A year which belonged to Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz had to finish this way.
Another pulsating contest between the pre-eminent pair on the men’s tour – this time with the season-ending ATP Finals trophy at stake – was a fitting conclusion.
For the victorious Sinner, the win perhaps mattered that little bit more. The way the mild-mannered Italian collapsed on his back in celebration after championship point seemed to indicate it did.
“I am very happy. It was a tough match, but it means a lot to me ending the season like this,” said the 24-year-old.
Not only did the four-time major champion defend the prestigious trophy in front of passionate home support in Turin, concluding a tumultuous season where he won the Australian Open and Wimbledon but spent three months on the sidelines after being banned for failing two doping tests.
But the 7-6 (7-4) 7-5 success also ensured Sinner kept Alcaraz on a leash.
While the rivals have equally shared the four Grand Slam trophies this season, there was a feeling that Alcaraz had started to gain a slight upper hand in a rivalry which has illuminated the sport.
The 22-year-old Spaniard had already clinched the year-end world ranking going into Sunday’s final, while a dominant performance in the US Open’s showpiece match gave him a 10-5 lead over Sinner in their head-to-head record.
After losing in New York, Sinner made a revealing remark when he conceded he needed to leave his “comfort zone” in order to truly test Alcaraz.
And, just like he did by beating Alcaraz to the Wimbledon title only 35 days after defeat in their epic French Open final, Sinner showed his remarkable ability to bounce back mentally from tough defeats.
Even his opponent can see the defiance.
“After every loss – you don’t have many – you come back stronger,” said Alcaraz in his on-court runners-up speech.
“You’ve had a great year and I hope you will get some rest and be ready for next year – because I will be ready.”
In the short term, Alcaraz is hoping to be ready for Spain duty in the coming days at the Davis Cup Finals.
A hamstring tweak in the first set against Sinner looked to slightly impede his movement for the rest of the match, and the Spanish tennis federation confirmed to BBC Sport that Alcaraz will undergo tests on Monday to determine his fitness for this week’s team event in Bologna.
Sinner has already elected to sit out the event, where Italy are the two-time defending champions.
