Nitto ATP Finals round-robin preview and prediction: Sinner vs. Tsitsipas

The 2023 Nitto ATP Finals will begin with a bang, as Jannik Sinner is set to take the court in front of the home crowd in Turin, Italy for the opening singles match on Sunday afternoon.

To say that the fans will have high hopes for Sinner at the year-end championship would be a gross understatement. The 22-year-old is wrapping up an incredible season that has seen him climb to No. 4 in the world. Results include his first Masters 1000 title in Toronto plus three other triumphs in Montpellier, Beijing, and Vienna. His overall record in 2023 is 57-14, including a dominant 13-1 since the U.S. Open.

Up first for Sinner is Stefanos Tsitsipas, who leads the head-to-head series 5-2. However, at 26 years old Tsitsipas obviously had an edge over Sinner in previous seasons but the tide has predictably begun to turn in 2023. The Greek needed five sets to prevail at the Australian Open and then lost their most recent encounter 6-4, 6-3 on the indoor hard courts of Rotterdam.

It has been an all-around mediocre year for Tsitsipas. The world No. 6 started hot with a runner-up performance at the Australian Open, but the second half has been a struggle ever since he left clay. Tsitsipas has at least managed to reach semifinals in his last three events, but losses to Arthur Fils (Antwerp), Daniil Medvedev (Vienna), and Grigor Dimitrov (Paris) were disappointing.

Although Tsitsipas is a former Nitto ATP Finals champion (2019), Sinner played two very good matches at the year-end championship in 2021 and that experience should serve him well in terms of calming any nerves. Look for the No. 4 seed to start things off with a victory in front of the home crowd.

Pick: Sinner in 3

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