ATP Finals 2025 result: Jannik Sinner act raises eyebrows as Italian crowned champion, Carlos Alcaraz celebration, tennis news

Italian tennis star Jannik Sinner has raised eyebrows by copying his rival Carlos Alcaraz’s iconic celebration during his ATP Finals triumph in Turin on Monday (AEDT).

Sinner proved far too strong for his Spanish rival, dispatching him 7-6, 7-5 in front of a rowdy crowd.

In doing so he claimed back-to-back ATP Finals titles, without dropping a single set on each occasion.

To put that feat into perspective, from 1987 to 2023, not a single player won the tournament without dropping a set. In 2024 and now 2025, Sinner did just that.

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It was an incredible display once again from the World No. 2, which left fans speechless. But one act during the second set somewhat soured his victory.

With the scores locked at 3-3 and 40-all in the second set, Sinner won an epic rally by lobbing Alcaraz at the net.

As the crowd went ballistic, Sinner pointed his finger to his ear, a celebration far from new, but one made iconic by his rival on the other side of the net.

You can watch the celebration in the video above.

While other tennis players have used similar gestures to celebrate points and victories for years, Sinner’s celebration drew the ire of many who called it “disrespectful” and said it lacked class.

“He’s not classy anymore,” self-proclaimed Simona Halep fan Vic wrote on X.

“In tennis, this habit of putting your hand up to your ear when you hit a great shot has really got to stop. It’s so unnecessary and arrogant. Especially when Sinner does it in front of a home crowd who’s already been screaming for him all match,” Irish fan John Wallace said.

“He’s so boring. He can’t even do it right,” American tennis tragic Nanor Boyajian wrote.

While a fourth fan added: “That celebration is a bit disrespectful.”

But even with the public outcry over his celebration, it did little to take away from what was another incredible performance by the Italian.

Sinner had lost seven of his previous eight ATP Tour matches against Alcaraz ahead of the final, so the victory understandably meant a lot to him.

“It represents not only tennis,” he said after the match.

“We are individual athletes, obviously. But at the same time, without a team, this is not possible, and celebrating this trophy at the end of the year, after such an intense last couple of months, there is no better ending to the season for me.”

Sinner has now won 31 straight matches on indoor hard courts, a run that stretches back to the 2023 championship match in Turin, which he lost to Novak Djokovic.

Four more wins on indoor hard courts would draw him level with Djokovic’s tally set between 2012 and 2015 – the second-highest in the Open era but some way behind John McEnroe’s record of 47.

He hasn’t dropped a set at the Finals since losing that final to the Serb two years ago, and he was imperious over the week in northern Italy.

– with AFP

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