The clock is ticking, and hearts are racing because the biggest clash of the tennis season is almost here. Once again Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are going head-to-head in a final, this time at the ATP Finals final. Alcaraz is world No. 1, Sinner is No. 2, and both have been dominating the courts all year. The two have been evenly matched all week in Turin, but it seems a former pro has already picked their favorite for who might lift the trophy.

Former pros turned Sky Sports pundits, Laura Robson and Tim Henman, weighed in with their pick, with Laura asking, “Last day of the ATP season, and we’ve got another Jannik Sinner – Carlos Alcaraz match to finish us off… I wonder which way you’re leaning towards in the predictions, Tim?”

Henman replied instantly, “I don’t really know, if I’m honest… They’ve split the four slams this year; their matches have been absolutely epic. I hope that we get another blockbuster. For me, Sinner hasn’t dropped serve yet this week. He’s been serving so well; we know the conditions are pretty lively.”

“I think I’ve pretty much sat on the fence there, but if you’re going to push me for a prediction, I said Alcaraz at the beginning of the week. I’m going to still back the Spaniard,” finished Henman before Robson added she was still on the fence.

The anticipation is real, and fans everywhere are buzzing to see who will emerge victorious in the latest Sincaraz final. This match is huge for both players – Alcaraz’s first ATP Finals after finishing the year as world No. 1, while Jannik Sinner is aiming for his third straight final and a second consecutive title.

To top it off, Sinner has won 18 straight sets since losing to Novak Djokovic in the tournament final last year and hasn’t dropped a set since.

Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz must fight for every point

Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz have developed one of the season’s most intriguing rivalries. Alcaraz has won four of their five final meetings this year, while Sinner has won Wimbledon. Overall, Alcaraz leads their head-to-head 10-5 and has won seven of their last eight official ATP meetings. But none of those were on indoor hard courts, where Sinner has shown he can really make things tricky, winning twice in exhibition matches at the Six Kings Slam.

But exhibition matches aside, Sinner, the reigning ATP Finals champion, has been practically unbeatable indoors with a 31-game unbeaten streak that stretches all the way back to 2023.

Sinner’s form aside, the other difficulty Alcaraz will encounter is facing his rival in front of a fervent Italian crowd. As the Spaniard himself acknowledged after his win over Felix Auger-Aliassime, “Facing Jannik with his home crowd on an indoor court is one of the most difficult challenges in our sport right now. I hope I have three or four people in the crowd cheering for me; I have my friends.”

To have a genuine chance of reversing the outcome, he will need to give it his all, better than what he did in the semifinal. Though it ended in a straightforward 6-2, 6-4 victory, Alcaraz lost some concentration in the second set, letting the Canadian get comfortable. Though Auger-Aliassime was deftly felled, it was a contrast from the first set, where Alcaraz was nigh unplayable, ripping forehands all over the court for fun in what was arguably his best ever set played indoors.

Against Sinner, Alcaraz’s ability to stay locked in will determine a lot. So will his serve. It was crucial in their US Open final, but every point matters on Jannik Sinner’s preferred fast, low-bouncing indoor court. The defending champion could quickly gain the upper hand if his serve isn’t working, especially as Sinner’s service game has been consistent and effective all week, with first serve percentages remaining steady in the seventies.

Alcaraz can create opportunities by combining his movement and net play, but it won’t matter unless the rest of his game is playing at its best. This matchup is a test of nerves and who can perform well under pressure.