Jannik Sinner kicked off his 2024 ATP Finals campaign with a strong win over Alex de Minaur, who struggled to challenge the Italian’s form.

Home-Court Advantage for World No. 1

Sinner’s presence at the tournament in Italy gives him a significant edge as he enjoys the fervent support of the home crowd. Starting as the World No. 1, Sinner is among the favorites, after nearly clinching the title last year—only losing in the final to Novak Djokovic.

This year, he faces Daniil Medvedev, Taylor Fritz, and Alex de Minaur in the round-robin stage, players he is confident about beating. His match against De Minaur confirmed that confidence.

De Minaur’s Debut Challenge

Making his debut at the ATP Finals, De Minaur faced a challenging environment in a packed stadium, with the majority of fans cheering for his opponent. Despite the pressure, he managed a strong start, securing an early break to lead 2-1.

However, Sinner quickly broke back and gained a second break soon after, establishing a solid 4-2 lead. De Minaur couldn’t recover from this setback, and Sinner closed out the first set 6-3.

Dominant in the Second Set

In the second set, Sinner maintained his advantage. De Minaur couldn’t create break points, while Sinner continued to apply pressure from the baseline, eventually sealing the match 6-3, 6-4 after 1 hour and 24 minutes. The home crowd erupted, sharing in his victory.

Sinner’s Appreciation for Home Support

Reflecting on the match, Sinner expressed gratitude for the crowd’s energy:

“It has to be the crowd. The energy. I love playing at home. It’s a huge, huge honor for me. I was just looking forward to it. I didn’t play Rome. My first match in Italy this year. The welcome was very warm. It was amazing.”

A Special Season Close in Italy

The Italian further shared how meaningful it is to play on home soil, especially after missing the Italian Open in Rome:

“After this week, there is still the Davis Cup, but there is no better place to end the year on the circuit. For me, it is a great honor. I did not play Rome, which hurt me a lot, so it is even more beautiful to play on this court. Last year we were very close, this year we will see. We trained very well, I arrived a week early to prepare for this tournament.”