World No. 1 Jannik Sinner is one step away from achieving something that has not been seen many times in history: lifting the ATP Finals trophy in his own country. The last time this milestone was reached was in 2016, when Britain's Andy Murray, also then world No. 1, defeated Novak Djokovic in the final of the Masters tournament in London. Since then, no host country has ever again celebrated the coronation of one of its tennis players in the last major tournament of the year.
Further back in time, it was Lleyton Hewitt who became champion in front of his home crowd in Sydney, defeating Frenchman Sebastien Grosjean. This happened in 2001, a year after the tournament took the current form of the "Masters Cup".
The ATP Finals, a competition that brings together the best eight players of the season, has been held in cities such as Shanghai, London, Houston and now Turin, the site of the 2024 edition. Also in this scenario, Novak Djokovic was crowned in 2023 against Sinner.
But this year the attention falls even more on the Italian, since this time he arrives as the top favorite to win the trophy.
At just 23 years of age, Sinner will have another chance to match Hewitt's feat. He will face tomorrow the American Taylor Fritz in the final. It will be a golden opportunity to break the losing streak. Moreover, if he wins, Jannik will not only put an end to this drought, but also consolidate his position as the star of the circuit to beat in 2025.
With his powerful forehand, a blistering serve and a confidence that seems to grow match by match, the No. 1 reaches the final backed by the fervor of a fan base that dreams of seeing him triumph on home soil.
Can Sinner make history and bring the title back to the host country?
The crowd in Turin is singing to Jannik Sinner as he becomes the 1st Italian to reach back to back finals at ATP Finals
— The Tennis Letter (@TheTennisLetter) November 16, 2024
This entire stadium recognizes just how much he means to Italian tennis
Jannik just stands there in awe
Unforgettable scenes 🇮🇹🥹
pic.twitter.com/innx7e5Z8S