Jannik Sinner is the toast of tennis once again after beating Carlos Alcaraz to lift a second successive ATP Finals trophy.
Sinner praised Alcaraz for his efforts during the defeat, but it was the Italian who romped through 7-6, 7-5 to end the year with a flourish.
Alcaraz said that Sinner was the favourite in front of the Turin crowd, and it proved to be the case with the world number two showcasing exactly how good he is on the indoor circuit.
Sinner admitted he calls Alcaraz a friend after his latest win over the Spaniard, and the rivalry looks to be one that will continue to develop in the years to come.
Sinner admitted he’s made improvements to his game, and after this win over Alcaraz, one of his coaches has shared what the big target is for next year.
What Darren Cahill thinks Jannik Sinner will prioritise next year
Cahill has claimed he will stay on with Sinner if he asks him to, after initially deciding that he would step away from the team after the ATP Finals.
Now, an announcement will be eagerly anticipated, and after the match last night, Cahill spoke at a press conference about some of the tennis played by Sinner.
After losing the French Open final in dramatic circumstances to Alcaraz in May, Cahill has conceded that lots of work will be done when it comes to the clay-court season.
He said: “It was fast. It was a pretty quick surface. The differences between Indian Wells and, say, Cincinnati are enormous. Indian Wells is a pretty slow surface. Cincinnati is one of the fastest hard courts they play on.
“I think the variation in the courts is okay. They can probably quicken up the balls a little bit. We’ve spoken about this before. To get a regular tennis ball, especially when you have the clay court season and then the U.S. hard court season, they do it in Australia, where all the tournaments use the same ball. To get a regular ball the players can get used to, one that travels a little bit faster, might make it a little bit quicker tennis.
“These guys played on a fast surface here tonight. I thought some of the rallies were incredible. It’s kind of what do you want to see? Do you want to see guys with big serves just winning points and games really quickly? Do you want to see the type of exciting tennis that we saw here tonight?
“The surfaces, I think, are fine. Grass is a little bit slower than it used to be 20 years ago. But I think the tennis is just as exciting now as it used to be. I wouldn’t worry too much about that.
“As far as Jannik’s game is concerned, I think his game transitions well to all surfaces, whether it’s slow, fast or medium. Obviously, clay is going to be a big target for us next year, to try to keep improving his clay court game. We’ll keep working on that. But he’s excited about playing on all surfaces, not just indoors.”
How many Grand Slam titles will Jannik Sinner win in 2026?
Sinner and Alcaraz rivalry set to get even better
The two dominant forces in world tennis have developed a brilliant rivalry, and the challenge for the rest of the tour is to end this monopoly.
Intriguingly, the first two Grand Slams of the year throw up two events that one player is still desperately craving to complete their own career Grand Slam.
Alcaraz has never won the Australian Open, whilst Sinner has never claimed glory at Roland Garros and the pair will want to set their personal records straight in 2026.
It’s no surprise that Cahill says extra emphasis will be placed on the clay-court swing and ultimately, Sinner will have some wrongs to right after wasting three Championship points in the 2025 final.
Receive exclusive tennis news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
