Jannik Sinner is celebrating once more, having beaten Carlos Alcaraz to claim his second straight ATP Finals title.
Sinner had plenty of good things to say about Alcaraz after the match, but it was the Italian who came out on top with a 7-6, 7-5 win, closing out his season in style.
The Spaniard acknowledged that Sinner was the clear favourite with the Turin crowd behind him, and it showed as the world number two put on a strong display on indoor courts.
Sinner has said he considers Alcaraz a friend, and their rivalry looks set to become one of the sport’s main storylines in coming years. The two players have already built a good deal of respect between them, with no signs of any bad blood to come.
The Italian also spoke about how much he has improved this season. And now one of his coaches has shared what he will be aiming for next year.
Darren Cahill reveals Jannik Sinner’s next big goal
Initially, Darren Cahill had planned to step away from Sinner’s team following the ATP Finals. But he has since said he will remain involved if the 24-year-old wants him to stay on.
Speaking at a press conference after the match, Cahill touched on what stood out about the Italian’s performance and what the team is targeting for improvement next year.
Looking back at Alcaraz’s dramatic comeback win in Paris, the coach said there will be a real focus on how they approach the clay-court season going forward.
“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.”
Sinner and Alcaraz rivalry is only going strong
The rivalry between Sinner and Alcaraz continues to build momentum with each meeting, while their hold over men’s tennis shows no sign of easing up anytime soon.
Sinner still needs Roland Garros for his career Grand Slam, while Alcaraz has yet to win in Australia, which fuels the excitement ahead of 2026’s first two Grand Slams.
Cahill has already pointed out they will put extra emphasis on clay this time around – especially after last year’s final, when Sinner let three championship points slip away.
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