Former World No.1 Claims Carlos Alcaraz has Questions to Answer at the ATP Finals in Turin

Former World No.1 and Tennis legend Justine Henin has revealed that Carlos Alcaraz has some questions to answer about his form at the ATP Finals in Turin. The World No.2 suffered a shocking exit in the second round of the Paris Masters, his second indoor hard court tournament this season after missing the Rolex Shanghai Masters.

Alcaraz surprisingly claimed the ATP 500 title in Rotterdam, an indoor hard court tournament in February. There were hopes that he had finally cracked the code for winning in indoor hard court events. But at the Paris Masters, he showed concerns in his game committing 54 unforced errors against Cameron Norrie.

The match was arguably his worst performance this season, despite having won the first set. He let the British star produce a comeback, winning the second and third sets to send the Spaniard crashing out of the Masters 1000 tournament. Fresh off the defeat, Alcaraz will be seeking redemption at the ATP Finals, which is also an indoor hard-court event.

He currently holds a 31-14 career record on indoor hard courts, giving him a win rate of 68.9% on the surface. This is well below Alcaraz’s overall career win percentage across all surfaces, which is 81.2%. He will now have to produce a spectacular performance at the season-ending tournament to ensure that he wins the title.

The ATP Finals begin on Sunday (November 9), and Alcaraz is already in Turin for it. During a conversation in Eurosport France, Henin revealed that Alcaraz has a lot of points to prove at the ATP Finals considering his form on indoor hard courts. She added that he will have to manage the pressure that comes with the tournament:

I think there are still some questions for Alcaraz in indoor conditions, even though he seems to have a lot of potential to perform well in those conditions. There’s no way around it, it’s still a hurdle to overcome. It’s the end of the season, even though he’s had some time off these last few weeks. He’ll have to manage the fatigue from the whole season, the pressure of the Masters.

Alcaraz failed to reach the final of the last two ATP Finals in Turin. He crashed out in the round robin stage last year after losing to Alexander Zverev and Casper Ruud in the group stage. He has struggled to bring out his A-game at the tournament. Nevertheless, with his excellent form this season, Alcaraz cannot be underestimated.

Carlos Alcaraz to face Novak Djokovic and Taylor Fritz in the round robin stage of the ATP Finals in Turin

Carlos Alcaraz first qualified for the ATP Finals in 2022, but he was forced to withdraw due to injury. He made his debut in 2023, winning two matches in the round robin stage to reach the semi-finals, where he lost to Novak Djokovic. He currently holds a 3-4 record at the tournament, which is 42.9% win.

He has been drawn to face Novak Djokovic, Taylor Fritz, and Alex de Minaur in the Jimmy Connors Group at the tournament. He currently has a positive head-to-head record with the three players, but his group is tougher than Jannik Sinner’s own. Alcaraz is currently ranked World No.2 but he’s expected to get back to No.1 when the Live Race To Turin rankings drop next week.

That means, Alcaraz needs to win at least two matches in the round robin stage to secure his place at the top of the ATP rankings. He will open his account against De Minaur on Sunday (November 9) in Turin and then face Fritz in the second match before taking on the 24-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic.

The 2025 ATP Finals features a record $15.5 million in prize money, with the undefeated champion pocketing $5,071,000. The top two finishes in the two groups at the tournament will advance to the semi-finals.

Also Read: Former World No.1 Argues that Novak Djokovic’s End of the Season Schedule has become Non-Coherent

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