper Ruud, Alex de Minaur and Andrey Rublev. On Thursday they took the stage at the grand Carignano Theatre to interact with an audience of young fans.
This year’s ATP Finals offer USD$15,250,000 prize money. If the champion clinches the title unbeaten, he will earn $4,881,500.
Credit: AIPS Media
