By Maria Somova, Year 12
From November 10th to November 17th, the Nitto ATP Finals took place. The Nitto ATP Finals is the season-ending championship of the ATP Tour.
It is played on a hard court and the prize money for the winner is $15,250,000. From 2021 to 2025, the tournament will be held in Inalpi Arena in Turin – the largest indoor sporting area in Italy. In this year’s competition, world’s number 1 – Jannick Sinner, competed alongside Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev, Taylor Fritz, Casper Rudd, Alex de Minaur and Andrey Rublev. Two reserve players were Grigor Dimitrov and Stephanos Tsitsipas. This year was the first year since 2002 when no one from the big four – Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal was present. The “new generation” of tennis has officially come into the spotlight.
The Tournament proceeds by the eight top players being divided into two groups of four, where everyone in the group has to play the other three. All singles matches, including the final, are best of three sets with tie-breaks in each set including the third. The winner is determined by several factors such as the most wins, highest number of sets and games won. The top two of the group will advance to semifinals and the best player of both groups will go on to compete in the final.
The two single’s teams this year were the John Newcombe Group (Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz, Andrey Rublev and Casper Ruud) and Ilie Nastase Groupe ( Jannick Sinner, Daniil Medvedev, Taylor Fritz and Alex de Minaur). In Newcombe’s group the leader was German player Sascha Zverev who in his group won 3 out 3 matches against his teammates and faced Fritz in the semifinals, where the American advanced to the final with the score 6-3, 3-6 and 7-6(3). In Nastase’s Group the crowd’s favourite italian star Jannick Sinner also won with 3 out 3 score. He defeated Casper Ruud in the semifinals with the score 6-1, 6-2. The final match took place yesterday where Sinner claimed his title as the ATP winner against Fritz with the score 6-4 6-4. Sinner’s triumph in his home country was the latest moment of glory in a near-perfect year, in which he claimed 8 titles, including his debut Grand Slam victories at Australian and US Opens.
Overall, a show of skills were on full display yesterday, where Sinner proved his serve to be the standout weapon as he won 83% of points from the first serve, according to ATP statistics. With his victorious win in Turin, Sinner has become the first player to win the Nitto ATP Finals without dropping a set since Ivan Lendl in 1986. Moreover, this season Sinner joined Djokovic and Federer as the only male players to win the Australian Open, US Open and Nitto ATP Finals in the same season. Sinner is a rising star who is clearly creating a legacy for himself and a mark in the tennis world.
With over 12,500 fans showing their support, Sinner and Fritz tied the knot to the intense tennis season of 2024.
