Tennis News

The voices driving Landaluce & Cina to the top

In tennis, a sport that spotlights the lone competitor, it’s easy to forget how much of a player’s identity is shaped long before they step on court. For Martin Landaluce, the steady climb toward the 2025 Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF hasn’t only been about growing into his talent, it’s been about having the right voice next to him, pushing, guiding, grounding.

One of those voices belongs to Oscar Burrieza, one of the Spaniard’s two coaches, alongside Esteban Carril.

Landaluce’s partnership with Burrieza began with a phone call. Landaluce was just 14, full of potential but still a mystery to the top coaches. Burrieza was working with established pros in Madrid when Landaluce’s father reached out.

“I remember his dad called me and talked to me about the possibility of coaching Martin,” Burrieza told ATPTour.com in September. “He wasn’t sure if I’d be open to coaching a 14-year-old. He asked me if I knew him.”

Burrieza did what any coach does when curiosity sparks. He went online, pulled up a few matches and watched.

“Immediately, I liked what I saw,” Burrieza said. “From the first time we met, we had a good connection. Even early on, I could see he was a really nice kid, mature for his age, responsible. On court, he was ready to work and eager to learn. Honestly, it was easy to start working with him.”

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Martin Landaluce (@martin_landalucee)

That ease has turned into years of discipline, progress and perspective. It is a combination that has fueled one of the most balanced young players on Tour.

Landaluce captured the US Open Boys’ singles title in 2022 and then lifted his first ATP Challenger Tour title in 2024. A second triumph at that level followed in 2025, with the 19-year-old reaching a career-high No. 110 in the PIF ATP Rankings in October.

Landaluce’s rise has been built brick by brick and every milestone hits with a familiar mix of pride and purpose for Burrieza.

“As a coach, every time you get a good result with your player, you feel proud and happy,” Burrieza said. “Happy for them, but also for yourself and the work you’ve put in. When Martin became World No. 1 in juniors, when he won the US Open junior title, those were very special moments. But honestly, not much changes. We enjoy the training weeks, not just the competition.”

What sets Landaluce apart goes beyond his backhand or his court sense. Burrieza believes his greatest advantage is something rare, something almost intangible.

“For me, his balance, mentally, is one of his biggest talents,” Burrieza said. “Tennis is mentally brutal. Most weeks, you lose. But Martin has this ability to wake up the next day and get back to practice like nothing happened. He resets emotionally. Whether he’s about to play at the Madrid Open or a Futures match, he acts the same. That consistency in attitude is rare.”

It’s also nurtured. Burrieza gives him space, lets him be independent, lets him be 19. They travel together, train together and find rhythm in the mundane. And beneath the professional structure, there’s a warmth that powers everything.

“We don’t need to be friends because I’m his coach,” Burrieza said. “I care about him a lot, as a person. I love him, and I truly want the best for him.”

That human connection is what shapes a player-coach relationship.

It’s a theme that runs through this generation of #NextGenATP stars. Italian Federico Cina knows it intimately. His rise, featuring his first tour-level win in Miami and three ATP Challenger Tour finals, has been built around the familiar voice he hears every day: his father and coach, Francesco Cina.

“That’s maybe the hardest part, he’s the coach on court and dad off court,” Cina said. “But my dad is really good at separating the two. On court, he talks to me like a coach, and off court he’s just my dad. I like having that balance. It’s very cool, and I feel lucky.”

They break down opponents together. They troubleshoot practices together. And when stress creeps in, Francesco resets his son the same way Burrieza steadies Landaluce.

“My coach and my dad remind me to keep enjoying practice,” Cina said. “Keeping that spirit is very important, and the results will come.”

Burrieza will hope to push Landaluce to the next level this year in Jeddah, where the Spaniard competes at the Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF. For Cina, more progress alongside his father Francesco and he will be in good shape to qualify for the 20-and-under event in 2026.

This is the fifth feature of our Next Gen ATP series Next in Line. Read our other stories here:

Wimbledon dreams, Nishikori’s run & Vinci’s courtside lessons: Next Gen stars share memories

Next Steps: How Tien, Basavareddy & Engel are making the leap
Learning from Legends: Nadal, Cilic & Ram inspiring #NextGenATP stars
Fuel for the future: Inside the mindset of the best youngsters

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Rivalries of 2025: Medvedev vs. Tien

To mark the end of another thrilling season, ATPTour.com is unveiling our annual ‘Best Of’ series, which will reflect on the most intriguing rivalries, matches, comebacks, upsets and more. This week, we are looking at the best rivalries of the year.

Daniil Medvedev against Learner Tien was the rivalry that nobody saw coming in 2025. Medvedev began the season inside the Top 5 while Tien was outside the Top 100, hardly a setup for a recurring showdown. Yet their three Lexus ATP Head2Head meetings proved to be some of the most captivating of the year.

As all-court players capable of carving up opponents, their clashes became a series of compelling strategic equations. Another layer of intrigue lay in the battle between experience and youth as a former No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings took on a rising teenage sensation, while even the seven-inch height difference between the two has been of note in this budding rivalry.

All three of Medvedev and Tien’s Lexus ATP Head2Head meetings this year went to a deciding set, with the American lefty holding a 2-1 advantage over Medvedev. Tien started the year with a stunning five-set upset against Medvedev at the Australian Open and they would not meet again until the Asian hard-court swing, where two meetings in eight days ended in a split.

Australian Open R64, Tien d. Medvedev 6-3, 7-6(4), 6-7(8), 1-6, 7-6(7)
The scoreline of Medvedev and Tien’s Melbourne clash, featuring three tie-breaks, resembles a Sudoku puzzle more than a tennis match and the 2:54 a.m finish only added to the drama.

Tien held a match point in the third set, which Medvedev erased with an ace, but ultimately the match was destined for a Melbourne late-night classic instead of a straight-sets routine win. Medvedev was a defending finalist and had reached the title match on two other occasions, but the former World No. 1 let slip a 7/6 lead in the deciding-set tie-break, putting an end to his tournament. Tien captured four consecutive points and raised in his arms in relief, with a big smile painted across his face after clinching victory.

“I was definitely hoping it wouldn’t go to a fifth-set breaker,” Tien admitted after the victory. “But I’m just happy to get a win. I know I made it a lot harder than maybe it could have been.”

Displaying crafty shotmaking and brickwall consistency throughout the four-hour, 48-minute thriller, Tien would eventually become the second-youngest American man to reach the Round of 16 at the season’s first major, alongside Pete Sampras, who reached the same stage aged 18. Meanwhile, Medvedev finished the major season with a 1-4 record.

<img alt=”Learner Tien celebrates the biggest win of his career over World No. 5 Daniil Medvedev at the Australian Open.” style=”width:100%;” src=”/-/media/images/news/2025/01/17/00/41/tien-ao-2025-thursday-3.jpg” />
_{^{Tien overcomes Medvedev in a Melbourne thriller. Credit: Getty Images}}

Beijing SFs, Tien d. Medvedev 5-7, 7-5, 4-0 retired
Early signs suggested Medvedev was on course to avenge his Melbourne defeat at the China Open in Beijing. Leading by a set and 4-1, and later serving for the match at 5-3, victory seemed within reach. But Tien refused to fade, staying composed in long rallies to draw errors from Medvedev and extend the semi-final clash at the ATP 500.

Medvedev went off court before the third set and returned with his upper right leg taped. He visibly struggled to move from the first point of the decider, seemingly dealing with cramps. After completing the fourth game, the 29-year-old limped to the net and shook hands with Tien, who advanced to his first tour-level final and became the second-youngest finalist in Beijing history behind Rafael Nadal.

“I had that belief that I was still in the match even though I was down a break,” Tien said of his comeback. “I had the confidence that I could break him because I was able to break him a few times in the first set. I hung around and it worked out.”

Shanghai R16, Medvedev d. Tien 7-6(6), 6-7(1), 6-4
Just eight days after Medvedev was forced to retire in Beijing, he was again standing across the net from Tien and the third time was the charm. In a drama-laced Rolex Shanghai Masters fourth-round clash, Medvedev overcame physical struggles late in the second set and summoned a gritty late surge to victory.

A high-quality opener set the tone for one of the season’s best matches. Then, the drama intensified when Medvedev began cramping at 6-5 in the second set. He asked his coaching team for pickle juice and spoke with the physio before the tie-break, saying in desperation, “What do you think I can do?” Hobbling around the court, Medvedev’s fate looked destined for a repeat of Beijing as Tien dominated the tie-break.

Medvedev would not go down without a fight, however. Although frustrated with his physical state and despite frequently pleading with his team for answers, Medvedev surged to three consecutive games from 3-4 in the decider to cap the two-hour, 53-minute encounter. Medvedev’s rollercoaster victory was fuelled more by heart than anything else and he signed the camera lens afterwards: ‘I don’t want to leave the best city in the world yet!’

In his post-match interview, a relieved Medvedev reflected: “For me to beat him… I thought I was going to lose. I was cramping again and I’m just super happy to manage to do it.

“I think the toughest part was that we played two times [before], and in my opinion he is an unbelievable player, because he doesn’t have a great serve and serve is so important in tennis. Without the serve, he is 19 years old and 30-something in the world and only going up. In my opinion he is such a good tennis player. He feels the game so well.”

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Sinner makes ATP history with unmatched statistical double in 2025

Jannik Sinner may not have ended the year as the No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings, but that did not stop him adding another significant achievement to an already successful season.

In 2025, the 24-year-old Italian became the first player in ATP history (since statistical records began in 1991) to lead the Tour in both percentage of service games won and percentage of return games won over the course of a single season. Sinner’s dominance in both areas helped him deliver a six-title haul, including a successful defence of his Nitto ATP Finals crown on home soil in Turin.

Across 64 matches in 2025, Sinner won 713 of 775 service games, according to Infosys ATP Stats, at a rock-solid 92 per cent hold rate.

Service Games Won (2025)

Sinner finished nearly three percentage points ahead of his nearest competitor Taylor Fritz and no other player held more than 89.18 per cent of his service games. The World No. 2’s margin over proven big servers — Fritz, Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard, Reilly Opelka, and even Novak Djokovic — underlines how far his serve has come and how central it has been to his rise.

“On the serve, we changed a lot of things after the US Open,” Simone Vagnozzi, one of Sinner’s coaches, said after the Nitto ATP Finals. “We are lucky to have Jannik [who] is really fast to improve, to understand the changes and everything… For sure our goal in the next season is to be more aggressive than what we are now.”

That strong platform fed directly into Sinner’s return game, winning 247 of the 757 return games he played (32.63 per cent) in 2025.

Return Games Won (2025)

Sinner finished 0.75 percentage points ahead of his biggest rival, Carlos Alcaraz, with whom he split the four major titles in 2025. They also clashed in the Nitto ATP Finals title match, and Sinner used his effective return of serve to apply maximum pressure.

“The return of serve is incredibly important. If you don’t get the ball back in play, you’re not going to break serve too often,” Darren Cahill, one of Sinner’s coaches, said after the Nitto ATP Finals. “Jannik, even though he was down a break of serve in that second set, was consistently putting pressure on Carlos’ service games.”

The gap between Sinner and his closest peers reflects how consistently he applied pressure in return games — especially given that in 2024, the season in which he earned ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF honours, he won 28.3 per cent of return games.

Rising from 28.30 per cent to 32.63 in just one year marks a significant leap. Combined with a serve that continues to grow in reliability and potency, Sinner now possesses one of the most complete statistical profiles in modern tennis, and a foundation that makes him a formidable threat heading into 2026.

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Sakamoto, 19, secures Challenger title at home

Japan’s Rei Sakamoto finished his season in style Sunday when he claimed an ATP Challenger Tour title on home soil. The 19-year-old triumphed at the YOKOHAMA KEIO CHALLENGER by MITA KOSAN and became the first Japanese teenager to win three Challenger titles.

Seeded second, Sakamoto rallied from a set down in his final three matches of the week. He fought off his elder countryman Kaichi Uchida 4-6, 7-6(4), 6-4 in a two-hour, 15-minute championship match.

“I had lots of ups and downs this year, but fought hard at the end,” Sakamoto wrote in an Instagram post reflecting on his 2025 season. “Appreciate all the support from everybody around me. Can’t wait for the offseason and what 2026 will bring to us!!”

Rei Sakamoto makes history for Japan 🇯🇵

The 19-year-old becomes the first Japanese teenager ever to win three Challenger titles!#ATPChallenger pic.twitter.com/rYmaWWC9kg

— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) November 23, 2025

Sakamoto, 10th in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah, won two Challenger trophies this year, with his previous triumph coming in Cary, North Carolina.

Former No. 4 Kei Nishikori was also competing in Yokohama, where he reached the quarter-finals before falling to Uchida. Nishikori was in action for the first time since the Cincinnati Open.

Maestrelli crowned champion in Bergamo
Italian Francesco Maestrelli won the 20th anniversary edition of the Internazionali di Bergamo, a tournament that stars such as Jannik Sinner, Matteo Berrettini, Holger Rune and Jack Draper have previously won.

<img alt=”Francesco Maestrelli wins the Bergamo Challenger.” style=”width:100%;” src=”/-/media/images/news/2025/11/24/14/10/maestrelli-bergamoch-2025.jpg?w=100%25″ />
^{Francesco Maestrelli wins the Bergamo Challenger, which was celebrating its 20th anniversary. Credit: Antonio Milesi}

The 22-year-old Maestrelli overcame German Marko Topo 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 in the final and is now at a career-high No. 138 in the PIF ATP Rankings.

Vallejo, 21, reaches career high after Guayaquil title 
Paraguay’s Adolfo Daniel Vallejo is also at a career-high following his latest victory. The 21-year-old captured the Challenger Ciudad de Guayaquil, where he escaped Juan Pablo Varillas 7-5, 6-7(7), 6-3 in a marathon two-hour, 59-minute final. Vallejo is now No. 143 in the PIF ATP Rankings.

<img alt=”Adolfo Daniel Vallejo in action at the Guayaquil Challenger.” style=”width:100%;” src=”/-/media/images/news/2025/11/24/14/13/vallejo-guayaquilch-2025.jpg” />
^{Adolfo Daniel Vallejo in action at the Guayaquil Challenger. Credit: Challenger Ciudad de Guayaquil}

Heide wins at home in Brazil without dropping a set
Brazilian Gustavo Heide capped a dominant week on home soil at the ENGIE Open in Florianopolis. The 23-year-old secured his second Challenger crown and first of this season with a 6-2, 6-3 final victory against Argentine Andrea Collarini. Heide’s first Challenger title run came last year in Asuncion, where he beat countryman Joao Fonseca in the championship match.

<img alt=”Gustavo Heide celebrates winning the Florianopolis Challenger.” style=”width:100%;” src=”/-/media/images/news/2025/11/24/14/17/heide-florianopolisch-2025.jpg” />
^{Gustavo Heide celebrates winning the Florianopolis Challenger. Credit: Luz Press Luiz Candido}

Duckworth ties active title record at Challenger level
James Duckworth lifted his 17th Challenger trophy, tying Facundo Bagnis for the most titles among active players at that level. Duckworth did not drop a set all week at the NSW Open in Sydney, finishing the tournament with a 6-1, 6-4 win against 20-year-old Hayato Matsuoka.

<img alt=”James Duckworth during the Sydney Challenger final.” style=”width:100%;” src=”/-/media/images/news/2025/11/24/14/21/duckworth-sydneych-2025.jpg” />
^{James Duckworth during the Sydney Challenger final. Credit: Jake Lim/Tennis Australia}

Former World No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt came out of retirement in Sydney to partner his 16-year-old son Cruz Hewitt in the doubles field. Lleyton and Cruz won their opening-round match before falling in the quarter-finals. Cruz also competed in the singles main draw and earned his second match win at that level.

Kolar captures second title of 2025
Czech Zdenek Kolar returned to the winner’s circle for the second time this year. The 29-year-old won the III Challenger Montemar ENE Construccion in Montemar, Spain, where he beat Gianluca Cadenasso 6-4, 6-4 in the final.

Samuel, former college standout, earns maiden Challenger trophy
Former University of South Carolina star Toby Samuel claimed his maiden Challenger crown in Soma Bay, Egypt. The 23-year-old Briton survived countryman Jay Clarke 4-6 7-6(4) 6-0 in the final. Samuel is now at a career-high No. 329 in the PIF ATP Rankings.

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Rivalries of 2025: Alcaraz vs. Sinner

To mark the end of another thrilling season, ATPTour.com is unveiling our annual ‘Best Of’ series, which will reflect on the most intriguing rivalries, matches, comebacks, upsets and more. This week, we are looking at the best rivalries of the year.

The Carlos Alcaraz versus Jannik Sinner rivalry has quickly turned into must-watch TV not just for tennis fans, but for sports enthusiasts, offering a genuine ‘expect the unexpected’ experience. They met six times in 2025, with Alcaraz winning on four occasions to extend his Lexus ATP Head2Head lead to 10-6 against the Italian.

ATPTour.com recaps their six clashes from this season.

Rome Final, Alcaraz d. Sinner 7-6(5), 6-1
With Sinner aiming to become the first male Italian champion in Rome since 1976 (Adriano Panatta), Alcaraz crashed the party in a pulsating showdown at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia.

Sinner, playing his first event since lifting the Australian Open trophy, looked poised to seize the opening set when he held two set points on return at 6-5, but a forehand unforced error and a mistimed backhand left the door ajar.

Alcaraz weathered the storm and found his best tennis of the tournament to snap Sinner’s 26-match winning streak and capture his maiden Rome trophy. The Spaniard used his slice serve on the Deuce-side to great effect and struck 19 winners compared to Sinner’s seven. It was a hard-fought victory to earn another win in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with Sinner.

“He has that aura,” Alcaraz said of Sinner. “When you’re seeing him on the other side of the net, it’s different. That’s why obviously I’m feeling that the people are putting so much, — how can I say — pressure in a certain way to both of us when we are facing each other.”

Roland Garros Final, Alcaraz d. Sinner 4-6, 6-7(4), 6-4, 7-6(3), 7-6(10-2)
Alcaraz delivered a comeback for the ages on Court Philippe-Chatrier, clawing back from two sets down and saving three championship points to stun Sinner in the longest men’s final in Roland Garros history. The five-hour, 29-minute epic had pundits debating its place among the greatest matches ever.

Facing three consecutive championship points at 3‑5, 0/40 in the fourth set, Alcaraz summoned every ounce of grit to somehow hold serve before breaking Sinner in the next game to flip the match on its head.

With the crowd’s deafening roar echoing into the Paris night, Alcaraz showed his resolve once more in the final set. After failing to serve out the match at 5-4, he regrouped for one final, and decisive, push. In the first Roland Garros final decided by a fifth-set tie-break, Alcaraz delivered a flawless performance when it mattered most, becoming the third man in the Open Era to save championship point (Novak Djokovic, Gaston Gaudio) at a major and go on to lift the title.

Many will remember the fifth-set tie-break, during which Alcaraz was nearly at his peak, crushing winner after winner, including a screaming forehand pass to clinch the Coupe des Mousquetaires.

“I think the real champions are made in situations when you deal with that pressure, with those situations, in the best way possible,” Alcaraz reflected.

<img alt=”Carlos Alcaraz” style=”width:100%;” src=”/-/media/images/news/2025/06/08/19/14/alcaraz-roland-garros-2025-final-celebration.jpg” />
^{_{Credit: AFP/Getty Images}}

Wimbledon Final, Sinner d. Alcaraz 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4
Five weeks after his Roland Garros heartbreak, Sinner made a triumphant comeback to down two-time defending champion Alcaraz in four sets and claim his maiden Wimbledon title.

At the All England Club, many eyes were on how Sinner would respond to such a devastating defeat to his greatest rival. After dropping four games from 4-2 in the opening set, the Italian rallied with steely determination to hand Alcaraz his first loss in a major final.

Sinner, despite five consecutive losses to Alcaraz at the time, went with a bold approach. The longer the rally, the harder he pummelled the ball, without dropping in consistency. Sinner took big cuts on return to apply pressure on Alcaraz while holding his ground with hefty serving. The final set was a Sinner masterclass of grass-court tennis. He dropped just one point behind his first delivery and converted all nine of his net points to be crowned champion.

“It’s mostly emotional, because I had a very tough loss in Paris,” Sinner said during the trophy ceremony. “But at the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter how you win or how you lose at important tournaments, you just have to understand what you did wrong and try to work on that, and that’s exactly what we did. We tried to accept the loss and just kept working. This is for sure one of the reasons I am holding this trophy here.”

THIS IS WHAT IT MEANS ❤️@janniksin | <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/Wimbledon?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/WqPYkmGSDf

— ATP Tour (@atptour) July 13, 2025

Cincinnati Final, Alcaraz d. Sinner 5-0 [ret.]
A highly anticipated final at August’s Cincinnati Open featured an abrupt ending. In the early stages, Sinner appeared out of sorts, looking physically drained in the sweltering heat. The Italian called for the doctor after falling behind 0-5. Unable to continue, Sinner retired after just 23 minutes of action.

“From yesterday I didn’t feel great,” Sinner said while apologising to fans. “I thought that I would improve during the night, but it came up worse. I tried to come out, tried to make it at least a small match, but I couldn’t handle more.”

Alcaraz, who consoled the ailing Sinner after they shook hands, claimed his first Cincinnati crown and his eighth ATP Masters 1000 title, the most of any active player besides Novak Djokovic (40). Alcaraz had been seeking redemption in Cincinnati, where in 2023 he let slip championship point against Djokovic in one of the most thrilling finals in Masters 1000 history.

“Since I lost that final in 2023, I wanted this trophy really, really badly,” said Alcaraz. “I’m just really proud and happy to be able to lift it.”

US Open Final, Alcaraz d. Sinner 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4
Each of Alcaraz and Sinner’s six meetings this season came in finals, and the next title clash between the two rivals’ came at the US Open. In a high-stakes encounter, Alcaraz not only denied Sinner’s title defence at Flushing Meadows, but also replaced Sinner as World No. 1, ending the Italian’s 65-week debut reign.

A confident Alcaraz unleashed ferocious hitting from both wings and doubled the number of winners as Sinner (42 to 21). The Spaniard dictated many of the rallies and never loosened his grip behind his serve, dropping just nine points behind his first delivery in a clinical performance. Alcaraz’s coach Juan Carlos Ferrero later described his charge’s showing as “perfect”, a verdict the now-six-time major champion Alcaraz echoed.

“He always wants me to play at my best, and not too many times I would say he’s said that, that I played perfectly. So for me, it’s a great win,” Alcaraz said. “But, yeah, he’s right. I think I played perfect. I played perfectly.”

This year marked the second consecutive season in which Alcaraz and Sinner split the four Slams, meaning that they have combined to triumph at eight straight majors.

“I think we push each other to the limit every time,” Alcaraz said of his rivalry with Sinner. “My practices are just focused to see how I can be better just to beat Jannik. So I think the rivalry is special, splitting Grand Slams, fighting for great things.”

CHAMPION AGAIN 🏆 NUMBER ONE, ONCE MORE 🥇🔥

Alcaraz triumphs in New York, lifting the trophy again AND reclaiming his spot as World No.1 in the PIF ATP Rankings with a 6-2 3-6 6-1 6-4 win over Sinner 🚀@usopen | #USOpen pic.twitter.com/jKOqQMGS7E

— ATP Tour (@atptour) September 7, 2025

Nitto ATP Finals Championship Match, Sinner d. Alcaraz 7-6(4), 7-5
A season of twin supremacy deserved nothing less than a final act on the sport’s most electric indoor stage, the Nitto ATP Finals. Under the lights, in a crackling Turin atmosphere, Sinner delivered red-line tennis from first ball to last.

Sinner’s biggest weapon was his serve. Having made some technical tweaks to his serve post-US Open, the Italian’s adjustments proved effective. In a tight opening set, Sinner erased a set point with an ice-cold 117mph second serve. Boasting pinpoint accuracy all week, during which he did not drop a set, Sinner gave Alcaraz little to no breathing room behind his revamped delivery. Sinner won 84 per cent of his first-serve points against Alcaraz to finish the week with a perfect 5-0 record and a record $5,071,000 champion’s payout.

“You have control over one shot in tennis, and that is the serve,” said Sinner’s coach Darren Cahill. “Jannik and Simone [Vagnozzi] have done some incredible work over the last four or five weeks to rejig the serve and find that rhythm and tempo where he has been able to up the first-serve percentage.”

Sinner reflected on his final match of the season: “I feel I am a better player than last year, I think this is the most important. It’s all part of the process. I always say and believe that if you keep working and trying to be a better player, the results, they’re going to come. This year it was like this.”

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Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF: Tournament-record prize money

The 2025 Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF will award a tournament-record $2,101,250 million in prize money at the 20-and-under event, which will be played in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia from 17-21 December.

If the champion at this year’s tournament lifts the trophy with an undefeated record, he will earn $539,750.

Three matches at this year’s Next Gen ATP Finals will be worth more than $100,000. Each semi-final victory will be worth $116,000 and the championship match will yield the winner $157,250. The participation fee for each player at the event is $154,000.

Prize Money

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'It gives me chills' – Italian 'brotherhood' inspires Davis Cup hat-trick

Flavio Cobolli and Matteo Berrettini lead Italy to a historic third straight Davis Cup title in Bologna.

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Italy win historic third consecutive Davis Cup title

Matteo Berrettini and Flavio Cobolli guided Italy to a historic third consecutive Davis Cup title on Sunday when they earned victories in front of a raucous crowd in Bologna against Spain.

In the opening match of the tie, Berrettini produced a flawless display to down Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta 6-3, 6-4 to give his nation the perfect start. Cobolli then recovered from dropping seven of the first eight games in his match against Jaume Munar to earn a 1-6, 7-6(5), 7-5 win and send the Italian bench and the packed crowd in Bologna into wild celebration.

Italy also triumphed at the Davis Cup Finals in 2023 and 2024 in Malaga and is now the first country since the United States (1968-1972) to win three consecutive titles.

Berrettini ensured Italy made the perfect start in Sunday’s final by delivering an impressive performance on serve. The 29-year-old fired 13 aces and did not face a break point, according to Infosys ATP Stats, en route to his 79-minute win. The No. 56 player in the PIF ATP Rankings has won his past 11 Davis Cup matches, dating back to 2022.

BACK-TO-BACK-TO-BACK Azzurri domination! 🇮🇹@DavisCup | #DavisCup | @federtennis pic.twitter.com/QDZiF1Bn7n

— ATP Tour (@atptour) November 23, 2025

With the hopes of Italy then on Cobolli, the 23-year-old demonstrated an abundance of grit to rally after a slow start against Munar. After losing the first set and dropping his serve immediately at the start of the second, Cobolli crucially broke back to level at 1-1. He then converted on his seventh set point of the second set to force a decider and found the key breakthrough in the 11th game of the third set. Cobolli enjoyed a memorable week on home soil, having saved seven match points in his win against Belgium’s Zizou Bergs in the semi-finals.

Spain was competing in the Davis Cup Finals title match for the first time since triumphing in 2019. The former champion defeated Germany and Czechia en route to the final.

Did You Know?
Italy has become the first non Grand Slam nation to win the Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup titles in the same season on multiple occasions, following the United States and Australia. This week, Italy did it without the services of Top 10 stars Jannik Sinner and Lorenzo Musetti.

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Spain set up Davis Cup final showdown with Italy

Spain will face two-time defending champions Italy in the Davis Cup final after overcoming Germany in a deciding doubles match.

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Granollers/Martinez send Spain to title match at Davis Cup Finals

Marcel Granollers and Pedro Martinez sent Spain to the title match at the Davis Cup Finals on Saturday, when they earned a hard-fought 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 deciding doubles rubber win against Germany’s Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz.

Earlier, Alexander Zverev had levelled the tie for Germany in Bologna with a 7-6(2) 7-6(5) victory against Jaume Munar after Pablo Carreno Busta had beaten Jan-Lennard Struff 6-4 7-6(6) to give Spain the lead.

With the doubles left to decide the semi-final tie, Granollers and Martinez stepped up to send Spain through. They crucially saved one break point when serving for the match at 5-3, 30/40 in the third set, earning victory on their first match point to spark jubilant scenes of celebration among the Spanish team.

In the first match of the day, Carreno Busta saved five consecutive set points in the second set against Struff, rallying from 1/6 behind in the tie-break to give his nation the lead after one hour and 46 minutes.

The No. 3 player in the PIF ATP Rankings Zverev clubbed 32 winners, including 13 aces, past Munar but ultimately his victory was in vain. Zverev ends his season holding a 57-25 record, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index.

Spain is in its first Davis Cup final since lifting the trophy in 2019. The former champion will play two-time defending champion Italy in Sunday’s final.

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