Winning the ATP Finals helps Jannik Sinner stay world number one for at least 15 more weeks, enough to surpass Carlos Alcaraz’s achievement and approach Andy Murray.
Sinner is in his 23rd week at the top of the ATP Tour, 13 weeks behind Alcaraz. However, his 3,915-point lead over the chasing pack means Sinner is certain to stay on top until February 2025. He will therefore reach at least 38 weeks and is likely to surpass Andy Murray’s 41 weeks, as there is little chance of Sinner losing early at the Australian Open, as well as the Rotterdam Open – the two events where he will have to defend his title.
Sinner became the first Italian to reach world number one in June, replacing Novak Djokovic, who he defeated in the semi-finals of the Australian Open. Since then, the 23-year-old has maintained his devastating form, winning the Halle Open, Cincinnati Masters, US Open, Shanghai Masters and ATP Finals to leave his rivals far behind.
Sinner won the ATP Finals without dropping a set, not even a tie-break. Only Ivan Lendl in 1986 has achieved a similar feat. Djokovic and Roger Federer have won the ATP Finals many times, but have never won without dropping a set. Only Sinner, Djokovic and Federer have won the Australian Open, US Open and ATP Finals in the same year – a feat that shows remarkable consistency over 11 months.
Five wins at the ATP Finals helped world number one Jannik Sinner reach a record of 50 hard-court match wins since the start of the year. Before Sinner, the Open Era had only seen two players achieve 47 hard-court match wins: Federer in 2005 and 2006 and Djokovic in 2012, 2013, 2015 and 2016.
Sinner’s eighth title of the year came after a 70-match winning streak. He capped off a highly successful individual season, on par with the previous “Big 3” legends. Sinner also gave the impression of long-term dominance, showing more physical and mental stability than Carlos Alcaraz – who was eliminated in the group stage of the ATP Finals and often played inconsistently at the end of the year.
“Sinner was flawless from start to finish,” said legend Tim Henman of Sinner’s run to the ATP Finals. “He has developed tremendously since winning his first Grand Slam. Playing five matches against the world’s top seven players without dropping more than four games in a set is domination.”
Sinner has finished his individual season and will now head to the Davis Cup finals with Italy later this month. Last year, he helped Italy win the prestigious event for the first time in 50 years.