Tennis News

Cahill, Vagnozzi break down the serve secrets behind Sinner’s Nitto ATP Finals win

Even in the midst of a standout 2025 on the ATP Tour, Jannik Sinner and his team knew that improvements were always possible.

The Italian crowned his season in style on Sunday night in Turin, where he overcame his great rival Carlos Alcaraz in straight sets to successfully defend his title at the Nitto ATP Finals. A key feature of Sinner’s trophy run at the prestigious season finale was his serve, and his coaches Darren Cahill and Simone Vagnozzi later reflected on the recent work they had done with that aspect of the World No. 2’s game.

“For sure after the US Open we saw some issues, especially with the serve,” said Vagnozzi at Inalpi Arena after Sinner’s 7-6(4), 7-5 final triumph. “We changed the motion. We changed the rhythm. He served really well from Shanghai until here. Today in the second set he struggled a little bit.

“I think Carlos changed his position on the second serve, changed something on the serve of Jannik also. The second set he started to serve too slow. This also changed the rhythm from the first set. On the serve, we changed a lot of things after the US Open. We are lucky to have Jannik, who is really fast to improve, to understand the changes and everything.”

Sinner had reached the championship match at all four majors in 2025 prior to the changes Vagnozzi spoke of, lifting the trophies at the Australian Open and Wimbledon, making it somewhat surprising that his coaches felt tweaks were even needed. But Cahill emphasised the need to work on what he called ‘the most important’ shot in tennis.

“You have control over one shot in tennis, and that is the serve,” said the Australian. “Jannik and Simone 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.

“It is not just that about the first-serve percentage. If we were really concerned about the first-serve percentage, we would let him slow the serve down to let him get more first serves in. He’s actually pumped up the miles per hour, and he is getting the ball closer to the line, which means he gets a lot more free points. They’ve done a wonderful job with that.”

Time for a team photo with a special guest 🐶😅 @janniksin | #NittoATPFinals pic.twitter.com/NAoSRQ5xFA

— ATP Tour (@atptour) November 16, 2025

The results since certainly prove Cahill’s theory. After his final defeat to Alcaraz in New York, Sinner lifted ATP 500 titles in Beijing and Vienna, an ATP Masters 1000 crown in Paris, and the Nitto ATP Finals trophy. The 24-year-old has finished his season with a 58-6 record, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index.

Sinner’s Turin victory against Alcaraz, in which he saved a set point in the first set and rallied from 1-3 to clinch the second, reduced his Lexus ATP Head2Head deficit against the Spaniard to 6-10. Vagnozzi was delighted with the way his charge had held his nerve in front of thousands of adoring home fans.

“It was a really emotional match. Really tight match,” said the coach. “I think both of them, they had periods when they played really good, and sometimes they made some mistakes. We saw Jannik always fighting with a good attitude, with a good face. He always believed, also in the second set when he was a break down, couldn’t change the direction of the set.

“We are really happy about Jannik’s performance. I think there is still something to work on also after this win, the match showed something that we can try to make better. But I’m really happy how we finished the season with unbelievable three tournaments in a row. We are pumped to start next season.”

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Defiance, energy, new heights – Sinner keeps Alcaraz on a leash

After losing two Grand Slam finals and the number one crown to his great rival, Jannik Sinner again shows Carlos Alcaraz how he can bounce back from adversity.

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Alcaraz reflects on Sinner following Nitto ATP Finals clash: 'He always comes back stronger'

Carlos Alcaraz was full of praise for his great rival Jannik Sinner following their latest battle on Sunday at the Nitto ATP Finals. Although the Spaniard fell to the Italian in the Turin title match, he was encouraged by his performance and acknowledged the difficulty of facing Sinner indoors.

“I thought at the beginning of the match that I could beat him, that I could compete against him here,” Alcaraz said of Sinner, who has now won his past 31 indoor matches. “It didn’t surprise [me] at all that I was really close. It was just about the tennis. I’m just really happy with the performance that I did today. I’m pretty sure that it’s going to keep growing, my level on indoor courts.

“I felt the improvements of Jannik. I said many times, I think a player like him, he always comes back stronger from the losses. He always learn from the losses. Once again, he has shown everybody that he did it. Especially in the serves, putting so much pressure on you. It’s really difficult to play against him.”

Alcaraz had beaten Sinner in the US Open final in September, but the 24-year-old responded with authority in Turin, lifting the year-end trophy for the second straight season and narrowing his deficit in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series to 6-10.

The final was tight throughout. Alcaraz received a medical timeout for a hamstring issue at 5-4 in the opening set and had his upper right leg taped, but the World No. 1 stressed that the problem didn’t affect his play.

“I felt something in my hamstring after trying to catch one serve,” Alcaraz said. “I could say that it didn’t affect me too much because I could run well, I could go to the balls well. [There were] thoughts about how [it] is going to be if I do crazy things that I’m used to doing, how is it going to be. Those thoughts were in my mind sometimes. But I could play well.”

Alcaraz upped his aggression and moved forward more frequently in the second set and gained a break advantage before Sinner pegged the 22-year-old back and then turned the tide again to seal victory.

“I didn’t change the plan because of the injury. I changed it because I felt that I had to do something else,” Alcaraz said on his tactical tweaks. “I’m trying to be as aggressive as I can on court every match, but especially I think even more against Jannik. Every time that I can, just trying to go forward.

“It worked because I was a break up. I was serving well. That game, I think at 3-2. I was up in the game. I made a few mistakes that I didn’t have to make. In general, I think it was a great plan that I did today. That’s why I’m really happy with the level and the performance that I did today, because I think I did not do too many things wrong, which is great.”

After going 3-0 in the round-robin stage, Alcaraz received the ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF trophy on court in the Inalpi Arena. The 22-year-old is now 71-9 on the season, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, and has claimed a Tour-leading eight titles in 2025, including majors at Roland Garros and the US Open and ATP Masters 1000 crowns in Monte-Carlo, Rome, and Cincinnati. The Spaniard is set to conclude his season next week at the Davis Cup Finals.

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Sinner: ‘I’m a better player than last year’

Here’s a scary thought for Jannik Sinner’s opponents heading into next season…

The Italian claims that he is a better player at the end of 2025 than he was at the end of 2024, when he earned ATP Year-End No. 1 honours presented by PIF.

Sinner was the undefeated champion at the Nitto ATP Finals the past year, but after defeating current No. 1 and great rival Carlos Alcaraz 7-6(4), 7-5 in Sunday’s title match in Turin, Sinner says that he has taken his game to a new level.

“Honestly, I don’t want to compare [years]. It’s an amazing season,” Sinner said. “Last year has been an amazing season. This year making four Grand Slam finals, coming here, winning here, having this big streak in end of the year, it’s amazing.

“But mostly 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.

“Many, many wins, and not many losses. All the losses I had, I tried to see the positive thing and trying to evolve me as a player. I feel like or I felt like this happened in a very good way. I’m extremely happy with the season.”

Despite missing three months of the season after winning the Australian Open in January, Sinner claimed six titles and earned a 58-6 match record according to Infosys ATP Stats. He has 24 career titles, the same number as Alcaraz.

The 24-year-old capped his impressive year with a second consecutive Nitto ATP Finals title without dropping a set, and by extending his unbeaten indoor record to 31 matches.

“Amazing feelings finishing the season here in Turin in front of the home crowd. It’s the last match of the season. It’s an amazing feeling. Very emotional seeing my team there, the whole box. I’m really, really happy,” he said.

Sinner won just two of six meetings with Alcaraz in 2025, with his victory in Turin narrowing the deficit in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series to 6-10. Asked if he could have a deep friendship with his greatest rival, Sinner had this to say…

“I feel like we had this conversation a bit with Darren,” Sinner said. “He used to play back in the day. Players, they used to go dinner, having dinner together, because the teams were not as big. It was maybe player plus one. You tend to be a bit more together. You open up yourself. You tell stories in the locker room.

“I still feel it’s a bit like this. You have your more favourite not players but friends in the locker room. You talk a bit in different ways.

“Of course, I believe that Carlos has great friends and I have great friends, too. You tend to go a bit more in the national team because it’s normal. You spend more time with Italians.

“I do have also other players I feel very close to: Jack Draper, Reilly Opelka, these kind of friendships. I feel they’re honest and you can get along very well.

“But with Carlos is also a bit different because of on-court reasons. We have a very good relationship, rivalry. I feel like we can talk about everything still. I think it’s great. We are good friends off the court. We do respect us in a very healthy way. Also the teams, my team, get along very well with them. I think it’s a good harmony.”

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Sinner lands ATP Finals title as Alcaraz rivalry delivers again

Jannik Sinner signs off his 2025 season in style by overcoming world number one Carlos Alcaraz in two tight sets to defend his ATP Finals crown in Turin.

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Sinner beats Alcaraz for Nitto ATP Finals crown, Big Titles battle heating up

Jannik Sinner defeated Carlos Alcaraz in the championship match of the Nitto ATP Finals on Sunday to move closer to his great rival in their Big Titles battle.

The Italian ended his season on a high note by toppling the ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF at Inalpi Arena for his second consecutive triumph at the season finale. It is Sinner’s 11th Big Title — a combination of Grand Slam championships, trophies at the Nitto ATP Finals and ATP Masters 1000 tournaments, and Olympic singles gold medals.

Sinner now trails Alcaraz by just three Big titles. Together, they claimed all four major trophies and the Nitto ATP Finals crown this season.

The 24-year-old became just the third player to win multiple Nitto ATP Finals titles on home soil. American John McEnroe claimed glory at the event three times in New York and German Boris Becker did so twice in Frankfurt.

Big Titles Won: Alcaraz & Sinner

Sinner is the ninth man to triumph at the year-end championships in consecutive years. This century, only Lleyton Hewitt (2001-02), Roger Federer (2003-04, 2006-07 and 2010-11) and Novak Djokovic (2012-15, 2022-23) have also accomplished the feat.

The Nitto ATP Finals is a tournament where Sinner has narrowed the gap to Alcaraz. He has seized the trophy twice in four appearances, while Alcaraz is still pursuing his first title at the prestigious event.

Sinner has won a Big Title for every 5.8 tournaments he has played in his career, passing Andre Agassi’s rate of emerging victorious once for every 6.1 events. Only Djokovic (3.3), Rafael Nadal (3.5), Alcaraz (3.9), Roger Federer (4.4) and Pete Sampras (4.9) have won the tournaments at a higher rate.

The Nitto ATP Finals champion closed his season by claiming the final two Big Titles of 2025, at the Rolex Paris Masters and in Turin. Sinner also won Big Titles this year at the Australian Open and Wimbledon.

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It all adds up for Sinner at the Nitto ATP Finals, Italian defeats Alcaraz for title

Jannik Sinner successfully defended his Nitto ATP Finals title on Sunday in Turin, where he used the backing of a raucous Italian crowd to overcome his great rival Carlos Alcaraz 7-6(4), 7-5.

World No. 1 Alcaraz and World No. 2 Sinner have dominated the 2025 season, winning 14 titles between them, including all four majors. A season of twin supremacy deserved nothing less than a final act on the sport’s most electric indoor stage.

Under the lights, in a crackling atmosphere, Sinner delivered red-line tennis from first ball to last. The 24-year-old unloaded from the baseline with fierce pace and accuracy, mixing in flashes of Alcaraz-like artistry, including several dazzling lobs. His biggest test came at 5-6, 40/A in the first set, when he erased a set point with an ice-cold 117mph second serve. With his two-hour, 15-minute victory, the Italian joined John McEnroe and Boris Becker as the only men to lift multiple Nitto ATP Finals trophies on home soil.

“We are individual athletes but without my team, this is not possible. Celebrating this trophy at the end of the year after such an intense last couple of months, there is no better ending,” said Sinner, who hugged his team courtside following victory. “It was a very, very close match. I saved a set point in the first set and I am extremely happy with how I handled the situation and it means the world to me.”

Sinner rallied from a break down in the second set and absorbed Alcaraz’s trademark variety with poise, extending his extraordinary indoor winning streak to 31 matches. His last indoor defeat came two years ago against Novak Djokovic in the final in Turin. Since then, he has swept indoor titles in Rotterdam, Turin (twice), Vienna and Paris and played a central role in Italy’s two Davis Cup triumphs.

Now 10-0 across his past two appearances at the prestigious year-end event, including a perfect 5-0 run this week, Sinner departs Turin with a record $5,071,000 champion’s payout, the largest in tournament history. He did not lose a set all week and has the best Nitto ATP Finals win percentage in history at 88.2 per cent, surpassing Ilie Nastase.

Although Alcaraz sealed ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF honours on Thursday after a flawless 3-0 round-robin campaign, and claimed their US Open final showdown in September, Sinner will head into the off-season buoyed by a resounding response on home turf.

“I am really happy with the level I played today,” Alcaraz said during the trophy ceremony. “He is someone who has not lost a match on an indoor court for two years now, so that means how great a player you are. Putting in great work with your team every time. You come back even stronger after every loss, you don’t have many. A well-deserved final.”

The Italian still trails 6-10 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series, but his wins at Wimbledon and now in Turin serve as a clear message that the defining battles of this era are being fought by these two.

“It was tough today,” Sinner added. “Playing against Carlos, you have to play at your best. I was serving very well at times but he is one of the best returners in the game. Obviously Novak is in there. But I am very happy. It was a tough match but it means a lot to me ending the season like this. It is amazing.”

In front of an electric Inalpi Arena crowd, both players came out swinging in a high-quality opening. Alcaraz escaped trouble at 2-2, 40/40 with a backhand laser down the line that clipped the paint, only for Sinner to answer in the following game by whipping a backhand winner off his shins, a shot that drew an approving nod from Alcaraz and sent the crowd into a thunderous chorus of ‘Ole, Ole, Ole, Ole, Sinner, Sinner’.

After holding for 5-4 in the first set, Alcaraz received a medical timeout for an upper right leg issue but he did not seem overly hampered by the issue despite his leg being taped. The Spaniard moved to set point when he hit a deft forehand drop shot followed by a punched volley winner, but Sinner survived with a huge second serve into the body of Alcaraz. He then hit a 105mph forehand winner and a big serve out wide to hold and force a tie-break. Sinner hit two stunning lobs in the breaker to lift the roof of the Inalpi Arena, before he converted on his first set point to lead.

However, the atmosphere inside the stadium quickly changed at the start of the second set when Alcaraz became the first player this week to break Sinner’s serve. The Italian hit two double faults in the game to gift Alcaraz a foothold. Yet Sinner enjoyed a slice of luck to respond. He framed a return on break point that dropped in and followed it up with a perfect dropshot to level at 3-3. Sinner then upped his aggression once again in the closing stages of the set, landed more first serves and earned one final break of serve to record a memorable win.

Sinner ended the season holding a 58-6 record, lifting trophies at the Australian Open, Wimbledon, Nitto ATP Finals, Paris, Beijing and Vienna. Alcaraz went 71-9 in 2025, winning a tour-leading eight crowns, including majors at Roland Garros and the US Open.

Did You Know?
The 24-year-old is the ninth man to triumph at the year-end championships in consecutive years. This century, only Lleyton Hewitt (2001-02), Roger Federer (2003-04, 2006-07 and 2010-11) and Djokovic (2012-15, 2022-23) have also accomplished the feat.

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Patten's partners make it dream week for him at ATP Finals

Great Britain’s Henry Patten completes a life-changing visit to Turin by becoming an ATP Finals champion for the first time – a week after proposing to his girlfriend in the city.

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Heliovaara/Patten capture maiden Nitto ATP Finals crown

Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten captured their first Nitto ATP Finals crown as a team on Sunday when they defeated Joe Salisbury and Neal Skupski 7-5, 6-3 to snap the remarkable winning streak of two-time champion Salisbury.

After dispatching Italians Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori to reach the title match for the first time, Heliovaara and Patten were once again assured throughout the final. The Finn-British team lost to Salisbury and Skupski in the round-robin stage but delivered a commanding performance to improve to 3-2 in the teams’ Lexus ATP Head2Head series.

<img alt=”Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten win the 2025 Nitto ATP Finals doubles crown.” style=”width:100%;” src=”/-/media/images/news/2025/11/16/17/02/heliovaara-patten-trophy-shot-nitto-atp-finals-2025.jpg” />
^{Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten pose with the trophy in Turin. Photo: Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour}

The second seeds produced a number of stunning passing shots and were rock-solid on serve, not facing a break point to triumph after 80 minutes. It is the eighth time in the tournament’s history that the team that lost to its final opponent in the round-robin stage earned revenge to triumph in the championship match.

“It is hard to describe,” Heliovaara said. “The whole week I have looked at the list of winners, with huge winners and I thought, if there was ever going to be my name on that, I am going to be so proud. To be there next to Henry is unreal.”

Heliovaara and Patten end the season holding a 50-20 record, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index. The Finn-British team captured the trophy at the Australian Open and also won crowns in Paris and Beijing.

After triumphing in the Inalpi Arena, Heliovaara dropped his racquet and let out a roar, while Patten raised his fist aloft. Patten is a double winner this week, having got engaged to longtime partner Ellie Stone in Turin.

“The tennis is pretty good but the engagement was something special,” Patten said. “It has been a complete dream for me. Ellie has been here supporting me all week. I am a very happy guy right now. I feel unbelievably lucky to have a partner like her and a partner like Harri.”

Salisbury had won his past 14 matches at the Nitto ATP Finals, clinching the title in 2022 and 2023 with Rajeev Ram before he failed to qualify in 2024. Skupski was competing in his first final at the year-end event.

The Brits also lost title matches at Roland Garros and the US Open in 2025. They end their partnership with a 46-22 record on the season.

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Hewett loses Masters final to world number one Oda

Great Britain’s Alfie Hewett loses 6-1 6-1 to Japan’s world number one Tokito Oda in the men’s singles final of the Wheelchair Masters in Huzhou, China.

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