Jannik Sinner, an impregnable master

The Italian, 23 years old and world number 1, fulfilled his status as favorite for playing at home and, above all, for the tennis he is displaying throughout this course. With this one in the final there are 70 wins (for only six losses) and eight titles, after taking off completely in the Grand Slams with the first two on his account: the Australian Open and the US Open. In addition, Rotterdam, Halle, Masters 1,000 in Miami, Cincinnati and Shanghai. And now this Masters Cup to certify that he is today’s leader.

A leader who has also had to overcome a few turbulent weeks, revolving around his doping last March, for which his points and money from Indian Wells were withdrawn, but which brought criticism later because the investigation into his positive test was carried out. with him on the circuit. The World Anti-Doping Agency is still awaiting resolution of a claim it made when an independent court granted Sinner freedom and acquittal this past September.

The Italian’s smile faded somewhat, as he has always defended that the double positive was the result of recklessness and not a voluntary act. But the shadow remains over him and he tries to scare it away with a clean sweep and by force almost every week.

Fritz, who reached the final of the ATP Finals after giving a small surprise to the staff, by beating Alexander Zverev who had established himself as a worthy rival to fight for the Cup but who failed in the semifinal against the American, tried to consolidate that commitment that has been developed in recent months to be in the pools of the big tournaments. At the moment, the five in the world has not yet managed to successfully enter the room where the best are gathered, but he gains strength and confidence with this end of the year.

But against Sinner, with whom he has lost the last four of the five matches they have played, he lacked the consistency he had against Sinner. His serve failed, one of his best weapons, as he did not reach 70% effectiveness in the first set, and Sinner hammered in that sense like a master: he won 90% of the points with that first hit, and he only had to weaken the American’s confidence with a good defense to get the ‘break’ in the seventh game to the fourth option, which Fritz also defends his own.

It was hardly anything, but it was everything against this Sinner who fulfilled his serve, blank, to consolidate the break and showed the confidence that has brought him this far by lifting with a backhand magic trick a break option that would have meant the 5-5.

From that opportunity for the American, to frustration. Fritz lacks that mental consistency, not showing his anger so much to take the step he needs towards great heights. And in that he was already a master Sinner, just a minimal gesture if he gives up the point, just a slight movement of the racket to celebrate a great point. Between screams, Fritz unraveled again, two errors and a look at the sky when his forehand crashed into the net, he threatened to throw the racket against the ground when his forehand went wide and he delivered the serve in the fifth game of the second set. Little advantage over anyone else, too much advantage over this Sinner.

The one from San Candido has taken an exponential leap this year. He lacked physique, as tall as he was apparently weak, to undertake the great demands of the five sets. In 2023 he wasn’t even close to fighting for one. But in 2024, a stratospheric Sinner that beat Djokovic in the semifinals and Medvedev in the final in Australia. The clay court resisted him, semi-final in Monte Carlo and Roland Garros, abandonment in the quarterfinals in Madrid, and absence in Rome. He won Halle, but stumbled at Wimbledon (quarterfinals against Medvedev), and exhibited his best qualities on the court that best suits them: back-to-back titles in Cincinnati and US Open, final in Beijing against Alcaraz and trophy in Shanghai before this Cup that It consolidates it as the rival of 2024 and with everything ready to be so in 2025 as well.