Carlos Alcaraz Denies Disappointment in Potentially Losing the Year-End No.1 Battle With Jannik Sinner at the ATP Finals
Carlos Alcaraz leads the Jimmy Connors Group, which includes Alexander Zverev, Alex de Minaur, and Novak Djokovic.
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Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz (Image via X/Jannik Sinner HQ, Carlos Alcaraz 4K)
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The battle for the year-end ATP No.1 has gotten heated at the season-ending tournament in Turin. Carlos Alcaraz is hoping to reach the goal for just the second time in his career, while Jannik Sinner is aiming to claim honor for the second consecutive season. However, Alcaraz has revealed that he won’t be disappointed if he doesn’t reach the mark in the end.
Alcaraz put himself at risk of losing the year-end World No.1 after failing to win a match at the Paris Masters. If he had won only three matches at the ATP 1000 tournament last week, he would have cemented his place at the top of the ATP rankings. The Spaniard crashed out in Paris after losing to Cameron Norrie in three sets.
He has never won the ATP Finals or reached the championship match. His best run at the event was in 2023, when he got to the semi-finals before losing to Novak Djokovic. Also, Alcaraz holds a 3-4 win-loss record at the tournament and struggles in indoor hard-court tournaments. He currently leads Sinner with just 1,050 points in the Live Race To Turin, so whoever finishes with more points in Turin will be the year-end No.1.
Alcaraz must earn at least 450 points to guarantee that he ends the year as No.1. He needs to win three matches in the round-robin stage or win the final of the tournament after winning one or two round robin ties.
During Alcaraz’s press conference at the ATP Finals, he was asked whether he would feel bad if he didn’t end up finishing the year at the top of the men’s rankings. The 22-year-old revealed that he won’t be disappointed if he eventually lost out the title, and added that Sinner also deserves to end the year as No.1:
No, not at all. In the end, I think it’s turning out to be a good battle between Jannik and me to see who finishes as number one. If he finishes first, it’s because he’s earned it and has had a magnificent end to the season. He won in Vienna, he’s coming off a win in Paris, and if he finishes number one, it’s because he would win here and he deserves it. I, obviously, am going to try to fight to prevent that from happening. If it does happen, it wouldn’t be a disappointment.
Alcaraz leads the line in the Jimmy Connors Group at the ATP Finals, which includes Alex de Minaur, Alexander Zverev, and Djokovic. Djokovic’s participation at the tournament is in major doubt as he’s currently in the final of the Hellenic Championship. He withdrew from the tournament last year despite qualifying.
Carlos Alcaraz finally analyzes the reason behind his early exit at the Rolex Paris Masters
Carlos Alcaraz won his first indoor hard-court tournament in Rotterdam in February, and there were hopes he had finally cracked the code to win on the surface. But at the Paris Masters, he shockingly fell to Cameron Norrie in three sets despite being the favorite to win the match. He currently holds a 31-14 win-loss record on indoor hard courts, giving him a win rate of 68.9 % on the surface.
During the aforementioned press conference, Alcaraz was asked about the loss to Norrie. The 22-year-old revealed that the reason for the loss was due to his tactical approach to the match. He added that the good part is that he has worked on his shortcomings from that match:
It happened because the way I approached the game tactically was completely wrong. I didn’t feel good, I went for shots, rushing, making mistakes right away. The good thing is that it gave me the feedback I needed to know what I had to work on.
Alcaraz’s best run at the Paris Masters was in 2022 when he reached the final before losing to Holger Rune. He has struggled since then at the tournament crashing out in the third round last year.
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