Italian Sinner arrives in Turin after a fantastic season in which he won his first Grand Slams, the Australian and US Opens, as well as five additional ATP titles. The 23-year-old is aiming for his first win at the season-ending tournament in Turin, and he has come a long way since losing the final to Novak Djokovic last year, going on to become world number one and a national hero.
Sinner is the first Italian to top the men’s global rankings, breaking his country’s 48-year men’s Slam title drought, and finishing the “Race To Turin” with over 10,330 points. That sum is almost 3,000 points higher than his nearest challenger, Alexander Zverev, demonstrating Sinner’s dominance in 2024.
Sinner, on the other hand, has been hounded by controversy after testing positive for traces of the steroid clostebol twice in March and still being allowed to play. The International Tennis Integrity Agency initially cleared him in August, but the World Anti-Doping Agency filed an appeal at the end of September, requesting a two-year ban.
“We don’t know anything yet (about the appeal),” Sinner, who has rejected all allegations, told reporters on Thursday. “It’s not a pleasurable situation to be in but we remain optimists.”
Fans in Turin will be looking for another round of Sinner’s budding rivalry with the flamboyant Carlos Alcaraz, who is also a two-time Slam champion this year after successfully defending his Wimbledon title and winning Roland Garros for the first time.
“It’s impossible to discuss a rivalry when you’re so young. “We’re two players who enjoy fighting,” Sinner explained. For the first time since 2001, tennis’ “big four” of 24-time Slam champion Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Andy Murray will not be represented at the Finals due to Djokovic’s injury.
Djokovic, 37, withdrew due to an “ongoing injury,” meaning he would finish a season without an ATP title for the first time in 18 years — despite winning gold at the Paris Olympics — and his absence felt like the next step in a long-overdue changing of the guard. That secured spots for Casper Ruud, Andrey Rublev, and Finals debutant Alex de Minaur, who will face Sinner in the Ilie Nastase Group on Sunday night.