By now, it feels pointless to ask Jannik Sinner or Carlos Alcaraz whether they’d prefer anyone else in a major final; they know, just as we do, that destiny keeps pairing them. In 2025 alone, they’ve clashed in five finals despite sharing only seven draws, making this showdown feel even more inevitable than the peak years of the Big 3. Yet at the ATP Finals, the Italian carries one clear edge: the roar of the home crowd. And when asked whether he could expect his parents in those stands, he didn’t miss the chance for a playful jab, as he cheekily calls out his parents for potentially missing the ATP Finals showdown.

After his semifinal battle with Alex De Minaur, the 24-year-old faced a different kind of question, one that cut past tactics and form. He was asked whether his family would be there to watch him chase another final under the Turin lights. With a wry smile, Sinner revealed that his brother would cheer from the stands, while his parents would remain home, tied down by everyday duties. “My brother Mark is here, while I don’t think Mom and Dad will come. They have some things to do at home… apparently that’s more important,” Sinner said to journalist Giovanni Pelazzo.

Last year, at the 2024 ATP Finals, the scene had been different, almost cinematic. His mother Siglinde, father Hanspeter, and brother Marc formed a united line of support as Sinner soared past Taylor Fritz to lift his first trophy at the season-ending event. But this time, life’s obligations kept part of that circle away.

Still, Sinner has carved through the 2025 Turin field with ruthless precision. Not a single set slipped from his grasp on his march to the title match. Even his semifinal against De Minaur, tense in its opening act, bent eventually to his will, Sinner edging it 7-5 before igniting a second-set storm to win 6-2 and seal his third straight ATP Finals final. Every step he takes this week seems sharpened by purpose.

If he lifts the trophy again, it will mark his sixth title of the year; should Alcaraz prevail, it will become the Spaniard’s ninth, and his first ever at the ATP Finals. The stakes hang heavy, the air thick with rivalry, legacy, and the echo of every battle they’ve fought in this blazing new era.

And as Sinner prepares to face his fiercest counterpart once more, he remembers the rare power of seeing his parents, especially his mother, anchored in the stands during major moments this season. 

Even when they’re not physically present, the emotion he’s shared about that feeling lingers like a quiet, steady drum beneath the roar of Turin.

Sinner reflects on mother Siglinde’s impact during Wimbledon final

In July, Jannik Sinner carved a moment of pure glory on the grass of Wimbledon, toppling two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz in four fierce sets to claim his first crown. That victory burned brighter because it sent him sprinting straight into the arms of his mother in the stands, wrapping her in a warm, emotional embrace. After the match, he revealed that she had flown to London solely to witness the final, and that her presence fueled him deeply as he fought on Centre Court.

“My mom arrived in London the same morning just to see the final, this already meant a lot to me. She was excited to see her son play on Wimbledon’s Centre Court, I was delighted to see them in the box. Of course there was a lot of tension, my mother suffers a little, but it’s normal, she is a mother and parents care a lot about their children,” Sinner added.

He also mentioned that his brother Mark stood beside him during that title run, an amusing contrast to the Italian Open, where Mark chose Formula 1 over the tennis final. Those family dynamics, tender and humorous, colored Sinner’s whirlwind summer with a human touch.

Yet Sinner has never hidden the emotional storm his mother carries during his biggest battles. In a long conversation with ‘Sky Sport’ before the ATP Finals, he laughed as he recalled her track record in his toughest defeats. “She was present in Rome and I lost in the final, then she was present in Paris and I lost in the final again. When she told me she was coming to Wimbledon, I wanted to tell her it was her last chance!”

Throughout his rise, his parents have protected his dreams with rare gentleness, never pushing, never burdening him, only offering calm, unwavering support.

Now, in Turin, fate writes a different script. His parents, bound by responsibilities, remain away, leaving Sinner to carry the hopes of a roaring home crowd alone.

And as he prepares to face his greatest rival once more, the burning question lingers: Can Carlos Alcaraz silence the Italian storm, or does Sinner still hold the sharper edge?