'A team of incredible women' – is this GB's golden BJK Cup chance?
Great Britain have never won the BJK Cup, but expectation is building before their quarter-final against Canada on Sunday.
Great Britain have never won the BJK Cup, but expectation is building before their quarter-final against Canada on Sunday.
Two years ago Taylor Fritz made his debut at the Nitto ATP Finals and advanced to the semi-finals. On Sunday, the American will try to cap his second appearance in the season finale with a trophy.
But the fifth seed will face a big challenge in the final at the Inalpi Arena when he stands across the net from top seed Jannik Sinner. It is a rematch of both this year’s US Open final and a clash from Group Ilie Nastase play earlier this week.
“I thought the match here was actually even a higher level from both guys. Jannik is extremely even-keeled,” Fritz’s coach, Michael Russell, told ATPTour.com. “He’s just so calm under pressure and explosive out of the corners. He’s very agile and able to turn defence into offence better than most of the guys on Tour, which makes it challenging.
“But Taylor knows that and Taylor, when he serves how he can serve with high percentages, it puts so much pressure on his opponents. He has a lot of confidence and he’s hitting the ball great.”
Watch Fritz Turin SF Highlights:
In recent years Fritz has experienced a lot of firsts. In Indian Wells two years ago he claimed his maiden ATP Masters 1000 trophy and just two months ago he made his first major final at the US Open. What has he learned from those big-match experiences, especially his recent effort in New York?
“I think a lot of it is managing emotions and also having confidence, vanquishing any self doubt,” Russell said. “We all talk about being in finals of major events, but then actually being able to do it, that gives you the confidence from having that experience and putting yourself in those positions time and time again. You get more comfortable every time you’re on the court in that situation.”
The score in the US Open final was 6-3, 6-4, 7-5 in favour of Sinner. But in the match Fritz served for the third set and had a chance to push the encounter into a fourth set, so he had opportunities. Since then, the eight-time ATP Tour titlist has made the semi-finals in Shanghai and now the final in Turin.
“We’re all proud of the way that he’s conducted himself and the work that he’s putting in and it’s a constant process,” Russell said. “It doesn’t stop. It never stops. You’ve got to continue to put the work in and [follow] the process and the progress and the results will come.”
[ATP AWARDS]Regardless of the result Sunday, Fritz will leave Turin having broken new ground. He will climb to a career-high No. 4 in the PIF ATP Rankings on Monday and become the first American to finish in the year-end top four since James Blake was No. 4 in 2006.
“It’s fantastic. To start the year outside of the Top 10 and then finish the year [at No.] 4, it’s a phenomenal achievement,” Russell said. “Credit to Taylor and the team for really improving, continuing to improve, continuing to progress.
“He’s put in a lot of hard work and to make the final of the US Open, to be in the final here, to win multiple 250 events, it’s not easy. It’s a long year, its a lot of travel, there’s a lot of adversity to deal with and he’s just done a really remarkable job of being mature and dealing with those variables.”
Two years ago, Fritz was new to the Nitto ATP Finals scene, and making the semi-finals was a breakthrough in itself. Now the 27-year-old has a chance to cause a big upset and stun the Italian crowd for the biggest title of his career.
“He’s definitely more confident in his abilities and that parlays into not just playing on court, but the fitness part, the mental toughness, the resilience,” Russell said. “He’s always been a great competitor, but now he’s seeing the results. That leads to a new level of confidence when you’re in those pressure moments — the belief to go for certain shots, to hit certain serves, to be able to take the racquet out of your opponent’s hand.
“That’s the difference of Taylor in 2024 compared to Taylor in 2022.”
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Carlos Alcaraz says winning next week’s Davis Cup for Rafael Nadal is a “huge motivation” and will mark the “most special” tournament of his career.
A day after being knocked out of the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin, Carlos Alcaraz landed in Málaga to join the Spanish team, which will take the court against the Netherlands in the Davis Cup Final 8. It’s a competition that is always special, but this time will be a momentous occasion because it will be Rafael Nadal’s last tournament as a professional.
And the significance of it hasn’t eluded Alcarez. Far from it.
‘It’s probably the most special tournament I’ll play in my career, because of what’s happening, because of the circumstances,’ Alcaraz began. ‘The Davis Cup has always been a tournament that I’d love to win one day, I’m passionate about representing Spain. I’ve said it many times: one of the greatest things in the world is being able to represent your country in any field. Having Rafa by my side, knowing it’s his last tournament, will make it much more special,’ he went on.
‘I’ll try to contribute and help the team any way I can – for me, for Spain and especially for Rafa. No player deserves more to finish the incredible career he had with a title, and I know how special the Davis Cup is for him. It will be a difficult challenge but winning it for Rafa is a huge motivation.’
[ATP AWARDS]Alcaraz, 21, is clear about what the priorities are for the next week, aware that Nadal’s farewell is a unique moment in his life.
‘Rafa’s farewell is much more important, at least for me,’ said Alcaraz. ‘The Davis Cup is every year. Rafa’s farewell, saying goodbye to a legend of the sport, unfortunately only happens once. The Davis is very important, representing your country and trying to win it for Spain, but personally I’m very excited to be by Rafa’s side for his farewell. And the fact that it’s in the Davis, which is a very important tournament for him, virtually where he started his career with that victory against Roddick… Being able to retire in this competition is special, and it is for me, too. It will be an incredible event because of the occasion and hopefully it will end with the title.’
Alcaraz helped Spain qualify for the Final 8, scoring two singles points in Valencia (against Ugo Humbert in the series against France and Tomas Machac in the tie with the Czech Republic) and one in doubles (joining forces with Marcel Granollers to defeat Jakub Mensik and Adam Pavlasek).
Spain will take the court on Tuesday against the Netherlands in the Davis Cup Final 8.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]It’s a high bar to suggest that Jannik Sinner has unfinished business at the end of a season in which he earned his first two Grand Slams among seven titles and became the first Italian man to claim ATP Year-end No. 1 honours presented by PIF.
Yet one burning ambition remains to make the season feel truly complete. Twelve months on from an uncharacteristically flat performance against Novak Djokovic in the Nitto ATP Finals title match, Sinner is looking to win the season finale for the first time in front of his adoring fans, who walked out of the Inalpi Arena deflated.
[ATP AWARDS]
Much work is to be done Sunday to make the dream a reality, however, as the 23-year-old faces a fifth Lexus ATP Head2Head meeting (all on hard) with Taylor Fritz, who snapped the eight-match winning streak of two-time Nitto ATP Finals champion Alexander Zverev in a gripping semi-final Saturday to move to a career-high No. 4 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings.
Fritz, the first American to reach the final since James Blake in 2006, claimed the first of the pair’s meetings at Indian Wells in 2021, but Sinner has won the past three, including a straight-sets win in group play earlier this week, and in September’s US Open final.
<img alt=”Nitto ATP Finals preview data” style=”width:100%;” src=”/-/media/images/news/2024/11/16/21/57/tdi-turin-final-graphic.jpg” />
Graphic courtesy TDI
Sinner may feel that he will have a slight edge in baseline exchanges – despite Fritz holding his own in extended crosscourt backhand battles with Zverev in the semis – but the American could negate that if he has a big night on serve.
Key will be the number of first serves he puts into play. The 27-year-old American leads the tournament with a first-serve winning percentage of 83.6. But his second-serve winning percentage of 42.2 is lowest among the Elite Eight. [Sinner heads the list at this year’s tournament with 66.7 per cent.]
With Sinner also topping the charts with a 64 per cent winning ratio returning second serves, Fritz has a decision to make: Take something off the first serve and get more into play, or back himself to have an exceptional night on first serve. The approach – and execution – could be the key to the match.
In his 6-4, 6-4 loss to Sinner on Tuesday, Fritz won just 38 per cent of second-serve points while Sinner won 59 per cent. The Californian will be keen to not give Sinner too many looks at his second delivery on Sunday.
Players with 25 or less games lost en route to Nitto ATP Finals championship match
| Games Lost | Player (year) |
| 16 | Novak Djokovic (2014) |
| 19 | John McEnroe (1978) |
| 24 | Novak Djokovic (2018) |
| 24* | Ivan Lendl (1981) |
| 25 | Roger Federer (2010) |
| 25 | Jannik Sinner (2024) |
*Played just three matches
After advancing to the final and contemplating a possible rematch with Sinner, Fritz said that he felt better about his defeat in group play this week than he did after his US Open lost to the Italian.
“The US Open felt like I was kind of just trying to keep myself in with my serve, stay alive, win points by hitting big shots or playing off of his errors. Kind of just like not repeatable, consistent ways to win points,” Fritz said.
“The match we played here…. I felt much more comfortable from the baseline. I had my chances in that match. I had chances to break him in both sets. He had an equal amount of chances, and he took his. He played the big points better than I did in the group stage match.”
Sinner, who won the Australian Open and US Open this year, will be desperate to avoid again seeing a vanquished round-robin opponent gain his revenge in the final. Last year, in one of the best matches of the season, Sinner toppled Djokovic in a third-set tie-break in group play, only to fall to the Serbian 6-3, 6-3 in the final.
Asked to look ahead to the final, Sinner said, “It’s a very similar position as I was in last year. Just I’ve grown in 12 months now as a player. Tomorrow is going to be a very interesting day in any case. I’m happy again to be in this position. It’s a very special occasion.”
Fresh off his semi-final defeat to he Italian, Casper Ruud was asked to compare Sinner to seven-time Nitto ATP Finals champion Djokovic, the Norwegian replied: “Jannik hits a faster ball than Novak. He doesn’t let you breathe. With Novak you can play rallies. Not going to say easier to play Novak because he’s the best in the history. At least with Novak you can play more rallies and not be terrified of Novak ripping, like, a bomb down the line or cross-court or these things,” Ruud said.
Sunday’s title match begins at 6 p.m. CET/12 noon ET.
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[NEWSLETTER FORM]
Just as World No. 1 Jannik Sinner will look to cap his banner year with the Nitto ATP Finals title Sunday, so too will year-end doubles No. 1 team Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic, who meet Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz for the seventh time this season.
Salvadoran Arevalo and Croatian Pavic fell in straight sets when the teams met in group play this week, and trail the Germans 2-4 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series.
Arevalo and Pavic had won just three matches against all opposition since falling to the Germans in the US Open semi-finals, but are now in position to punctuate their year with a fifth title of the season and first since Cincinnati in August.
“It means a lot. I think this was the goal at the beginning of the tournament and also ending the season in the best way possible,” Arevalo said of the title quest.
[ATP AWARDS]
Having saved a match point in Saturday’s semi-final against Aussie duo Jordan Thompson and Max Purcell, Krawietz and Puetz have the chance to become the first all-German duo to win the Nitto ATP Finals doubles crown.
“We knew when we came here we could beat everyone,” Krawietz said. “Being No. 8, we were happy to qualify here and then just tried to see what we could do and it has worked out very well.”
The doubles final begins at 3 p.m. CET/9 a.m. ET.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]World number one Jannik Sinner will face Taylor Fritz in the ATP Finals title match as he bids to become the first Italian to win the season-ending tournament.
Alexander Zverev was close to solving the Taylor Fritz puzzle, but fell short again.
On Saturday, the 27-year-old lost to the inspired American in the semi-finals at the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin. In a tight three-set battle where only a few points set the two apart, Zverev admitted he fell short at crucial moments.
“This one will hurt maybe a bit more because I thought I played at a decent level and I had more chances generally in the third set. I felt like statistically and shot-wise, my level maybe was even higher than his until the important moments. That’s where I kind of blew it. This one will hurt more than the other few,” said Zverev.
“I didn’t use my chances in the third set at all. I feel like I had more than enough. I played a below-average tie-break, I would say. A lot worse than what the level was throughout the third set from my end.”
In one of the most noteworthy rivalries of 2024, Zverev and Fritz faced each other five times, including battles at Wimbledon and the US Open, which went Fritz’s way. Overall, the American, enjoying his best season on the Tour, edged Zverev 4-1 in the Lexus ATP Head2Head series.
The two-time Nitto ATP Finals champion acknowledged the improvements he has seen in the US Open finalist’s game.
“His forehand used to break down quite a lot. His forehand was always fast, and very aggressive, but it was very shaky in important moments. He could hit a winner, but he could hit the fence, as well. I feel like the ratio is a lot more towards winners now than hitting the fence. His forehand doesn’t break down as much as it used to,” he said.
“I think that’s the shot that improved the most for him.”
[ATP AWARDS]Zverev, who notched a perfect 3-0 round-robin record at the prestigious season finale, including a straight-sets win over Carlos Alcaraz in his last group stage match on Friday, admitted he felt different against Fritz in the semi-final.
“I felt a bit more empty today. Yesterday I felt full of energy. I was like a jumping ball. I could move and I could run no matter how long. Today I felt more empty, especially in the beginning. The longer the match went on, the better I felt. In the beginning of the match, I struggled. In the warm-up I struggled as well,” he shared.
“It was one of those days where everything takes time to get going. It’s not a natural flow to movement patterns, to your shots as well, to just how you wake up in the morning. Everything is a little bit more tiring. I felt that way today.
“Against Carlos, it was the highlight of the tournament. Probably the highest-level match that the tournament has seen so far. Unfortunately, I didn’t back it up at the level in the first set.”
Zverev, who has sealed his status as the year-end No. 2 in the PIF ATP Rankings, also reflected on his journey this year. The German won two titles and registered a 69-21 record this season according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index.
“I played some fantastic matches. I’ve won 65 matches, something like that. It’s been an interesting year for me, especially after the injury. It was kind of my first year completely back competing at this level and competing for big tournaments. I won two Masters events (Rome and Paris),” said Zverev.
“But what stays in mind I think are the tough losses that you had. What will stay in my mind is the Australian Open loss against Daniil, and the French Open final against Carlos. Those are the matches that stay in my mind. You can trust me, I’m going to do everything I can to be back in the same moments, in the same position next year. I’m going to do everything I can to win.”
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid fail to retain their Wheelchair Masters doubles title with a straight-set defeat by Martin de la Puente and Joachim Gerard in the Netherlands.
Jasmine Paolini wins both her singles and doubles matches to lead Italy into the Billie Jean King Cup semi-finals with victory over Japan.