Reason why Carlos Alcaraz can win the ATP Finals

11/08/2024 01:00 PM

Carlos Alcaraz arrived in Turin and began practicing intensively for the Nitto ATP Finals. Although he has never played his best tennis in indoor conditions, the Spanish player is the most expected player in this edition of the Finals after local idol Jannik Sinner. Having been passed by Alexander Zverev in second place after the Rolex Paris Masters, there was a risk that the Spaniard and the Italian could face each other already in the group stage in Turin. Yesterday the draw ceremony took place and Carlitos was inserted in the 'John Newcombe group', the same as Sascha Zverev.

The four-time Grand Slam champion will make his debut on Monday afternoon against Casper Ruud, who has not had the best season of his career. The former world number 1 - who has practiced hard at the Ferrero Tennis Academy after his premature elimination in Paris-Bercy - wants to show how he can be the best even under these conditions.

The 21-year-old from Murcia was enhanced by triumphs at the French Open and the Wimbledon Championships, not to mention a silver medal won at the Paris Olympics. As if that were not enough, the current world number 3 also won the Masters 1000 in Indian Wells for the second time in a row and the ATP 500 in Beijing.

In the last edition of the Nitto ATP Finals, Alcaraz reached the semi-finals with enormous effort before giving up very clearly to 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic (absent this year). The Spanish ace wants to play much better in 2024 and make even more satisfying his season, which will end at the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga.

In an interview with the official ATP website, the former World No.1 revealed that he wanted to lift the trophy: "I try to play solidly, yet with a certain aggressiveness, and I need to do it perfectly if I want to conquer the title here.” Carlitos is much loved by Italian fans: "As I have said many times, I always try to make people enjoy watching tennis. My style of play makes people enjoy this sport, perhaps also because of how I am on the court... I don't know if it's my tennis or my personality, but I am very grateful for feeling the affection of the Italians. Obviously, there is more love towards Jannik, but if we go to Spain, people also love Jannik. Here in Italy, people love sports in general, all athletes, but I really appreciate that affection.”

The 21-year-old Spaniard arrived in Turin very tired last year and was not able to express his best tennis, but now he seems to have learned the lesson and is determined to shine in this edition. Alcaraz is considered by the bookmakers as the second favorite for the win, although Zverev has already triumphed on these courts in 2021 and just won the seventh Masters 1000 of his career. The feeling is that Carlos' peaks are higher than those of Sascha, especially in the event of a clash with Sinner in the semi-finals or final.

Recently, former World No.12 Feliciano Lopez praised Carlitos and Jannik: “We are very lucky in the tennis industry to have Sinner and Alcaraz leading this new generation of players. They have different personalities and that adds something to this rivalry. I hope they can play for the next ten years.

Carlos is so young and he has achieved so much for his age. We will have time to compare, but it’s truly remarkable what he has achieved. He has four Slams and he is only 21. Sinner is an unbelievable athlete as well. He has won only two Slams, but he could have won more. He is more mature and more confident in his skills and his potential in general since he won the Australian Open. We are going to see so many matches between Alcaraz and Sinner. As a tennis fan, I feel very lucky that they came at the right time.”

The two young masters of the men’s tour can only face each other in the semi-finals or final and it would really be an epic match. The four-time Grand Slam champion has prevailed in all three matches played this year, at Indian Wells, Paris and Beijing respectively. Jannik took a small revenge in the final of the 'Six Kings Slam' in Saudi Arabia, an exhibition that awarded 6 million dollars to the winner. The former world number 1 had won the first set at the tiebreak, before Sinner raised his game in the second half of the match.