Despite losing the final of the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin against his huge rival Jannik Sinner, it is safe to say that Carlos Alcaraz can be very satisfied with the level he expressed during the week at the Inalpi Arena.
It is no secret that the young Spanish champion does not particularly like indoor conditions, where he has often struggled during his career, as well as having to forget the shocking elimination against Cameron Norrie in the second round of the Paris Masters 1000 (where he had unleashed one of the worst performances of his entire season).
The 22-year-old from Murcia arrived in Turin hugely early and immediately showed an excellent feeling, closing his group undefeated and guaranteeing the mathematical certainty of ending the year at the top of the ATP rankings (right in front of Sinner). The six-time Grand Slam champion who improved in all respects in 2025 clearly defeated Canadian ace Felix Auger-Aliassime in the semifinals and also put in a strong performance against Sinner in the final, but he was not cynical enough to take advantage of his chances in both the first and second sets.
Carlitos ended the year as No.1
The world number 1 was supposed to play the Davis Cup Finals in Bologna this week, but in the last few hours the news of his forfeit due to an injury (suffered during the final of the ATP Finals last Sunday) has been made official.
Through his official LinkedIn profile, French top coach Patrick Mouratoglou analyzed Carlitos' amazing season in detail: "He ended the year as world number 1 for the second time in his career at just 22 years old. He deserved to reach this milestone, but it would be unfair to deny that the three months in which Sinner did not play were crucial. Carlos was very far from his usual level at that time and needed time to regain confidence. Those three months created the small gap that made the difference at the end of the year."
