|
TURIN, Italy -- Top-ranked Jannik Sinner added another big title to his tremendous year, beating US Open runner-up Taylor Fritz 6-4, 6-4 on Sunday for the ATP Finals trophy before his home fans -- and before a final verdict is reached in his doping case. Sinner won his first two Grand Slam titles at the Australian Open and US Open in 2024 and had already clinched the year-end No. 1 ranking. "It's the first title in Italy, and it means so much to me," said Sinner, who also won the Next Gen ATP Finals -- an event for the top under-20 players -- in Milan in 2019. "It's something very, very, very special." Sinner, however, has off-court issues after he tested positive in two separate drug tests in March. A decision to clear him of wrongdoing was appealed by the World Anti-Doping Agency in September. A final ruling is expected from the Court of Arbitration for Sport early next year.  Sinner's explanation was that the banned performance enhancer entered his system unintentionally through a massage from his physiotherapist, who had used a spray containing the steroid to treat his own cut finger. "I've kept on thinking about where we went wrong and what we could have done better," Sinner said. "I had days where I wasn't feeling great; nights when I didn't sleep well. "But when I put my hat on, I don't think about what's going on beyond the court," Sinner added. "I'm fortunate to have people around me who keep me stable. Thanks to them we've continued to work hard every day like there's no tomorrow and we've even improved in this period." Sinner maintained his recent mastery over Fritz, having also beaten the American in the US Open final in September and in the group stage this past week at the elite event for the year's top eight players. By sweeping all five of his matches en route to the trophy, Sinner earned $4.8 million -- the largest winner's prize on the men's tour. Sinner became the first Italian to win the finals, and he went one step further than last year, when he lost the championship match to Novak Djokovic, who withdrew this time. And Sinner did so without dropping a set -- which was last accomplished by Ivan Lendl in 1986. "I just tried to understand whatever works best for each opponent," Sinner said. "It was a very high-level tournament from my side. At times, I couldn't play better." The crowd inside Inalpi Arena included multiple clusters of fans wearing orange -- a tribute to Sinner's red-and-orange hair, and how he once ate carrots during a match. There were orange carrot costumes, orange wigs, orange hats, jackets and plenty of other orange items, too. Some fans even had carrots in their mouths. The crowd broke into its customary chant of "Ole, ole, ole; Sin-ner, Sin-ner" when Sinner produced a drop-shot winner to break for a 4-3 lead in the first set. Sinner faced a break point while serving for the first set but saved it with a big serve out wide that Fritz couldn't return. Then he served an ace -- his 10th of the set -- to close it out. Another break by Sinner early in the second and the match was virtually over. In the final game, Sinner produced another delicate forehand drop-shot winner to conclude a long rally. Two points later and the match was finished. Sinner served better than he had all week, leading 14-8 in aces without any double faults. He also had 28 winners to Fritz's 19 and fewer unforced errors than his opponent. "He served absolutely lights-out," Fritz said. "So many lines. He placed the serve great. He took a lot of risk on the second serve as well. I think that was probably one of his main game plans, to not let me attack his second serve. "He did a great job of not only mixing up the second but being very aggressive with it," Fritz added. Sinner extended his winning streak to 11 matches. He has won 26 of his past 27 matches and ends the ATP season with eight titles and a record of 70-6. Fritz was attempting to become the event's first American champion since Pete Sampras beat Andre Agassi in the title match 25 years ago. Still, Fritz will rise to a career-high No. 4 in the rankings Monday after beating No. 2 Alexander Zverev in a third-set tiebreaker in the semifinals Saturday. That will make him the highest-ranked American man since Andy Roddick was No. 4 in August 2007. It's the latest in a series of achievements for Fritz, whose run in New York made him the first American man to reach a Grand Slam singles final since Roddick lost to Roger Federer at Wimbledon in 2009. At the start of the week, Fritz told The Associated Press that his "career has always been a very steady progression and just improving a little bit each year." Sinner and Fritz will conclude their seasons representing defending champion Italy and the United States, respectively, in the Davis Cup finals, which start Tuesday in Malaga, Spain. The German duo of Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz beat Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic 7-6 (5), 7-6 (6) to win the doubles title.
|
