Jannik Sinner opened the season with a dominant Australian Open title defence and closed it by winning his second straight ATP Finals crown on home soil against Carlos Alcaraz.
The Italian’s statistical haul is already absurd for his age, but the significance of those bookends captures how fast he’s taken command.
After defeating world No.1 Alcaraz in a thrilling 7-6(4) 7-5 final, Sinner became the first player this century to win back-to-back year-end championships without conceding a single set.
RELATED: “I would love to see an Alcaraz-Sinner final” at AO 2026
“I feel like a better player than last year,” Sinner said after sealing his season.
“This is the most important; it’s all part of the process, I always say. It’s the belief that if you keep working and trying to be a better player, the results are going to come. This year it was like this.
“The off-season, now we have a lot of time to adjust ourselves already for next season and be as ready as possible. But honestly, it’s been an amazing season. A lot of wins and not many losses. And in the losses I had, I tried to see the positive thing and tried to use it to evolve me as a player.”
At age 24, with four majors to his name, Sinner has produced two titles, a 15-2 record and a 10-match winning streak from only three ATP Finals appearances. For context, Roger Federer needed 18 appearances for his six titles, while Novak Djokovic collected seven from 17.
PODCAST: Listen to the latest episode of The Tennis
It’s the sort of trajectory that sees fans fill Instagram comment sections, and according to Australian Billie Jean King Cup captain Nicole Pratt, the frightening part is how much untapped upside remains.
“I still feel like he has an untouched part of the court that he’s not utilising as much as he could. It’s the transition, and moving forward,” Pratt observed on this week’s episode of The Tennis.
“There’s no question from a serving perspective now where he’s done the work, fine-tuned that with Darren Cahill. Off the ground, there’s not another player who hits the ball as big as him. He’s improved his movement.”
Even after missing three months of the season, Sinner still captured six titles and won the second-most matches on tour in 2025. He also leads the ATP’s serve, return, and under-pressure ratings by significant margins, and tops the ATP Tour in both service and return games won – a feat no player has achieved in the same season since the stats were first tracked in 1991.
“But for me, it’s the forecourt,” Pratt said about where room remains to grow.
“If he starts to transition a little more, build his skills… players are going to keep asking questions, but the fact that he’s still improving, even after achieving so much, and if he can stay healthy like the top guys – the Federers and Djokovics – then he is very much on a pathway to potentially be up there with the GOATs.”
The next checkpoint on Sinner’s pathway to legendary status is Australian Open 2026.
This year, he only dropped one set en route to defending his title, and will return to Melbourne Park ranked world No.2, aiming to become the second man in the Open Era after Novak Djokovic to three-peat at the Australian Open.
Listen to the latest episode of The Tennis with Xavier, Brie, and our panel of experts. New episode released each Thursday, with daily episodes throughout the Australian Open main draw. Subscribe today and take The Tennis with you wherever you go.