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A year which belonged to Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz had to finish this way.

Another pulsating contest between the preeminent 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 24-year-old Sinner.

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.

The straight-set 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 it.

“After every loss – you don’t have many – you come back stronger,” said Alcaraz in his on-court runners-up speech.

As he spoke, Alcaraz flashed the infectious smile which has helped endear him to crowds globally.

Make no mistake, though, there was plenty of intent behind the words.

You can bet Alcaraz and his team – led by former world number one Juan Carlos Ferrero – will be forensically analysing what they can improve when they hit the practice courts.

And that is one of the defining factors of this compelling rivalry: both players pushing each other to greater heights.

When one loses, it leads to some deep soul-searching and a focus on what can be improved – particularly when they next meet each other.

“This is what we get so excited about,” said former British number one Laura Robson, who was analysing the match for Sky Sports.

“They bring the best out in each other, they know they have to push each other and improve constantly to outdo one another.”

Former world number four Tim Henman said the level of Sinner and Alcaraz is “frightening” for their rivals.

Since the US Open, Sinner has focused on being more aggressive with his serving – which led to him being broken only once during his five matches in Turin – and playing with more variety.

Both facets were evident against Alcaraz.

When Alcaraz had a chance to win the first set at 6-5 on Sinner’s serve, the Italian nervelessly sent down a 117mph second serve to his opponent’s backhand to save the break point.

A pair of unreturnable first serves followed and enabled Sinner to force a tie-break which he then controlled.

In the second set, with Alcaraz hampered by a hamstring injury which required strapping, Sinner began to use more drop shots and it was notably one which saved a break point in the seventh game.

Breaking Alcaraz again in what proved to be the final game meant Sinner lifted the trophy without dropping a set.

“You are definitely a player I look up to,” Sinner, who stretched his unbeaten record indoors to 31 matches, told Alcaraz in his winner’s speech.

“[You give me] a lot of motivation – I need this – in every practice session with a big, big purpose.

“I hope to see you again next year with, hopefully, great, great battles ahead of us.”

The tickertape had not even settled on the Turin court.

Yet the platitudes exchanged by the pair – who appear to have a genuine warmth in a relationship – indicated they are already looking forward to locking horns again in the 2026 season.

A lot of tennis fans are also licking their lips about seeing Sinner and Alcaraz going head-to-head again – and lamenting it will not happen again for at least another couple of months.

A rendezvous in the Australian Open final, with Sinner looking to defend his Melbourne crown and Alcaraz aiming to become the youngest man to complete the career Grand Slam, would be their dream.

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.

As he spoke on Sunday evening about his enthusiasm for future meetings with Sinner, Alcaraz flashed the infectious smile which has helped endear him to crowds globally.

Make no mistake, though, there was plenty of intent behind his words.

You can bet Alcaraz and his team – led by former world number one Juan Carlos Ferrero – will be forensically analysing what they can improve when they hit the practice courts.

And that is one of the defining factors of this compelling rivalry: both players pushing each other to greater heights.

When one loses, it leads to some deep soul-searching and a focus on what can be improved – particularly when they next meet each other.

“This is what we get so excited about,” said former British number one Laura Robson, who was analysing the match for Sky Sports.

“They bring the best out in each other, they know they have to push each other and improve constantly to outdo one another.”

Former world number four Tim Henman said the level of Sinner and Alcaraz is “frightening” for their rivals.

Since the US Open, Sinner has focused on being more aggressive with his serving – which led to him being broken only once during his five matches in Turin – and playing with more variety.

Both facets were evident against Alcaraz.

When Alcaraz had a chance to win the first set at 6-5 on Sinner’s serve, the Italian nervelessly sent down a 117mph second serve to his opponent’s backhand to save the break point.

A pair of unreturnable first serves followed and enabled Sinner to force a tie-break which he then controlled.

In the second set, with Alcaraz hampered by a hamstring injury which required strapping, Sinner began to use more drop shots and it was notably one which saved a break point in the seventh game.

Breaking Alcaraz again in what proved to be the final game meant Sinner lifted the trophy without dropping a set.

“You are definitely a player I look up to,” Sinner, who stretched his unbeaten record indoors to 31 matches, told Alcaraz in his winner’s speech.

“[You give me] a lot of motivation – I need this – in every practice session with a big, big purpose.

“I hope to see you again next year with, hopefully, great, great battles ahead of us.”

The tickertape had not even settled on the Turin court.

Yet the platitudes exchanged by the pair – who appear to have a genuine warmth in their relationship – indicated they are already looking forward to locking horns again in the 2026 season.

A lot of tennis fans are also licking their lips about seeing Sinner and Alcaraz going head-to-head again – and lamenting it will not happen again for at least another couple of months.

A rendezvous in the Australian Open final, with Sinner looking to defend his Melbourne crown and Alcaraz aiming to become the youngest man to complete the career Grand Slam, would be their dream.

Antoine Semenyo pursued by Liverpool, Christian Pulisic holding off his AC Milan contract renewal, and Manchester United keen on Carlos Baleba.

With Mohamed Salah due to play for Egypt at the Africa Cup of Nations in December and January, Liverpool continue to be linked with a January move for Bournemouth’s 25-year-old forward Antoine Semenyo, whose country Ghana failed to qualify. (Liverpool Echo)

Liverpool are planning a serious bid for AZ Alkmaar‘s 19-year-old Netherlands midfielder Kees Smit. (Soccer News via TeamTalk)

Roma are in discussions with Manchester United over a January loan deal for Joshua Zirkzee, 24, that includes an option to buy the Netherlands forward in the summer for 35m euros (£31m). (Gazzetta dello Sport via Metro)

If Roma’s proposed move for Zirkzee falls through, they will turn to Tottenham’s France forward Mathys Tel, 20. (Metro)

Chelsea’s Senegal striker Nicolas Jackson, 24, has no intention of cutting short his season-long loan move to Bayern Munich in order to seal a permanent move elsewhere in January. (Florian Plettenberg)

Real Madrid are considering offers in the region of 20m euros (£17.69m) – from Sunderland, Aston Villa and Wolves for 21-year-old Spanish forward Gonzalo Garcia. (Fichajes)

Real Madrid are in no hurry to hold contract talks with Austria centre-back David Alaba, 33, who is into the final year of his current deal and has not been a first-team regular since suffering a serious knee injury in December 2023. (AS)

In Ruben Amorim’s hunt for midfield reinforcements, Manchester United are looking to sign Cameroon international Carlos Baleba, 21, from Brighton. (Mirror)

Rangers manager Danny Rohl would be reluctant to cash in on midfielder Nicolas Raskin, 24, in January, with Tottenham one of the clubs reportedly interested in signing the Belgium international. (Football Insider)

Tottenham may miss out on former Everton forward Ademola Lookman, 28, after Atalanta changed managers. The Nigeria international had fallen out with former boss Ivan Juric prior to his sacking. (TeamTalk)

United States midfielder Christian Pulisic, 27, wants to wait until AC Milan’s qualification for next season’s Champions League is more assured before signing a new contract with the Serie A giants. (Calciomercato)