Tennis News

Sinner & Alcaraz nearing Big Four levels of Top 10 dominance

Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz have quickly established themselves at the top of the sport, and a big reason why is because of their performance against the best players in the world.

Entering the season, only four players since 2000 had earned at least 13 wins against opponents inside the world’s Top 10 in a single season. They are the legendary ‘Big Four’ of Novak Djokovic (10x), Roger Federer (10x), Rafael Nadal (4x) and Andy Murray (3x).

Sinner has joined the elite group by earning 14 Top 10 victories entering the final match of round-robin play at the Nitto ATP Finals. Alcaraz is one triumph away from adding his name to the exclusive list with a round-robin clash to go on Friday against Alexander Zverev.

“That’s good to know for my confidence to go up a little bit,” said Alcaraz, who cracked a smile when told about his 12-4 record against the Top 10 this season.

Most Wins vs. Top 10 (2024)

Not only have they earned a lot of Top 10 wins this year, but they have been doing so at a historic success rate.

According to Infosys ATP Stats, Bjorn Borg holds the career record for winning percentage against the Top 10 at 71.1 per cent. The Swede is the only qualifying player on record with a winning percentage of more than 70 per cent.

Alcaraz has claimed 75 per cent of his Top 10 matches this year (12-4) and Sinner has emerged victorious from 73.7 per cent of his Top 10 matches (14-5). According to Alcaraz, it is key against the very best to focus on playing “good tennis”.

“Obviously playing against the top players, you think to yourself that you have to play at your best tennis. If not, you are going to lose against them. That helps a lot,” Alcaraz said. “Before matches against top players, realise what kind of game, what kind of shots you are going to play or you’re going to hit. I think that’s it.
In tennis, really important [is]the mental game, the way you talk to yourself before the matches.”

The Spaniard explained how he puts himself in a different mindset to meet the challenge against the very best opponents.

“When I’m going to play against a top player, I’m going to repeat myself that I’m better,” Alcaraz said. “I’m going to play my best, my 100 per cent just to beat them.”

Sinner’s Top 10 turnaround helped him climb to No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings in June. Entering 2024, the Italian was 22-27 when facing the elite group. This year he is 14-5 and all five of his defeats were in a deciding set.

Sinner is 2-0 in the Ilie Nastase Group and Alcaraz is 1-1 in the John Newcombe Group as they both try to reach the semi-finals at the Inalpi Arena. Their success the rest of the week in Turin will rely on their efforts against Top 10 opponents.

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Romanian Gamer wins Nitto ATP Finals eSports title

Victor Ionescu is the Tennis Clash eSports champion! Battling out in front of a lively crowd inside the Inalpi Arena Wednesday night, Ionescu overcame Matteo Dal Forno to win the Tennis Clash eSports crown and €6,000 in prize money.

The ‘Road To Turin’ began earlier this year, with 748,000 participants entering. After competing through three qualifying tournaments and five in-game tournaments, eight players qualified for finals day in Turin.

The round-robin and semi-finals stage of the mobile game occurred at the FITP eSports corner inside the Nitto ATP Finals Fan Village, with Ionescu and Dal Forno advancing to the final.

With the pressure on, Ionescu stepped up to win the title.

“When I saw my name on every screen inside the stadium it was very humbling, it was very crazy,” Ionescu said after his win. “I would never have anticipated this five years ago when I started playing this game. In order to qualify you have to win online and it was very competitive. There were many good players. Now I was here with the best players and it was crazy.”

Giovanni Di Natale, head of Marketing and Digital Business at FITP (Italian Tennis and Padel Federation), is pleased with the success of the Nitto ATP Finals eSeries.

“We believe that the eSports movement aligns with and supports our values, as well as the practice and vision of our players,” Di Natale said. “Currently, the eSportsFITP platform has over one million members, and we are committed to enhancing this initiative. While eSports is increasingly becoming a part of everyday life for young people, not all of them have access to traditional on-court tennis. To address this, we are striving to establish a balanced approach that promotes both virtual and on-court experiences.

“This initiative allows young enthusiasts of eSports to participate in events where they can play Tennis Clash and potentially be inspired to try tennis on court.”

All Nitto ATP Finals eSeries matches took place on a “virtual” court that replicates the Inalpi Arena and was created specifically for the event by WildLife Studios, the publisher of the Tennis Clash game and FITP’s partner in the development of the project. There was a total prize pot of €10,000.

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Sinner & Medvedev square off in Turin group finale

The 2024 Nitto ATP Finals will produce its first two singles semi-finalists on Thursday, as the action in the Ilie Nastase Group concludes. Home favourite Jannik Sinner will seek to wrap up a perfect round-robin campaign when he takes on Daniil Medvedev, after Taylor Fritz and Alex de Minaur meet in the day session. All four men still have a path to qualify for the knockout rounds.

The undefeated doubles duo of Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten will face Wesley Koolhof and Nikola Mektic in the Mike Bryan Group, while Aussies Max Purcell and Jordan Thompson meet Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos.

[1] Jannik Sinner (ITA) vs. [4] Daniil Medvedev
Playing on home soil for the first time this season, Sinner is in pole position to top the group after a pair of straight-sets wins against De Minaur and Fritz. But the No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings could face his toughest test so far this week against Medvedev on Day 5.

Thursday’s showdown will break a 7-7 tie in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series. Medvedev dominated the early stages of their rivalry, winning their first six matches, but Sinner has won seven of their past eight.

“[Medvedev] has been one of my key points in evolving myself as a player, because I struggled a lot to beat him,” Sinner said in Turin. “Now, every match is quite open, you never know what’s going to happen. He’s a very tough opponent.”

The Italian edged Medvedev in five sets in this year’s Australian Open final, overcoming a red-hot start from his opponent. In that match, Medvedev also showed his ability to evolve with an ultra-aggressive game plan that stunned Sinner in the first two sets.

The pair played another five-setter at Wimbledon, where Medvedev prevailed, though Sinner beat him at the US Open and at the Miami and Shanghai ATP Masters 1000s this season.

You need to play an inch-perfect match to beat [Jannik],” Medvedev said. “From start to finish, you need to be there, you need to make him tired physically and work him out. If you are not able to do it from the start, he gets control of the match and it’s tough to break his rhythm. Very, very tough opponent, especially here in Italy.”

Both players approached top form Tuesday in Turin, when Medvedev dominated De Minaur and Sinner outclassed Fritz in perhaps the highest-quality match of the week to date. Their matchup on Day 5 is what the Nitto ATP Finals is all about: two of the very best players in the world putting their very best tennis on display.

<img alt=”Taylor Fritz, Alex de Minaur” style=”width:100%;” src=”/-/media/images/news/2024/11/13/19/15/fritz-de-minaur-turin-2024-h2h.jpg” />

[5] Taylor Fritz (USA) vs. [7] Alex de Minaur (AUS)
Fritz and De Minaur first squared off at the professional level at the 2018 Next Gen ATP Finals, where De Minaur went on to reach the final. Six years later, they’ll meet again at the Nitto ATP Finals.

Fritz has shown the sort of form that propelled him to his first US Open final through two matches in Turin. After a statement opening win against Medvedev, he gave Sinner all he could handle in a rematch of their New York final. De Minaur has yet to win a set in his Nitto ATP Finals debut, but Fritz knows the Aussie can never be counted out.

“I played Demon in the second match of this year [at the United Cup] and personally, I thought it was one of the highest levels of tennis that I’ve ever seen on the other side of the court,” he said, reflecting on his 6-4, 6-2 defeat.

De Minaur owns a 5-3 Lexus ATP Head2Head advantage against Fritz, including a 2-0 record across the 2023 and 2024 seasons. He also lauded his opponent after the Turin draw was released.

“Taylor Fritz is powerful, cool under pressure and has a great serve,” he said. “He has a lot of firepower about him. He has shown what he is capable of this year.”

Both men will face considerable pressure on Thursday, but De Minaur’s margin for error is razor thin. The Aussie’s only path to the semi-finals is a straight-sets win coupled with a straight-sets victory for Sinner against Medvedev. That would put Sinner through as the group winner and leave the other three men level at 1-2 in matches and 2-4 in sets. From there, percentage of games won would decide who advances in second place.

Doubles Action
Seventh seeds Heliovaara and Patten have matched both Sinner and the German doubles duo of Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz by posting a perfect 2-0 record without dropping a set this week. They meet Koolhof and Mektic knowing that winning one set will confirm their first-place finish in the Mike Bryan Group.

Aussies Purcell and Thompson occupy second place in the group at 1-1 and also control their own semi-final destiny, while Granollers and Zeballos need a win and some help in order to advance to the knockout rounds.

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Alcaraz shrugs off illness to beat Rublev in Turin

Carlos Alcaraz overcomes illness to defeat Andrey Rublev 6-3 7-6 (10-8) at the ATP Tour Finals in Turin.

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Back in business! Alcaraz sinks Rublev at Nitto ATP Finals

After a rocky start to his Nitto ATP Finals, Carlos Alcaraz is up and running in Turin.

The Spaniard eased past Andrey Rublev 6-3, 7-6(8) on Wednesday afternoon at Inalpi Arena in an impressive response to his chastening opening defeat to Casper Ruud. Alcaraz, who struggled with a stomach issue against Ruud, was back to his physical, energetic best in his 96-minute win against Rublev.

“I surprised myself,” said Alcaraz, when asked about his performance despite feeling under the weather. “The way that I played today from the baseline, with my serve. I was really calm. I just tried to be focused on my game and what I had to do and forget about that I’m not feeling well and that I’m sick.

“Once you step on the court, you have to forget everything, your struggles outside the court, and you try to put your focus on hitting a good forehand, a good backhand, and making good tactics against the opponent. I thought I did that pretty well, and surprised myself.”

DOMINANT CARLOS 💎

No. 3 seed @carlosalcaraz finds the strength within and keep his hopes alive of survival with a vital victory over Rublev! #NittoATPFinals pic.twitter.com/2PIKTtRnir

— ATP Tour (@atptour) November 13, 2024

Sporting a pink nasal strip to aid his breathing, Alcaraz took control of Wednesday’s encounter by reeling off four consecutive games from 2-3 in the first set. He was assisted in that sequence by some wayward ballstriking from Rublev, who regained his composure to compete well in a second set featuring no break points but was nonetheless unable to deny Alcaraz a straight-sets victory.

The Roland Garros and Wimbledon champion Alcaraz kept his cool in the second-set tie-break, saving set points at 5/6 and 7/8 before closing out victory to take a 2-1 lead in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series against Rublev. The Spaniard’s previous victory against the World No. 8 also came in a Nitto ATP Finals group-stage encounter, at the 2023 edition of the prestigious season finale.

Even when up against one of the ATP Tour’s most powerful baseline hitters, Alcaraz’s ability to win points from all corners of the court stood out. He struck 31 winners to Rublev’s 14, a tally which included plenty of trademark drop shots and scintillating forehand passes from deep.

“I feel like in the last matches I couldn’t hit good drop shots, and I was thinking, ‘What’s going on?’,” said Alcaraz. “My style, my game, it’s about playing these kinds of shots and enjoying the game. So I tried to do it today. I felt pretty good from the baseline too, running.

“I had many options on my mind. If I move well, run well from the baseline, I have more options. I’m really happy that ‘Option A’ of just running and playing good points from the baseline, I made it happen.”

Alcaraz was also dominant on serve en route to rejuvenating his bid for a fifth tour-level title of 2024. He did not face a break point and won 84 per cent (37/44) of points behind his first delivery, according to Infosys ATP Stats.

Next up for the 21-year-old as he chases a Turin semi-final spot for the second consecutive year is a clash against Alexander Zverev on Friday. As well as potentially deciding who advances to the Nitto ATP Finals knockout stage, that clash could also be crucial in the battle to finish the year as World No. 2. Zverev is currently second in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, 505 points clear of third-placed Alcaraz.

[NEWSLETTER FORM]

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Which Nitto ATP Finals records does Roger Federer own?

Roger Federer is one of the most accomplished players in the history of tennis. It is no surprise the Swiss star made his mark on the Nitto ATP Finals, too.

The 103-time tour-level titlist claimed six of his trophies at the season finale, but that is not a record. Which tournament records does Federer own?

Federer has won more matches than anyone in event history
The six-time champion won more matches than anyone else in the history of the Nitto ATP Finals and it is not close.

Federer earned a 59-17 record in his 17 appearances. Only one other player — record seven-time champion Novak Djokovic — has earned more than 40 victories at the event. The Serbian has earned a 50-18 record.

Federer failed to make the semi-finals at the Nitto ATP Finals just once in 17 appearances (2008). He also made four finals on top of his six championship triumphs.

Most Match Wins – Nitto ATP Finals

Roger qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals 18 times
No player has qualified for the year-end championships more times than Federer, who earned his place at the tournament 18 times.

The Swiss first competed in the event in 2002 aged 21. That year, he reached the semi-finals before losing to No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings and eventual champion Lleyton Hewitt in three sets.

Federer qualified for the final time in 2020, aged 39. Tied for second on the list of qualifications are Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal with 17 each.

Most Nitto ATP Finals Qualifications

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Watch GB v Germany in BJK Cup Finals live on BBC

Great Britain will face Germany in the Billie Jean King Cup Finals in November – and you can watch it live on the BBC.

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BJK Cup tie called off after severe weather alert

A severe weather alert in southern Spain leads to the opening tie of the Billie Jean King Cup between Spain and Poland being postponed.

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Ruud’s stunning lob vs. Alcaraz… As you’ve never seen it before!

Even hardcore fans who have been keeping a keen eye on every point of the Nitto ATP Finals action this week in Turin have never seen tennis like this…

At the 2024 edition of the prestigious season finale, some of the most memorable on-court moments produced by the ATP Tour’s finest stars in Turin will be presented to help attract a younger audience and create new tennis fans. Each day, a Nitto ATP Finals Immersive Highlight will showcase a great point using cutting edge AR technology, 3D modelling and live data, bringing ATP tennis into people’s lives in a new and innovative way.

Check out Ruud’s stunning lob below to experience tennis like never before!

[NEWSLETTER FORM]

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Sinner fends off Fritz with assured win in Turin

Jannik Sinner’s quest to bookend his standout season with a Nitto ATP Finals trophy continued on Tuesday night in emphatic fashion. 

The top seed dialled in to seal 6-4, 6-4 victory over Taylor Fritz in a pulsating clash at the season finale, moving him to 2-0 in the Ilie Nastase Group. After a fast start from Fritz, home favourite Sinner delivered an assured performance to the 12,000 fans cheering him on inside the Inalpi Arena.  

“It was a very tough match, we got to know each other very well in a Grand Slam final,” said Sinner, who defeated Fritz in this year’s US Open championship match. “We knew exactly what to expect today, he was very aggressive and I was prepared.

“I just tried to serve very well in the important moments, which I did. That was a very crucial game in the second set, I was down 0/30. If he breaks me there, the momentum could change.”

FORZZZAAAA JANNIK 🌟🇮🇹🌟

World No. 1 @janniksin secures his second win at this year’s #NittoATPFinals, defeating Fritz 6-4 6-4!#NittoATPFinals pic.twitter.com/NcC7hryLjz

— ATP Tour (@atptour) November 12, 2024

Unfazed by the daunting task that stood before him, Fritz put Sinner through his paces in the early stages of the contest. The 23-year-old, however, raised his game when required to register a one-hour, 40-minute triumph, improving to 3-1 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series. 

In a gutsy eighth game, Fritz dug deep to hold serve from 0/40, but was unable to fend off Sinner further. In the 10th game, Sinner came alive to convert his fourth break point, according to Infosys ATP Stats, and secure the opener. Sinner was helped, however, by the American, who fired 16 unforced errors to his opponent’s 11.

In a battle between two of the Tour’s purest ballstrikers, Sinner showed signs of the blistering tennis that has propelled him to No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings. This was underpinned in the seventh game of the second set, when Sinner struck a stunning backhand winner en route to holding serve from 0/30, shifting the momentum firmly in his favour. 

Chasing his Tour-leading eighth title of 2024, Sinner is returning to action in Turin following a month-long break from competitive tennis. The Italian, who finished runner-up at the 2023 Nitto ATP Finals, now looks in strong contention to progress from the group, having not dropped a set.

View The Best Photos From Sinner’s ATP Year-End No. 1 Presented By PIF Honours Ceremony

Sinner will seek to extend his perfect 2-0 record in the Ilie Nastase Group when he takes on fourth seed Daniil Medvedev on Thursday. Fritz, who is 1-1, aims to secure a crucial win against Alex de Minaur in his bid to advance to the semi-finals for a second time (2022). 

<img alt=”Fans cheer as Jannik Sinner defeats Taylor Fritz at the Nitto ATP Finals on Tuesday. ” style=”width:100%;” src=”/-/media/images/news/2024/11/12/21/42/sinner-fans-natpf-tuesday-2024.jpg” />_{^{Fans cheer on as Jannik Sinner claims a second victory at the 2024 Nitto ATP Finals. (Photo by Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour)}}

In a back-and-forth tussle with Alexander Zverev to end the year with the most wins, Sinner levelled the German with his Tour-leading 67th victory in 2024 and improved to 7-0 on indoor hard courts across the season. 

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