Jannik Sinner draped his left arm and his racket around Carlos Alcaraz's shoulders. Alcaraz reciprocated, placing his right hand on Sinner's shoulder.

The pair's friendly greeting, after the latest in a series of high-stakes matches between the two players, was a fitting image to sum up the year in men's tennis.

Sinner and Alcaraz are dominating the game, and their levels are so close that the biggest titles keep alternating between them.

Alcaraz beat Sinner in a fifth-set tiebreaker in the French Open final; Sinner got revenge at Wimbledon; Alcaraz won again at the US Open; and then Sinner defended his ATP Finals title before his home fans in Turin on Nov 16.

Alcaraz sealed the year-end No 1 ranking, while No 2 Sinner heads into the offseason on the back of a confidence-boosting victory over his closest rival.

"The fact is, they're a level above everyone," said Felix Auger-Aliassime, who was beaten by both Sinner (in the group stage) and Alcaraz (in the semifinals) at the season-ending tournament for the game's top-eight male players.

"The rankings don't lie. They're the two best players. That's a fact. Different playing styles, but both put extreme pressure on their opponent in different ways," added Auger-Aliassime, who ends the year at a career-high No 5. "They keep showing up and playing well, so credit to them."

ATP chairman Andrea Gaudenzi added: "These two guys are really incredible for our sport, both on and off the court."

It was the most-watched tennis match in Italian TV history, with seven million viewers, according to numbers released by the national ratings service on Nov 17.

Sinner, who also won the Australian Open, reached the final of all four Grand Slams and the Finals in Turin — despite missing three months near the start of the year for a doping suspension.

Just like 2024, Sinner didn't drop a set at this year's Finals — becoming the first player in the event's history to achieve that feat twice.

"I feel like a better player than last year," Sinner said. "All the losses I had, I tried to see the positive side of things, and tried to evolve as a player. I felt like this happened in a very good way."

Alcaraz acknowledged that, at last year's tournament, when he won only one match during the group stage at the Finals, that he still had to learn how to play indoors. Well, consider him adept at that now.

"I didn't doubt about playing and fighting toe-to-toe with Jannik on an indoor court," Alcaraz said. "I'm pretty sure that my level on indoor courts is going to keep improving."

Super 2nd serve

After the loss to Alcaraz at the US Open, Sinner said he wanted to improve his serve and the results were evident in Turin, where he dropped his serve only once — in the opening game of the second set against Alcaraz.

"He's actually pumped up the miles per hour and he is getting the ball closer to the line, which means he gets a lot more free points," Darren Cahill, one of Sinner's coaches, said of the Italian's first serve.

There was also a big 187 km/h second serve from Sinner that helped him save a set point against Alcaraz late in the second set.

"I had already served two or three second serves in the same way (in that game) and I kept on losing the point, so, I had to come up with something different. I decided on the riskiest option," Sinner said. "Sometimes you need a bit of courage and some luck. I would rather lose that point than have him win it."

"That surprised me," Alcaraz said.

Auger-Aliassime also reached the US Open semifinals in September, and his ranking has rocketed from No 30 midway through the year.

"I've always believed, since I was a kid, and my ambition was always to win Grand Slams and be No 1 in the world," the Canadian said. "Now, it's a matter of doing the right things to improve. If I do, we'll see where that leaves me."

At 25, Auger-Aliassime is older than both Sinner (24) and Alcaraz (22).

"We want (Sinner) to be playing his best tennis when he's 28, 29, 30 years of age," Cahill said. "Hopefully, we're setting the plan and platform for him to be able to do that in a few years."

Davis Cup disappointment

Alcaraz will go another year without fulfilling his dream of winning the Davis Cup for Spain.

The Spaniard said Tuesday that he's heartbroken to have to withdraw from the Davis Cup Finals in Bologna, Italy, because of an injured right hamstring.

He was set to lead Spain on Thursday against the No 4-seeded Czech Republic in the quarterfinals.

The decision was recommended by doctors, he said.

"I'm so sorry to announce that I won't be able to play for Spain in the Davis Cup in Bologna," Alcaraz said on X. "I have an edema in my right hamstring and the medical recommendation is to not compete."

He was hurt in Turin during the Finals and was diagnosed with muscle overload and swelling of his right hamstring.

Alcaraz said he was returning home with a "heavy heart".

"I've always said that playing for Spain is the greatest thing there is, and I was really looking forward to helping us fight for the Davis Cup," he said.

Alcaraz has said he wants "to win the Davis Cup one day … because for me, it's a really, really important tournament."

Agencies via Xinhua