The transformation from Monday to Friday has been spectacular. Carlos Alcaraz has gone from being ‘mentally exhausted’ after his loss to Alexander Zverev, to reaching the semi-finals of the Nitto ATP Finals by consecutively sinking Andrey Rublev and Daniil Medvedev. The Spaniard will now clash with Novak Djokovic on Saturday in the semi-finals after a turnaround that means he can aspire to go all the way at Turin’s Pala Alpitour.

So, what exactly happened?

“I spoke to Juan Carlos [Ferrero] after the first match,” admitted Alcaraz. “Obviously, something was up. In the last tournaments, the people closest to me, and even those that don’t know me so well, could see that I didn’t have the same attitude as at the start of the season. It’s not a question of being tired or not, it’s about enjoying myself.

“Juan Carlos opened my eyes. This is the last tournament of the year and I have to give everything I have. We’re at the [Nitto] ATP Finals. We also spoke about the level and what I had to do. Once again, I realised that my game depends on whether or not I enjoy myself, whether or not I smile. At the end of the day, that’s the most important thing for me. Obviously, the joy and the smile have returned to my game and I think that was reflected in the matches.”

On Saturday, the two-time Grand Slam champion will have to enjoy himself, smile, and possibly do even more when he squares off against Djokovic for the fourth time this season (2-2 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series). In 2023, the Serbian won their first battle in the semi-finals of Roland Garros, Alcaraz returned the favour in the Wimbledon final, and Djokovic reaped his revenge in the decider at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati.

“Hopefully it’ll be a repeat of what happened in the Wimbledon final,” said the Spaniard. “I’m going to try and find my A-game. We’ll see what I did well in order to repeat it tomorrow. It’ll be a very mental game, and I want to start preparing tonight.

“I hope that Novak plays at a great level, his A-game. We’re in the semis of the ATP Finals, a tournament he has won six times. He knows what it is to play in these rounds at events like this. I think that he’ll use that experience tomorrow and he’ll play his best tennis. He’ll try to pressure me a lot in the match, basically, he’ll be true to his style. So we’re going to have to be ready for that.”

Alcaraz has gone from saying that he could not see himself winning a single match in the tournament after losing to Zverev on day one, to declaring, having taken out Rublev, he believed he could go all the way at the season’s grand finale.

“After my level the last couple of days, your mind starts thinking things,” said Alcaraz. “Right now, I think if I continue at this level, I’ll have a chance of winning the tournament.”

Defending champions Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury maintained their perfect record at this year’s Nitto ATP Finals on Friday when they downed already-eliminated Rinky Hijikata and Jason Kubler 5-7, 6-1, 10-2.

Ram and Salisbury, who had already qualified for the semi-finals, won 79 per cent (30/38) of their first-serve points to triumph after 83 minutes, improving to 3-0 in Red Group play. The sixth seeds will meet Santiago Gonzalez and Edouard Roger-Vasselin in the last four, with Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos taking on Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden.

Ram and Salisbury have now won their past eight matches in Turin, having lifted the trophy at the year-end event 12 months ago. Earlier this season, the American-British team won their third consecutive US Open crown.

Australian Open champions Hijikata and Kubler end round-robin play holding a 0-3 record.

The order of play for the Nitto ATP Finals has been released. Home favourite Jannik Sinner will play 2020 champion Daniil Medvedev in the afternoon (not before 2:30 p.m. CET), and six-time champion Novak Djokovic will face second seed Carlos Alcaraz (not before 9 p.m. CET) in the evening.

It is a stacked lineup featuring the top four seeds. Sinner won the Green Group and Alcaraz won the Red Group, while Djokovic and Medvedev finished second in Green Group and Red Group, respectively.

Sinner and Medvedev have faced one another twice since the US Open, with the Italian winning finals in Beijing and Vienna. Medvedev leads their Lexus ATP Head2Head series 6-2.

Djokovic and Alcaraz have quickly developed an intriguing Lexus ATP Head2Head rivalry. Of their four clashes, one came in this year’s Wimbledon final (won by Alcaraz) and another came in the Cincinnati final (won by Djokovic), widely considered one of the best matches of 2023.

In doubles, third seeds Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden will take on fifth seeds Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos at 12 p.m., while defending champions Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury will play fourth seeds Santiago Gonzalez and Edouard Roger-Vasselin not before 6:30 p.m.

ORDER OF PLAY – SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2023

CENTRE COURT start 12 noon
[5] M. Granollers (ESP) / H. Zeballos (ARG) vs [3] R. Bopanna (IND) / M. Ebden (AUS)

Not Before 2:30 pm
[4] J. Sinner (ITA) vs [3] D. Medvedev

Not Before 6:30 pm
[6] R. Ram (USA) / J. Salisbury (GBR) vs [4] S. Gonzalez (MEX) / E. Roger-Vasselin (FRA)

Not Before 9 pm
[2] C. Alcaraz (ESP) vs [1] N. Djokovic (SRB)

After just 80 minutes on court Friday, Daniil Medvedev suffered his first loss of this year’s Nitto ATP Finals. But the World No. 3 is not dwelling on the defeat to Carlos Alcaraz, nor does he have time to. Medvedev is keeping a short memory, turning his attention to tomorrow’s semi-final showdown against home favourite Jannik Sinner.

“For sure I would love to win this match, but it didn’t happen. Now I have to forget it very fast and try to focus only on tomorrow,” said Medvedev, who finished second in Red Group. “At this moment, the only thing that is left is I have a match quite soon, less than 24 hours. I have to only [think] after I leave this room, ‘How do I beat Jannik tomorrow?’”

Prior to October, Medvedev was 6-0 against Sinner in their Lexus ATPHead2Head series. But with the Italian defeating him in the Beijing and Vienna championship matches, Medvedev is aiming to end his two-match skid against Sinner.

“At this moment he’s in top form. The results prove it. He can do everything,” Medvedev said. “He can serve-and-volley, but at the same time he can stay at the baseline and be very good. Some dropshots, slice, down the line, cross. He can do every shot and that’s why he’s a top player.

“I felt like in Vienna I made a good response to what he did in Beijing, but I still lost. I need to be even better, to respond better to his shots. I need to definitely be at my absolute best and better than today.”

Medvedev’s 6-4, 6-4 defeat to World No. 2 Alcaraz moved the Spaniard to 3-2 in their Lexus ATPHead2Head series. Medvedev ousted Alcaraz in the US Open semi-finals and stated in his on-court interview, ‘I played 12 out of 10.’ After Friday’s defeat, Medvedev was once again asked to rate his performance versus the two-time major champion.

“I would give myself 8.5, which is a pretty good score, but it’s not enough to beat Carlos,” Medvedev said. “The mindset was the same. As I said coming into this match, you don’t want to lose a match before playing semis. It’s not the best feeling to lose a match. Your body reacts differently. Now I have to kind of regroup myself for tomorrow.”

One tactic Alcaraz employed was moving forward to counter Medvedev’s deep court positioning, often serve-and-volleying to apply pressure on the World No. 3.

“I think it’s kind of a good tactic against me, but you have to be good at the net,” Medvedev said. “For example, Sascha [Zverev], for me he’s a very good player at the net. Carlos was able to do some sliding volleys today. Maybe there are two, three players in the world that can do it. Sascha was going to the net a lot, but I passed him a lot.

“I know how to do passing shots and I will do it more because maybe more guys have come to the net. To beat me just coming to the net is not enough. I will pass. You have to be really good at the net. If guys continue to do it and I really struggle, I’m going to find a way. For the moment, I don’t see this.

“Sometimes they succeed, but sometimes they lose also. Carlos against me at the US Open was going to the net I think 50 times and he lost the match. Same with [Christopher] O’Connell [at the US Open].”

There is a celebration of sustainability on show this year at the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin.

At the Pala Alpitour’s Fan Village, visitors can find out about title sponsor Nitto’s initiatives when it comes to promoting environmental causes and reducing CO2 emissions. Interactive games, a quiz and participation prizes are on offer to help engage fans with one of the most important topics of our time.

“Things like this help raise awareness for this topic with people who might not think about it much or aren’t aware of it,” said tennis fan Sandra Müller from Germany, whose favourite players are Carlos Alcaraz and Stefanos Tsitsipas. “It helps include more people in the theme of sustainability.”

_{^{Fans play a ‘BATAK’ game at the Nitto Booth in the Pala Alpitour’s Fan Village. Photo Credit: Nitto/Siobhan Hennessy.}}

As well as an opportunity to take a photo with a replica of the Nitto ATP Finals trophy, visitors to the Nitto Booth can participate in a survey about Nitto, get a Nitto ATP Finals logo face sticker made from the company’s skin-friendly adhesive, and play a ‘BATAK’ reflective game, where they have to hit buttons to simulate the collection of CO2. Participants then receive tokens, which can be exchanged for a prize from a ‘Giant Gacha’ gumball machine.

Fans visiting the Nitto Booth can also learn more about the Nitto ATP Finals Torino Green Project, which aims to offset CO2 emissions in the City of Turin, while supporting the development and regeneration of green spaces around the city.

It is not just in the Fan Village where sustainable living is being promoted on the Pala Alpitour site. Nitto’s ‘Internet of Things’ Garbage Bins are being used, for the third consecutive year, to demonstrate an innovative system of waste separation. Nitto has also donated 6,000 paper napkins, made from its exclusive plastic-free compostable material, for use across the tournament site.

“I think it’s great that we are looking into this because we have not always heard so much about this as a concern with sporting events like this,” said Kimberley Yap, a visiting fan from Malaysia. “So I think it is great that Nitto is doing this.”

ATP and Dunlop are proud to announce the extension of their global partnership, through 2028.

Dunlop will continue as the Official Ball of the ATP Tour, a designation the Japanese brand has held since 2019. Dunlop has established itself as the No. 1 ball on the ATP Tour, with close to half of all tournaments proudly playing with Dunlop. Events include the Nitto ATP Finals, Next Gen ATP Finals presented by NEOM, and four ATP Masters 1000 events.

The extension will also see Dunlop become the Official Racket and Official Tennis Accessories (non-exclusive) of the ATP Tour. The brand will develop a dedicated ATP product line, including strings, grips, dampeners and racket bags, plus a special fan edition of the Dunlop FX racket as used by ATP Tour pro Jack Draper.

In parallel with continuous product testing and innovation, the partners will focus on advancing sustainability in tennis. Dunlop is currently developing eco-friendly materials for its tennis balls, increasing the use of recycled materials and reducing plastic in packaging – impacting resource consumption and waste on the ATP Tour and for millions of recreational players worldwide. This sustainability focus aligns with the ATP Serves mission and commitments under UN Sports for Climate Action.

Massimo Calvelli, ATP CEO, said: “Tennis balls are at the very core of our game. The Dunlop ATP ball is a consistent top-quality product, backed by continuous R&D, which allows our players to perform at their best. We’re thrilled to build on our successful partnership with Dunlop and to continue innovating together. Our joint reach across all levels of the game has huge potential to positively impact players and the planet.”

Ken Yamamoto, Head of Racket Sports Business, Dunlop/Sumitomo Rubber Industries, said: “With 100 years of experience making the highest quality tennis balls, we know what it takes to produce a tennis ball that players can rely on. Dunlop has been dedicated to research, development and listening to player feedback to ensure the very best for all players and tournaments. It is a great honour for Dunlop to be partnered with the ATP Tour, who we share so many core values with. We’re excited to continue our partnership and build on our sustainability focus, supporting current and future generations in the sport that we love.”

The extended partnership builds on a long-shared heritage in tennis. In 2022, the ATP celebrated its 50th Anniversary, while Dunlop boasts more than 100 years of producing top quality sporting equipment.

The ATP Challenger Tour prides itself in being a springboard for young stars seeking to develop their talent as they chase ranking points, prize money and a chance to make it to the biggest stages of the sport.

A prime example is the latest destination of the globetrotting circuit: Danderyd, Sweden, a municipality north of Stockholm where 18-year-olds Jakub Mensik and Alexander Blockx are among those in the quarter-finals of this week’s Good to Great Challenger.

Next Gen ATP Finals qualifier Flavio Cobolli and last year’s champion of the 21-and-under event, Brandon Nakashima, are also in the last eight of the Challenger 75 event held at the prestigious Good to Great Tennis Academy, spearheaded by Nicklas Kulti, Mikael Tillstrom and tournament director Magnus Norman.

The Danderyd Challenger is the first event in Sweden at that level since 2018 (Bastad), marking the 46th country to host an ATP Challenger Tour tournament this season. Norman hopes they can be a mainstay.

“This is really important for Swedish tennis, this is something that has been needed for many, many years,” Norman told ATPTour.com. “Our goal first and foremost is to establish this Challenger in the calendar so players know during the end of the season, there is a Challenger in Sweden. Our vision is to create and start a few more Challengers in the region.”

The Good to Great Tennis Academy, which has worked with ATP stars such as Stan Wawrinka and Gael Monfils, opened a state-of-the-art facility in 2018 featuring seven indoor courts, five outdoor clay courts, an outdoor hard court, restaurant, performance centre, medical centre and lodging for players.

The organisation and facilities of the Danderyd Challenger make it an attractive event for players.

“Whatever we do, we try and make it good for the players and coaches. So far, we are really happy with the week,” Norman said. “We wanted to make a good week where players can have a great week with a lot of practice courts, balls, towels, everything like that should not be an issue. We have hitting partners on site. What the players and coaches need is to be able to work.

“We have received some good reviews from players because we have three practice courts on site with the exact same surface, a good players lounge, a medical team with physios and massage therapy. We take pride in doing a good tournament. We have had some good help from the ATP 250 event organization in Bastad. The people that run that tournament are helping us here which has helped enormously.”

Holger Rune suffered his second three-set loss of the Nitto ATP Finals on Thursday against Jannik Sinner, the 6-2, 5-7, 6-4 defeat ending his Turin debut in the group stage. While the Dane rued his missed break point late in the final set, he remained grounded post-match, offering a positive perspective on his year as a whole.

“I had a good season. When you finish in the top eight, you can be proud of yourself,” said the Dane, who travelled to Turin as an alternate in 2022. 

“I think that I could have done some things better this year — actually, a lot of things. That’s how it is. It’s a learning process. Next year I’m going to try to learn from this year… It’s a good experience to be at this level.”

Discussing his first Lexus ATP Head2Head loss in three meetings against Sinner, Rune said he felt the pressure knowing that he needed a win to advance to the semi-finals.

“Obviously he played very free. This match, he had absolutely nothing to lose,” said the Dane, noting that Sinner’s progress to the knockout rounds was secured before the match. “That probably put down his nerves a little bit. Who knows. But yeah, again, there was obviously a lot of pressure on me in this match. I tried to handle it as well as I could. I was close, but not enough.”

While he wished the remaining competitors luck in the final days of the Nitto ATP Finals, Rune is already thinking about his pre-season plans.

“I’m going to try to get over it as fast as possible,” he said of his defeat. “Obviously there’s no more matches this season. It’s finished. It’s done. There’s no need to worry about anything… I’m just going to take some rest and start my pre-season.”

Jannik Sinner’s Nitto ATP Finals charge has taken him all the way to the top of Green Group in Turin.

The home favourite wrapped a perfect round-robin stage at the prestigious season finale on Thursday by downing Holger Rune 6-2, 5-7, 6-4. In doing so, he also ensured that six-time champion and World No. 1 Novak Djokovic progressed to the semi-finals alongside him.

Sinner backed up his opening wins against Stefanos Tsitsipas and Djokovic with a courageous third performance of the week inside the Pala Alpitour, converting two of four break points he earned to register a two-hour, 33-minute triumph in a match that swung back and forth.

“For me it was really important, resetting after the good win against Novak,” said Sinner. “I never won against [Rune], so I really tried my best. I started off really well. In the second, he served better, he moved better, so it was a much more even match. The third set could have gone his way. At 4-3 I saved a break point. It was a little bit of a roller coaster today, but obviously really happy and happy to be in the semis.”

Sinner looked the more comfortable player for the first set and a half of the match but his movement appeared compromised by an apparent back concern from midway through the second set. Holding firm, the Italian took the match deep into the deciding set and rode the raucous support from the stands to clinch his first win against Rune in three Lexus ATP Head2Head meetings between the two.

Now 60-14 for the 2023 season, Sinner is two matches away from winning five tour-level tournaments in a single year for the first time. The 22-year-old, who became champion in Montpellier, Beijing, Toronto and Vienna this season, is the first Italian to advance to the singles semi-finals in the 54-year history of the Nitto ATP Finals.

“It means for sure more doing it here in Italy, in Turin, a special place, special tournament,” said Sinner of earning his milestone 60th win — the most for an Italian man in the Open Era. “I’m very happy that I have the chance to have at least two more matches. Hopefully I can finish the year in a good way. I think it’s going in the right direction, and let’s see what’s coming.”

Roared on by the vocal Italian support, Sinner made a rapid start in his bid to maintain his perfect run in Turin. He opened a 4-0 lead by being clinical every time he went on the attack, and he ultimately powered nine winners past the unsettled Rune en route to the opening set.

In need of a fast turnaround, the World No. 8 Rune, who would have topped the group himself and eliminated Djokovic by beating Sinner, dug deep to work through his early struggles. The Dane received treatment on his right knee from the physio at 3-2 in the second set but that did not prevent him raising his level and taking command as Sinner began to clutch his back inbetween points.

Rune made his move at 6-5 in the second set, capitalising on a wayward service game from Sinner to level the match and carry significant momentum into the decider. What transpired was a tense third set in which both players fended off break points. Appearing to move freely again, it was Sinner who took his chance in style, dropping a stunning backhand volley over the net at 4-4, 30/40 for an ultimately decisive break.