Jannik Sinner beat Holger Rune 6-2 5-7 6-4 to secure first spot in the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin to win the Green Group with a perfect 3-0 record. Sinner backed up his wins against 2019 ATP Finals champion Stefanos Tsitsipas and world number 1 and six-time ATP Finals champion Novak Djokovic in the first match on Tuesday evening in a packed Pala Alpitour.
“I bounced back in the third set just like I did against Novak Djokovic. This victory means a lot, coming back after such a long match with so many emotions. I was still able to win the big points”, said Sinner.
Sinner clinched his first win against Rune in their three head-to-head series. Rune had beaten Sinner in the semifinal of the Sofia Open in 2022 and in the semifinal at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters 1000 in 2023.
Sinner has become the first Italian player in history to reach the semifinals at the ATP Finals in the 54-year history of the end-of-season tournament. The Italian star needed Hubert Hurkacz to win a set against Novak Djokovic in the afternoon match. The Pole took the second set against the world number 1 sending the Italian into the semifinals.
Sinner has become the fourth player to qualify for the ATP Finals since this event was first staged in 1970, after Adriano Panatta (1975), Corrado Barazzutti (1978) and Matteo Berrettini (2019 and 2021). None of Sinner’s predecessors were able to reach the semifinals.
Sinner played two matches in the 2021 edition as alternate after Berrettini’s injury.
“For me it was really important to reset after the good win against Novak. I never won against Rune, so I really tried my best. I started off very well. In the second set, he served better, he moved better, so it was a much more even match. The third set could have gone his way. I saved a break point at 4-3. It was a little bit of a roller coaster today, but I am obviously really happy to be in the semifinals”, said Sinner.
Sinner has earned his milestone 60th win this season. He has won four titles in Montpellier, Toronto (his first Masters 1000 tournament) and two ATP 500 in Vienna and Tokyo and is two matches away from winning five level tournaments in a single year for the first time in his career.
“It means for sure more doing it here in Italy. It’s a special place, a special tournament. It’s a privilege to be here. I feel more pressure in Italy, but it’s a positive pressure. The crowd gives me a lot of energy. I am very happy that I have the chance to have at least two more matches. Hopefully I can finish the year in a good way. I think it’s going in the right direction, and let’s what’s coming”.
Sinner has won 16 of his most recent 17 matches and will face either Danil Medvedev, Carlos Alcaraz or Alexander Zverev in this Saturday’s semifinal.
In the recent weeks Sinner has often been compared to the biggest stars of Italian sport like Valentino Rossi, Alberto Tomba and Federica Pellegrini. Sinner plays down the comparisons with the legends of Italian sport.
“If I think about Alberto Tomba and Valentino Rossi, they have achieved crazy results. They are at another level. It’s a bit too much to be compared to them. They achieved many great results throughout their careers and had a longer career. In my opinion comparing me to them is a bit too much. They have won much more, They have had a much longer career. I am just 22 years old and I have just started winning my trophies”, said Sinner.
Sinner is contributing to make tennis more popular in Italy. Three million spectators watched the match between Sinner and Djokovic.
“Many kids are starting playing tennis. We great coaches, but we cannot forget that Fabio Fognini won in Monte-Carlo in 2019 and Berrettini reached the final at Wimbledon in 2021. Italian tennis is growing. People watch tennis matches on television more frequently than in the past. Tennis is different from other sport disciplines like football, where you know exactly how long matches last. Tennis matches can last half an hour, three or five hours in a Grand Slam and often you don’t know when it starts. Watching long matches with 7-to 8-year-old children can be burdensome, but the fact that they get informed and watch a piece of the match is very nice”, said Sinner.
