Jannik Sinner received the trophy for the year-end No. 1 ranking during an on-court ceremony at the Nitto ATP Finals on Monday night. It is the first such achievement of the 23-year-old’s career.
Sinner’s 2014 campaign is highlighted by his first two Grand Slam titles, which he won at the Australian Open and U.S. Open. He also won three Masters 1000 tournaments, two 500s, and finished runner-up at the ATP 500 in Beijing. Sinner clinched the year-end top spot almost exactly one month ago, when he reached the Shanghai final.
“It’s a nice feeling; [it is] special sharing these kinds of moments here in Italy with the crowd,” the Italian said. “This would not be possible without all the people I have around and especially these kind of people I want to keep forever, because it has a journey from the beginning.
“I just heard that my mom was crying, which is something very cute. Only they know from my early age and stages, when I was around 13, how many sacrifices we made as a family.”
Sinner is off to a 1-0 start in Turin, as he took care of Alex de Minaur 6-3, 6-4 on Sunday. The top seed will face Taylor Fritz on Tuesday after the American defeated Daniil Medvedev 6-4, 6-3.
congrats, Jannik