Alcaraz and Sinner’s Riveting 2025 No. 1 Battle
Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner turned the ATP No. 1 Club into their personal arena in 2025, trading the top spot through majors, indoor titles, and a tense year-end finish that showcased their tactical depth and unyielding drive.
The 2025 ATP season crackled with tension as Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner waged a duel for ATP No. 1 Club supremacy, their rivalry etching new chapters into tennis history. From the red clay of Paris to the bright lights of New York and the swift indoor courts of Europe, every point carried the weight of rankings implications. As part of our annual ‘Best Of’ series on ATPTour.com, this storyline captures how two young stars pushed each other to the brink, blending explosive athleticism with cool precision.
Alcaraz’s flair met Sinner’s steadiness in matches that swung on subtle shifts, like a well-timed inside-out forehand or a deep return forcing an error. The Italian’s flat trajectory often neutralized the Spaniard’s heavy topspin, turning rallies into grueling exchanges where footwork decided the outcome. Their head-to-head battles amplified the pressure, with crowds sensing the stakes in every crosscourt laser.
“My team, my family, I am really lucky to have you guys,” said Alcaraz. “The hard work you do to make me even better, not only in the professional part, but the personal part as well. Every achievement that I am [making] is thanks to you, and this one is no less, it’s also yours.”
Sinner’s debut reign reaches elite milestone
On 2 June, during the middle Monday of Roland Garros, Jannik Sinner began his 52nd consecutive week atop the PIF ATP Rankings, joining an exclusive group that includes Roger Federer (237 weeks), Jimmy Connors (160 weeks), Lleyton Hewitt (75 weeks), and Novak Djokovic (53 weeks). This full-year streak in his first stint as No. 1 highlighted his tactical adaptability, from absorbing power on clay with compact backhands to serving flat and low on faster surfaces. By 8 September, when Alcaraz overtook him, Sinner’s run had extended to 65 weeks, a mark of consistency that only Ivan Lendl, Pete Sampras, John McEnroe, and Rafael Nadal had matched with an uninterrupted year since 1973.
The pressure built gradually, with Sinner relying on deep positioning to counter aggressive returns, his slice backhand skidding low to disrupt rhythm. In Paris, the crowd’s murmurs grew as he extended points, forcing opponents into defensive lobs that he punished down-the-line. This mental fortress, forged through precise 1–2 patterns, kept Alcaraz at bay for months, the air thick with anticipation at every tournament draw.
Sinner celebrates winning Paris with his team.
Photo Credit: Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour
Alcaraz claims US Open in rankings showdown
September 7 brought a winner-takes-all final at the US Open, where Alcaraz outlasted Sinner in four sets to snatch both the title from the 2024 champion and the No. 1 ranking. The Spaniard returned to the top on the 22nd anniversary of his coach Juan Carlos Ferrero‘s first ascent, a poetic nod inside Arthur Ashe Stadium where the humidity clung and fans roared for every net rush. Alcaraz mixed drop shots with heavy crosscourt forehands, breaking Sinner’s serve in key games to open a 2,590-point lead in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin.
Sinner’s flat serves held firm early, but Alcaraz’s variety—rushing the net after short balls and using underspin to pull replies wide—tilted the momentum. The stadium’s energy pulsed with each point, the thud of balls echoing the shifting psychological balance. This victory, guided by Ferrero’s experience as a fellow No. 1 Club member, fueled Alcaraz’s drive, though he knew Sinner’s resilience would test him again soon.
Late-season surge ends with Alcaraz’s Turin hold
Sinner rebounded swiftly, capturing an ATP 500 title in Beijing before a third-round retirement against Tallon Griekspoor in Shanghai, then dominating the indoor season with minimal resistance. The 24-year-old dropped just one set en route to wins at the Vienna ATP 500 and Paris Masters, his deep returns and inside-in forehands pressuring Alcaraz, who suffered a shocking opening-round loss to Cameron Norrie in Paris. That upset allowed Sinner a one-week return to No. 1 before the Nitto ATP Finals, the swift courts favoring his low-bouncing slices and precise placement.
Alcaraz regrouped at the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin, needing 450 points to secure ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF honors for the second time, matching only Novak Djokovic among active players. He dispatched Alex de Minaur, Taylor Fritz, and Lorenzo Musetti in the group stage, employing varied depths and slice serves to neutralize power, finally clinching the top spot despite Sinner’s 21-1 run post-US Open. Sinner capped the year by defeating Alcaraz in the final, but the Spaniard’s season-long consistency proved decisive.
ATP Chairman Andrea Gaudenzi and Head of Corporate Brand and Strategic Advisory at PIF Mohamed Alsayyad present Alcaraz with the ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF trophy.
Photo Credit: Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour
“It is a pleasure for me [being] the No. 1,” said Alcaraz, who is just the second active member of the ATP No. 1 Club to secure multiple year-end No. 1 finishes after Djokovic. “Being the No. 1 of the world is something that I’m working really hard for with my team every day. It is a goal. But I think it is a journey that you’re not going through alone. It’s with your whole team, with your family, with your close people behind you always supporting you in the tough and good moments.”
Throughout the year, their rivalry enriched events from Roland Garros’s gritty baselines to the US Open’s electric nights and Turin’s intimate arena, where every adjustment—from Sinner’s indoor flatness to Alcaraz’s net aggression—hinted at deeper growth. As 2026 looms, this battle has sharpened both, promising clashes where tactics and temperament collide even more fiercely on whatever surfaces await.
