Jannik Sinner might have ended his season by successfully defending his title at the ATP Finals but his team believes there is still room for improvement in his game.
The Italian delighted home fans in Turin on Sunday with a win over nemesis Carlos Alcaraz, whom he last beat at Wimbledon. It is the second year in a row that Sinner has won the tournament without conceding a set, which is something that hasn’t been achieved by any other player on multiple occasions. He is currently on a 31-match winning streak on indoor hardcourts and has won 58 out of 64 matches played across all surfaces this season.
Sinner won six titles during 2025 despite missing 90 days of the Tour between January and May due to an anti-doping violation. The suspension was in relation to two positive tests for the banned anabolic steroid clostebol last year. Sinner’s explanation of accidental contamination via a team member was accepted by the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) before the World Anti-Doping Agency launched an appeal arguing that he has an element of responsibility. A case settlement between Sinner’s legal team and WADA agreed to a 90-day suspension. Throughout the investigation, no evidence of deliberate doping was proven.
“It’s an amazing season,” Sinner said of his on-court achievements.
“This year, making four Grand Slam finals, coming here (at the ATP Finals) and having this big streak at the end of the year, it’s amazing.
“I feel a better player than last year, I think this is 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.”
At the age of 24, it could be a few more years before Sinner reaches his peak form. Coach Darren Cahill points out that there are still certain areas that could be improved further before he hits top form in his late 20s.
“We still feel like, as good as Jannik returns serve, he’s got areas in that part of the game where he can improve,” said Cahill.
“That’s the really interesting thing and exciting thing in working with somebody as good as Jannik, is there are parts of his game we still feel can get a lot better.
“We want him to be playing his best tennis when he’s 28, 29, 30 years of age. Hopefully, we’re setting the plan and platform for him to be able to do that in a few years.”
Just how good Sinner could potentially be remains to be seen. However, his rivals on the Tour will be eager to tame him, especially Alcaraz, who has won four out of their six meetings this year.
As to what makes Sinner and Alcaraz stand out from the rest, Cahill believes it is their ability to apply pressure on their rivals throughout matches.
“That’s what makes both Carlos and Jannik difficult to play, there’s no time to breathe when you play against them,” he said.
“You can struggle in a five-minute service game because they get a lot of returns back into play, then they come around and go bang bang bang bang, a little bit like Federer did in the day, where he served in 40 seconds, put that pressure straight back on you.
“We tried to learn from the best, Rafa, Novak and Roger, and try to implement as much as we can from those guys to give our guy and put as much pressure on our opponents as possible.”
Sinner exits the ATP Finals with a prize money fund of $5,071,000 due to remaining undefeated in five matches played. Unlike Alcaraz, he will not be playing at the Davis Cup Finals after pulling out of the event to extend his off-season.
