There could not have been a better place than the ATP Finals in Turin to crown Jannik Sinner as the king of world tennis in 2024. The investiture took place in the Inalpi Arena, home of the ‘masters tournament’. The South Tyrolean tennis player was rewarded for having ended the year at number 1 in the ranking: he succeeds Nole Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz in the roll of honour.
A year that he dominated, with the victory of two slams (Australian Open and US Open) and three ATP Masters 1000. The prestigious award was presented to him by Boris Becker, the unforgettable champion of the 80s and 90s. “There is no more beautiful place to celebrate this trophy. Turin has always been important to me, celebrating with all of you is really special” said an emotional Sinner, adding: “This is a very very exclusive club, only 29 people. When I was young I didn’t think I’d get to this point, but little by little and with a lot of work I got there.”
Tomorrow the Italian will challenge the American Taylor Fritz, number 5 in the world ranking, fresh from his convincing success over Daniil Medvedev. The last time the two faced each other was last September 8th at the final of the US Open: on that occasion it ended with a large success for the South Tyrolean, 6-3, 6-4, 7-5 in two hours and 15 minutes of play. Sinner prepared the match with his usual obsessive attention: two hours of training on the pitch and in the gym (Fritz preferred to conserve his energy and did a lighter session, lasting about an hour).
At Sporting in Turin, under the watchful eyes of Simone Vagnozzi and Darren Cahill, the Italian completed a complete session in the afternoon: first an hour with the sparring partner and then an hour with the team. Exercises on diagonals, volleys, smashes, serves and returns. They studied the best strategy to face Fritz. The applause broke out when Jannik changed the field and placed himself under the grandstand.
In the stands on the opposite side the family members – mum, dad, brother and uncle – followed the training. One ball after another, flat shots alternating with ’rounded’ shots. Sinner “on track”, Vagnozzi didn’t need to stimulate him. Only halfway through training did the team stop for a few minutes and the atmosphere on the bench dissolved. Now everything is ready for yet another challenge in an exciting year.
Tomorrow at 8.30pm the atmosphere will be hot at the Inalpi Arena, always packed these days. And it is precisely on the enthusiasm of the square that the aim is to have Turin confirmed as the venue for the prestigious event also for the five-year period 2026-2030. In the sporting environment it is taken for granted that the Nitto ATP Finals will remain in Italy: Turin and Milan are at stake for the destination – even with a possible ticket – with the latter preferred by some sponsors.
The decision will only be known next Sunday, the day of the final. On a sporting level, it is useless to make predictions for now, surprises are just around the corner: after Medvedev’s defeat against Fritz, Alcaraz’s defeat against Ruud also came. The Spaniard made too many fouls (held back by an indisposition), and lost in straight sets 6-1, 7-5.
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