Sinner the atypical star on top of tennis world

Jannik Sinner's (below) reserved public persona belies his status as Italy's biggest sporting star and the new dominant force in men's tennis, his convincing victory at the ATP Finals confirming his rise to the top ofthe game.

An eighth tournament win of the season came in a near perfect year for Sinner who started 2024 by winning his first Grand Slam at the Australian Open and never looked back from there.

Long considered Italian tennis, great red-haired hope, few could have imagined this year's sudden burst to the top of the world rankings ahead of Spain's golden boy Carlos Alcaraz, himself a four-time Slam champion at the age of 21.

The 23-year-old is set to be Alcaraz's main rival in the years to come, the pair stepping up as Rafael Nadal retires and Novak Djokovic ends a year without an ATP Tour title for the first time since 2006.

"Jannik hits a faster ball than Novak. He doesn't let you breathe.