What Jannik Sinner said about his relationship with Carlos Alcaraz & his close friends on tour after ATP Finals triumph

On Saturday, November 17, Jannik Sinner emerged triumphant at the ATP Finals for a second consecutive year as he outdid Carlos Alcaraz in the summit clash. After the match, the Italian opened up about his relationship with the Spaniard and named some of his close friends on the tour.

Sinner enjoyed an incredible campaign at the 2025 ATP Finals. Playing on home ground, the four-time Grand Slam champion went undefeated in his round robin matches, getting the better of Felix Auger-Aliassime, Alexander Zverev and Ben Shelton without dropping a set. He then disposed of Alex de Minaur in straight sets in the semifinals, before defeating Alcaraz 7-6(4), 7-5.

After the match, Jannik Sinner opened up about his dynamics with Carlos Alcaraz and some other players on the ATP Tour. The Italian highlighted Jack Draper and Reilly Opelka as two of his closest friends, saying,

“Of course, I believe that Carlos has great friends and I have great friends, too. You tend to go a bit more in the national team because it's normal. You spend more time with Italians. I do have also other players I feel very close to: Jack Draper, Reilly Opelka, these kind of friendships. I feel they're honest and you can get along very well.”

He went on to add that his relationship with Alcaraz was slightly different due to their on-court rivalry, but emphasized that they are ‘good friends’ away from the court, explaining,

“But with Carlos is also a bit different because of on-court reasons. We have a very good relationship, rivalry, call it however. I feel like we can talk about everything still. I think it's great. We are good friends off the court. We do respect us in a very healthy way. Also the teams, my team, get along very well with them. I think it's a good harmony. In the same time there's also the work and all the rest behind, which it's all about balance.”

Over the course of 2025, Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz competed against each other in six finals. While the latter won four of these encounters, Sinner emerged victorious at the Wimbledon Championships and the ATP Finals.

Jannik Sinner reflects on ‘emotional’ ATP Finals triumph

Sinner at the Nitto ATP Finals 2025 (Image Source: Getty)

In 2024, Jannik Sinner unlocked an incredible achievement when he won the ATP Finals trophy without dropping a single set. This time around, the Italian successfully defended his title in a similar fashion, making him only the second man in history to win back-to-back ATP Finals without dropping a set. The first man to achieve this feat was Ivan Lendl.

Reflecting on his campaign in Turin, Sinner shared,

“Yeah, amazing feelings, finishing the season here in Turin in front of the home crowd. It's the last match of the season. It's an amazing feeling. Very emotional seeing my team there, the whole box. I'm really, really happy.”

Overall, Jannik Sinner has enjoyed a sensational 2025. He began the season with a triumphant outing at the Australian Open. He went on to make the finals of all the remaining three Majors, winning the Wimbledon trophy, while finishing second at the French Open and US Open.

Edited by Riddhi Acharya