Jannik Sinner produced a magical display to defeat Carlos Alcaraz in the Six Kings Slam

The Italian fought back from a set down to topple his biggest rival in Saudi Arabia.

Having beaten Novak Djokovic for the second time in ten days in the semi-finals, Jannik Sinner was confronted by the man who’s defeated him three times this year.

In fact, Carlos Alcaraz has dealt Sinner his only defeat in his last 26 matches. This time however, some decisive tennis pushed him over the line in three thrilling sets.

A year bookended by Grand Slam success, Sinner has won a remarkable seven titles this year, solidifying his status as the world number one.

However, despite difficulties off-court with an ongoing doping saga, Sinner has reflected on how much he’s grown over the past year.

The new king of the hard-courts has marched to an unassailable lead at the top of the ATP rankings.

Building on a decent season last year, Sinner has caught up with Alcaraz somewhat and picked up his first two major titles.

Reflecting on a magnificent year, he shared that it hasn’t always been this simple.

Assessing his development, Sinner said, via Punto de Break: “I won’t say it’s due to experience because I’m still very young. I’ve learned and accepted who I am. I made big mistakes in the past, for example, the match against Altmaier at Roland Garros (2023), I wasn’t mentally prepared.

“From that moment on, I started working on myself, trying to accept and work even when you’re tired during training sessions, when you feel like you can’t go on but you have to continue to become the best version of yourself.

“I had challenging moments against Novak that I can improve, I felt really tired at times. There are also a couple of things today that can get better, but I feel like I’ve taken a step forward and hope that’s the case for the coming months and years because it’s a long-term job.”

A busy end of the season will take place either on home soil or in home colours for Sinner.

The ATP finals in Turin will see him enter the favorite, before heading over to Malaga to try and defend the Davis Cup.

A stunning victory last year ended a 47-year wait for the trophy and with a strong team, they may well fancy their chances again.

With Sinner arguably in better shape than last year and looking more or less unbeatable, a decent team performance should see them sail to the latter stages.

If it comes to a final, I’d have my money on Sinner to get the job done once again.