ATP Finals tennis: Carlos Alcaraz v Jannik Sinner in the final – live | ATP Finals

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Preamble

Buonasera and welcome to the ATP Finals 2025 – day eight!

We play sport for lots of reasons, central among them because we donâ€t whatâ€s going to happen; for something a bit less predictable than the trudge through everyday life. But there are times we know exactly what will eventuate, finding thrill in a march to the inevitable through the joy of watching players too good for the inspire helpless anguish in those desperately seeking to compete. Well, this competition – and menâ€s tennis in general – is giving us both

When we started here, last Sunday afternoon, it was impossible to conceive of a final that didnâ€t pit Carlos Alcaraz against Jannik Sinner – every competition both have entered this year, one has won, and between them theyâ€ve taken eight grand slam titles in a row, contesting the last three finals. They are wonderful, they are inevitable, and they are – despite their affirming amity and meritorious menschlichkeit – vicious, remorseless killers.

But now we have our predictable final, weâ€ve not a clue how itâ€ll shake out. On the one hand, Sinner is unbeaten in 30 indoor matches, having played just six tie-breaks and three deciders. Last year, he won this title without dropping a set, never losing more than four games in any one, while this term heâ€s not even been broken, devastatingly competent in all aspects of the game.

Alcaraz, though, is not subject to the same laws of physics and biology which govern the rest of us, able to bend nature to his will in a way that is almost suspicious. When he lost convincingly at Wimbledon, it seemed like a separation had taken place, but then in New York he delivered a performance of such emphatic superiority that it felt like he was taking the game beyond where Sinner can go. If he wins tonight, on this surface, the statement will resonate louder than the trophy; if Sinner wins tonight, heâ€ll reassert as the better man in predictable conditions; and whatever happens, itâ€ll be a lot, lot better than anything else the world has planned for us today.

Play: 6pm local, 5pm GMT.

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