Jannik Sinner has only one match left to win the ATP Finals for the first time. It will be against Taylor Fritz, for a rematch of the final of the last US Open – and the group match, but little has changed since then, and it is hard to imagine the American reversing the situation.
Since the start of the ATP Finals – and even before – only one question: who can prevent the victory of Jannik Sinner ? So far, no one, as the Italian has played out his Tennis and defeated all the opponents who presented themselves in front of him. This Sunday, he will only have one man to defeat to triumphantly conclude a monstrous season: Taylor Fritz.
Not only Sinner will approach the final as the arch favorite, but he will also benefit from an undeniable psychological advantage. Indeed, he has won the last three direct confrontations, the last two very recently, since the freshest dates from Tuesday, in the pools of these ATP Finals. A clinical victory.
Because undoubtedly, Fritz didn't have a bad match. He stood up to the world No. 1, with a lot of winning forehands, and with a sharp serve, he could even have broken first in the first set, but Sinner showed his incredible ability to raise his level of play in important moments: 6-4, 6-4and the Italian broke once in each set, each time his rival served to stay in the set, then in the match.
Five days later, in the same place, on the same surface, how can we imagine something different? Especially since Sinner is in the middle of a virtuous circle, having approached the confrontation in question already equipped with a certain psychological advantage, born from their previous confrontation, no later than early September, in the final of the US Open.
The first major final of Taylor Fritzcoupled with enormous pressure in front of his own public, who had been waiting for an American winner for 21 years. But once again, Sinner was far too strong, too powerful, and above all imperial when it really mattered. 6-3, 6-4, 7-5 while the American had even served to get a fourth set.
And with the same constant: in the three sets of this final, Sinner won the bet on his rival's service. Such mastery which makes this final a one-sided match on paper. Nevertheless, we hope for a minimum of fight, especially after the enormous battle that the American has just fought against Alexander Zverev. A story of psychological advantage here again, since Fritz is now up to 4 victories in a row against the German.
But under heavy pressure, he saved many crucial break points in the last set, including two at 5-5, before delivering a very high-flying tiebreak. No need to think that the American has reached a milestone, since it happened precisely during the US Open. But the next step is to defeat a current world No. 1. Which he simply never managed to do.
And he can't even be reassured about his only victory against Sinner, since it dates back to 2021. On cement, of course, in Indian Wells, the scene of his greatest title a year later, but the player who faced him at that moment was only the outline of the world No. 1 what has become of Italian today. No, really, we don't see any element that could tip the scales in favor of Taylor Fritz. There remains the glorious uncertainty of sport…
