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Does Alcaraz have something to prove in Turin?

  • Posted: Nov 08, 2024

Aged just 21, Carlos Alcaraz is already a four-time major winner and a five-time ATP Masters 1000 champion. The Spaniard has spent 36 weeks at No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings and clinched the silver medal at the Paris Olympics in July.

However, when it comes to the Nitto ATP Finals, Alcaraz feels he has a point to prove. The 21-year-old missed the 2022 event due to injury before he lost in straight sets to record seven-time champion Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals on debut last year.

“Last year was a difficult end of the year for me,” Alcaraz said on Thursday in Turin ahead of the prestigious year-end event. “I could not play at my best. The last two matches here were pretty good matches for me but the previous two, three tournaments I didn’t play at my best, so I realised I had to change a little bit at this time of the year, which I did this year.

“I come here a little bit different. I approach this tournament a little differently, knowing there are things I have to change if I am to have a good result here and go far. Last year I didn’t start well from the first matches. I will try to play the same level and will try to play good tennis. I am coming here with a lot of motivation.”

Alcaraz sealed his spot at the Nitto ATP Finals in September after enjoying another impressive season on Tour. The No. 3 player in the PIF ATP Rankings lifted majors at Roland Garros and Wimbledon and won titles on hard courts in Indian Wells and Beijing.

Forever seeking improvement, the Spaniard reflected on 2024 ahead of his final event of the year.

“It is impossible to rate it 10 out of 10 as you can always be better but it was a really amazing year for me,” Alcaraz said. “I would say eight and a half or nine. It could have been better with the gold medal or other tournaments but I would say 8.5.

“I learned a lot this year. I know myself more as a person and a player: what I need to do, what I need, on and off the court. Some of my losses this year were really painful for me: what I have to do, to train on days off. It is not only a goal on the court but also what you have to do on days off: how many days to take before going to the tournament, before it starts to prepare as best.”

Alcaraz arrived in Turin at the start of the week in preparation for his campaign, which commences on Monday afternoon against Casper Ruud in Inalpi Arena. The former Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF champion is in The John Newcombe Group alongside Alexander Zverev, Ruud and Andrey Rublev.

Alcaraz is level at 5-5 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with Zverev, having won two of their three meetings this year. The Spaniard knows he will be in for a battle when he takes on the two-time Nitto ATP Finals champion, who clinched his seventh ATP Masters 1000 crown last week in Paris.

“He is one of the toughest players in the world for sure,” Alcaraz said on Zverev. “I think I return pretty well but he has a really big serve and plays unbelievable from the baseline, which makes him a really tough opponent to face.

“He has won more than 20 ATP Tour titles, lots of Masters titles. He wants a Grand Slam and I told him he is going to get it for sure. At the end of his career he will get at least one, let’s see if more. He deserves it. He is a really hard worker. He has lifted the big trophies. I don’t like to face him because of his serves and shots, but I am trying to find the beauty of playing him.”

<img alt=”Alexander Zverev/Carlos Alcaraz” src=”/-/media/images/news/2024/11/07/22/14/theatre-turin-2024-media-day.jpg” style=”width: 100%;” />
Photo Credit: Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour

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How Fritz's 'big positive' could help him under Turin bright lights

  • Posted: Nov 08, 2024

Taylor Fritz has produced fireworks throughout the 2024 season, and now, with the Nitto ATP Finals on the horizon, the American has his sights set on a grand finale.

Having already competed at the prestigious year-end event in 2022, Fritz will look to rely on lessons learned from that year’s semi-final run as he aims to become champion of champions.

The 27-year-old’s consistently high level this year, no matter the surface, has proven that he is more than capable.

“If I want to be a top player, I feel like you have to be playing your best tennis at the biggest events, so that was a big positive,” Fritz said when reflecting on his 2024 season.

“I think what I did this year that was a big goal of mine was that I performed my best at the Slams. In previous years, I maybe had one good Slam result throughout the calendar year and then some not so good ones.”

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Fritz, the first American singles player to qualify multiple times for the Nitto ATP Finals since Andy Roddick, is placed in the Ilie Nastase Group alongside Jannik Sinner, Daniil Medvedev and Alex de Minaur.

The US Open finalist Fritz and 2020 Nitto ATP Finals champion Medvedev will begin singles action Sunday in Turin.

“It’s obviously different from any other tournament because you are guaranteed to play three matches. You can lose your first match and still get out of the group,” Fritz said. “You lose a match, you do everything after the match like you just won because you have to go be ready to play another one again, potentially the next day. It’s really cool in that aspect.

“Also, straightaway, first match, you are going to be playing a top player. You really have to be ready from the first one to go out and be playing at your best level.”

Fritz’s opening match against Medvedev will mark just their second Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting.

“Daniil is obviously very awkward [to play] because he slows down the speed of the match a lot with how he plays and how he hits the ball. He doesn’t play with a lot of spin or lift for you to work off of,” Fritz said. “You constantly are feeling like you have to lift and generate pace. He slows down the court a lot.”

The 27-year-old will get another crack at the local hero Sinner, who spoiled Fritz’s quest of winning his home major.

“He’s been so consistent,” Fritz said of Sinner. “I would say the most impressive thing is that he hasn’t played a bad match. He’s just been really solid all year. Super aggressive from the baseline, tough to get him on defence because a lot of his defence is playing big out of the corners, almos tplaying offence. He’s improved his serve so much, massive improvement. He’s become a very good server.”

Boasting a 49-21 season record, Fritz also spoke highly of De Minaur’s level this year, mentioning it was no surprise to see the Aussie qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals for the first time.

“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,” Fritz concluded.

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Sinner, Zverev, Alcaraz & co. arrive in Turin

  • Posted: Nov 08, 2024

Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz, and fellow Nitto ATP Finals competitors have arrived in Turin.

Players were greeted by thousands of fans as they walked the blue carpet at the Piazza Carlo Alberto, one of Turin’s most picturesque squares, where a tournament promotion was projected onto the facade of the National Library.

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Did Medvedev have a sixth sense about Turin streak?

  • Posted: Nov 08, 2024

When Daniil Medvedev finished the 2018 season at a then career-high No. 17 in the PIF ATP Rankings, little did he know that he would continue his climb and embark on a six-year streak competing at the prestigious Nitto ATP Finals.

Medvedev, who went 0-3 in his tournament debut in 2019 followed by a title run in 2020, is a perennial threat to become the champion of champions in Turin. This year is no different.

But the six-year streak has caught even Medvedev by surprise.

“Probably if you asked me in 2018, when I was not there, you’d say, ‘Six times in a row I’m going to be there’, I’d like be, ‘Wow! How? You need to win Masters 1000s, you need to play good at the Slams, and at that time I wasn’t doing it yet, even if I was going up. So I’m pretty happy about it,” Medvedev told ATP Media. “Happy to be here and looking forward.”

The 28-year-old reflected on his 2024 season, during which he has tallied a 45-19 match record, labelling it as an “up and down” year with “some positives and some negatives”.

After lifting a career-best five titles in 2023, Medvedev is short on time as he continues to seek his first trophy of the season. The Australian Open and Indian Wells finalist is placed in the Ilie Nastase Group alongside Jannik Sinner, Taylor Fritz and Alex de Minaur.

Medvedev and Fritz will kickstart the singles action on Sunday in what will be just their second Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting.

“With Taylor, it’s pretty crazy because we’ve both been Top 10 for like three years and we kind of started to be on Tour at the same time and we’ve only played each other one time, which is crazy,” said Medvedev, who beat Fritz in Cincinnati in 2022.

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After Medvedev won his first six tour-level matches against Sinner, the Italian has forged a major turnaround in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series, which now stands at 7-7. Medvedev and Sinner clashed five times this season (Sinner 4-1), including at three of the majors.

“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.”

Boasting an 11-9 career record at the season finale, Medvedev will look to gain revenge on Nitto ATP Finals debutant De Minaur, who defeated the 20-time tour-level titlist at Roland Garros this year.

“I’ve known Alex for a long time. For me, he was always a great tennis player,” Medvedev said. “[Before], maybe a bit too much up and down, where he could have some amazing matches or even in the same match — he could have some amazing points where he runs from one side of the court to another one and makes a highlight for the season. And then during the same match, he would go a little bit down, make some mistakes, and this year that was not the case.

“I feel like that’s what made this season better than his previous ones — the consistency he was able to find throughout the whole year and throughout the whole matches.”

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Debutant Demon determined to deliver in Turin

  • Posted: Nov 08, 2024

Season after season, Alex de Minaur has climbed the PIF ATP Rankings. From a Top 30 finish in 2022 to the Top 15 in 2023, the Australian will end 2024 with his first year-end Top 10 finish.

Forever a fighter on court, the Australian has enhanced his physicality, shotmaking and tactical awareness in recent years. His reward? A place at the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin.

“I have just constantly looked at myself in the mirror and tried to find ways to get better,” De Minaur said when asked about his development. “It is what I have done every single year. Continuously trying to improve and get better and have fun ways to get better. It is never to be satisfied. Huge credit to my whole team, all the people around me who push me.

“Things just click. You look and try to find and tweak a few things until you hit the right spot and then the confidence works and it is a great thing when you are playing good tennis and high on confidence.”

De Minaur will need to be at his very best in Turin, where he makes his debut. The Australian, who has won two tour-level titles in 2024, will be plunged straight into the deep end on Sunday night when he takes on World No. 1 and home favourite Jannik Sinner in his opening Round Robin match in Ilie Nastase Group.

“It is not rocket science but you have to be ready from the word go. It doesn’t get any harder than starting against Jannik,” said De Minaur, who trails Sinner 0-7 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series. “From the very start, I need to be ready, I need to compete. It is going to be a great experience. A great challenge. But this is where I have wanted to be all these years.”

Sinner reached the final in Turin in 2023 and backed that up by winning majors at the Australian Open and US Open in 2024. De Minaur is aware of the challenge he will face come Sunday night.

“Jannik’s career is still very young but he has accomplished so much,” De Minaur added. “The best player in the world this year. Playing some incredible tennis. Consistent. Has the best win percentage on Tour and it is all for a reason. He is a very tough customer to play against, so he has earned his way to the top.”

De Minaur will also play 2020 champion Daniil Medvedev and 2022 semi-finalist Taylor Fritz in the round-robin stage. The nine-time tour-level titlist was full of praise for both.

“Medvedev himself is an interesting character,” De Minaur said. “We have played a lot of matches, had a lot of battles. I always look forward to those kinds of matches. I think we are both tacticians out there when we play each other. We try and put balls in certain areas where they won’t like.

“Taylor Fritz is powerful, cool under pressure and has a great serve. He has a lot of firepower about him. He has shown what he is capable of this year. Making a final of a Grand Slam is not an easy feat.”

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Sinner ready to roll with home support in Turin

  • Posted: Nov 07, 2024

Absence has only made the heart grow fonder for Jannik Sinner.

The Italian is preparing to compete on home soil for the first time in 12 months this week at the Nitto ATP Finals. A year ago, Sinner enjoyed a superb run to the championship match in Turin, roared on by his passionate home fans. He returns as the No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings after a stunning 2024 season, during which one of his few disappointments was missing his home ATP Masters 1000 event in Rome due to injury.

“Many things make [this tournament] special,” Sinner told ATP Media on Thursday in Turin. “First of all, being an Italian and playing in Italy. I haven’t played in Italy this year, because I missed Rome. That was a really tough one, but I am even more excited and happy to be here.

“[My season] is very highly rated. I would have never imaged to win so many things this year. Many things have happened. Thinking back to how everything started in Australia… For me, it’s about always trying to improve as a player, as a person, as a human being. I’m even more proud and happy with how I am evolving. Hopefully next year it will also be this process of improvement.”

With Sinner having racked up 65 wins and a Tour-leading seven titles in 2024, including his first two major crowns at the Australian Open and the US Open, expectations of the 23-year-old in Turin will be sky high. Yet while some players find competing with the backing of home support tricky, the clean-hitting Sinner is confident it can help him qualify from a Ilie Nastase Group that also includes Daniil Medvedev, Taylor Fritz and Alex de Minaur.

“The atmosphere is just amazing,” he said. “It’s very different to other tournaments because you can lose and still win the tournament, so there are different scenarios. I’m just happy to be back here and hopefully I can show some good tennis.”

A feeling of elation was in the air throughout Sinner’s run to the final at the Inalpi Arena a year ago. It was reflective of the recent boom Italian tennis has enjoyed, and Sinner’s subsequent rise to World No. 1 is only likely to have enhanced home fans’ spirits ahead of their hero’s 2024 Nitto ATP Finals campaign.

“For sure [my success] has had an impact [on the way Italians see tennis], but we must not forget the rest,” said Sinner. “It started with what I’ve seen with my eyes: [Fabio] Fognini winning Monte-Carlo, [Matteo] Berrettini winning loads of tournaments and then making the final of Wimbledon. Then everything started to grow a little, then I arrived.

“Now, we have so many great players. [Lorenzo] Musetti has had an amazing season, [but also] [Flavio] Cobolli, [Matteo] Arnaldi and [Luciano] Darderi. So, we have many players. Also the doubles, with Simone [Bolelli] and Andrea [Vavassori], and also on the women’s side. Tennis is growing quite a lot in Italy and I’m very happy that I am also a part of this and can help it grow, especially when lots of kids start to play.”

Sinner will begin group-stage play at Inalpi Arena on Sunday evening, when he will take on Nitto ATP Finals debutant Alex de Minaur. He leads the Australian 7-0 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series.

“Alex is a bit different as a player. He is a very solid, very fast mover [with] a great mentality,” said Sinner. “You have to win every point somehow. He is not going to give it to you, so you have to go for it. With the work ethic he has, he deserves to be in the position he is in.

“He won’t hold back, he will keep improving as a player, and it’s nice to see him here. The first time is always very special. You see something new, you feel less pressure because it’s the first time. So, let’s see what’s coming.”

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After losing his first six tour-level matches against Medvedev, Sinner has forged a major turnaround in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series, which now stands at 7-7. Meanwhile the Italian holds a 2-1 lead against Fritz, whom he defeated in the US Open final in September.

“[Medvedev] has had an amazing career, winning a lot of tournaments,” said Sinner. “He has a great mentality on the court, moving incredibly well. He’s changing his game style a little bit so he’s even more dangerous to play. He has been one of my key points in evolving myself as a player, because I struggled a lot to beat him. Now, every match is quite open, you never know what’s going to happen. He’s a very tough opponent.

“Taylor Fritz, I might know slightly less, because we haven’t had so many encounters yet. But he is an amazing server, hitting the ball very strong. He has improved a lot in the last two years, starting with the serve and returning very well. He is an all-round very good player, and he has had an amazing season.”

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Sinner, Zverev, Alcaraz & co. grace the theatre, aiming to bring the curtain down in Turin

  • Posted: Nov 07, 2024

After a hard-fought season, involving twists and turns, the Nitto ATP Finals commences on Sunday in Turin, where the best eight players this season will battle it out to end the season as the ultimate champion.

Before the serious business commences, the players swapped their racquets for the blue carpet on Thursday evening. The eight stars – Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev, Taylor Fritz, Casper Ruud, Alex de Minaur, Andrey Rublev – signed autographs before they took to stage at the grand Carignano Theatre in front of an audience of young fans, answering questions on their chances in Turin, their seasons and much more.

“It is very special,” Sinner opened to cheers when asked about playing at home in Turin. “I missed Rome this year which was tough mentally for me. I am very happy to be back here. Last year was a great event and a great atmosphere for everyone. I hope it will be a great event.”

Sinner, who received raucous cheers from the audience at the theatre, arrives in Turin as the World No. 1, having lifted majors at the Australian Open and US Open in 2024. Last year, the 23-year-old lit up the Inalpi Arena with his swashbuckling play, but fell one match short of the title, losing to Novak Djokovic in the final.

Seeking the winning feeling this year, Sinner faces stiff competition from World No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz, who won the year’s other majors at Roland Garros and Wimbledon.

“When I smile on court I show my best tennis, my best shots. I try to play solid but aggressively and need to do it perfectly if I am to lift the trophy,” Alcaraz said on stage when analysing his title chances. “I come here with the goal to win. I want to put this trophy next to the others and it is a good goal. I am playing against the best players in the world, so I need to play my best.”

<img alt=”Jannik Sinner/Carlos Alcaraz” src=”/-/media/images/news/2024/11/07/22/24/sin-alcaraz-turin-2024-media-day.jpg” style=”width: 100%;” />
Photo Credit: Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour
Alcaraz and Sinner will not meet in the Round Robin stage, having been drawn in separate groups on Thursday. One man Alcaraz will face in the group is two-time champion Alexander Zverev.

The German won the title in London in 2018 and then in 2021, after the event moved to Turin, became the first year-end champion in the Italian city. Zverev, who clinched the ATP Masters 1000 crown in Rome earlier this year, has fond memories playing in Italy.

“For me, Italy is a country of firsts,” Zverev said on stage. “I won my first Masters 1000 here in Rome and then I won my first Masters back after injury this year in Rome. I won the first ever year here in Turin, so there are a lot of special memories that connect me to Italy. I am a bit out there and I think the Italian people are also a bit [out there], so it is fitting. I really love the atmosphere the Italians give.”

Alongside Zverev, Medvedev has become part of the furniture in Turin. The 28-year-old is set to make his sixth consecutive appearance at the event, having won in 2020. A consistent member of the Top 8, Medvedev opened up on how he has adjusted his game during the years.

“I think I have changed my style. When I was very young I was super aggressive, when I was 19 or 20. Then I changed back to my roots,” Medvedev said. “When I was young, I used to hit lobs, and now I am kind of back to it. I just try to do whatever works on court and try to win.”

Medvedev’s philosophy of ‘win at all costs’ is one all eight will take with them when they step onto court from Sunday. With a lot on the line, the talking is now over and the quest to win in Turin is on.

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Home hope Medjedovic masters Cerundolo, books Belgrade SF spot

  • Posted: Nov 07, 2024

After an up and down year, is Hamad Medjedovic ready to wrap 2024 in style at the Belgrade Open?

The home favourite on Thursday eased past third seed Francisco Cerundolo 6-4, 6-2 to reach the semi-finals at the indoor hard-court ATP 250. Medjedovic channelled the support of a raucous crowd in the Serbian capital to register the joint-biggest win of his career against the World No. 29 Cerundolo.

“I think it was tough, but when you have a crowd like this, it’s crazy,” said Medjedovic. “I’m playing really good here. I’m feeling amazing in front of my crowd. I think I really found my level after a long time. I was working hard to find it, but in today’s match I think I played the best so far and I’m happy that I won.”

With his win, Medjedovic improved his tour-level record for the season to 8-7. The 2023 Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF champion’s progress has been disrupted this year: He did not play an ATP Tour match until April after being laid low by a virus, and has since found wins at that level hard to come by. He did reach an ATP Challenger Tour final in Istanbul in early September, however, and this week on home soil has begun to show signs of his best form.

Having defeated Americans Brandon Nakashima and Aleksandar Kovacevic across his opening two rounds, Medjedovic powered past Cerundolo with a confident display in the pair’s maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head clash. The 21-year-old converted four of 10 break points he earned, according to Infosys ATP Stats.

“With these kinds of players, top players, you have to be focused throughout the whole match,” reflected Medjedovic. “I think I was losing my focus in the beginning of the second set, but I was trying to hold my nerves and trying to be better and better. I think in the middle of the second set I found my level again and I was playing good.”

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Medjedovic has risen 32 spots to No. 124 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings as a result of his run in Belgrade so far. His opponent in his third ATP Tour semi-final will be another Serbian, Laslo Djere. The 29-year-old Djere earlier downed Fabian Marozsan 6-4, 6-2.

Jiri Lehecka and Denis Shapovalov will face off in the other semi-final in Belgrade. The fourth-seeded Lehecka overcame Lukas Klein 3-6, 7-6(3), 6-3 for his 30th tour-level win of the year. Meanwhile qualifier Shapovalov defeated Christopher O’Connell 6-2, 6-2 to advance to his first ATP Tour semi-final since his run to the Vienna championship match in 2022.

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