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Alcaraz: ‘I don’t know what was I was thinking!’

  • Posted: Nov 15, 2024

Carlos Alcaraz was left ruing a few “key moments” he failed to capitalise on in his match against Alexander Zverev at the Nitto ATP Finals. The defeat at the hands of the German, which means he is almost certainly knocked out of Turin, tipped their Lexus ATP Head2Head in favour of his opponent (6-5). The Murcia native’s focus will now be on the Davis Cup Final 8, where he will join Rafael Nadal to represent Spain.

“The tie-break was pretty close, with a lot of points I could have played better,” lamented the No. 3 in the PIF ATP Rankings. “At 6/5, I don’t know what I was thinking when I tried to volley that ball… That’s tennis for you; you have to make choices in less than a second and sometimes you get it wrong.

“Losing the set in that way hurts,” he admitted. “In the second, I was at 0/40 after several stupid points and I was in trouble. I have to learn from these moments because I didn’t make the most of the chances I had.”

[ATP AWARDS]

Despite starting the week off battling illness, Alcaraz managed to get through his days in Italy with the help of antibiotics, rest and a nose strip to help him breathe (which he wore again in his match against Zverev) and a lot of self-belief that he could turn a situation around and reach the semi-finals, as he did in 2023.

“It was a difficult week for me, but it’s a privilege to be here among the eight best players in the world,” Alcaraz said. “I’m going to learn from what has happened. I played good tennis, but today I faced one of the best. I’m disappointed with the defeat,” he continued.

“One of my goals is to reach this part of the year feeling fresher. I was better than last year, but not good enough. I want to be as fresh as possible mentally and enjoy every one of my matches.”

How does he do that?

“It’s going to be impossible to reach this part of the year feeling fresh, but I have to play my best tennis even if I’m mentally tired,” the Spaniard explained. “That’s what good players do. How can I improve it? By practising every day with as much desire as possible. I have an amazing team and they have a very clear vision. They can help me and guide me well for this part of the season.”

[NEWSLETTER FORM]

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Zverev clinches Year-End No. 2 finish

  • Posted: Nov 15, 2024

Alexander Zverev with his victory against Carlos Alcaraz Friday at the Nitto ATP Finals did more than clinch his spot atop the John Newcombe Group. The German also guaranteed he will finish the year at No. 2 in the PIF ATP Rankings.

Zverev is No. 2 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings and now has a 905-point lead over No. 3 Alcaraz. While the Spaniard still can qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals semi-finals, he can no longer catch Zverev for World No. 2.

This is the highest year-end finish of Zverev’s career and the seventh time he will complete a season in the Top 10. The 27-year-old’s previous-best finish came in 2021 when he was year-end No. 3.

Zverev is two matches from earning the third Nitto ATP Finals trophy of his career. In 2024 he has already triumphed in Rome and Paris, both ATP Masters 1000 events.

Alcaraz is locked into a year-end World No. 3 finish. Two years ago he became the youngest ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF in history. Last year he finished No. 2.

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‘I asked him to win!’ Mascots walk on with Sinner & Co. at Nitto ATP Finals

  • Posted: Nov 15, 2024

Jannik Sinner is the name on everyone’s lips in Italy. The 23-year-old has enjoyed a historic season, rising to No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings and winning two major titles.

Sinner is competing on home soil this week at the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin, where everyone is keen to watch the Italian in action. From the practice courts to a packed Inalpi Arena, fans turned out in force on Tuesday night for Sinner’s match against Taylor Fritz.

The home favourite was greeted with raucous cheers when he walked onto court, but it was one lucky seven-year-old who had the chance to give the Italian final words of encouragement. Francesca, part of the mascot kid programme presented by Nitto, accompanied Sinner on court and shared a sweet message to the star.

“I asked him if he was scared about playing the match, and then I asked him to win,” Francesca said. “He replied, ‘I try’.”

[ATP AWARDS]

Sinner went on to defeat Fritz in straight sets, fulfilling the wishes of Francesca and the Italian crowd. The 23-year-old has previously spoken about the mascot programme, praising the initiative.

“I think it makes it special for the players,” Sinner said last year. “We have so many times in the year that we walk on alone. Here it is a little bit different with the mascot, so it’s nice.”

The walk-on mascots at this year’s Nitto ATP Finals are all from Casa UGI, a Turin-based volunteer organisation that supports children who are battling cancer and their families, doctors, nurses and volunteers. The children participating have either struggled with an illness or have a family member who is dealing with one.

Earlier in the week, mascot Matei had the opportunity to walk onto court with Australian Alex de Minaur. It was a moment he relished.

“It was very embarrassing because everyone was watching me, but also very exciting,” Matei said. “So exciting that I felt like laughing!

“I’m very happy I got to walk with Alex de Minaur. He was really nice and even asked me to give him a high five. He seems like a really tough guy. I’ll be cheering for him in these Nitto ATP Finals, and I’ll keep following him.”

<img alt=”Alex de Minaur” src=”/-/media/images/news/2024/11/15/10/21/demon-ballkid-turin-2024.jpg” style=”width: 100%;” />

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Kyrgios set for Brisbane return

  • Posted: Nov 15, 2024

Nick Kyrgios will make his long-awaited return to ATP Tour action next month at the Brisbane International presented by Evie, to be held from 29 December to 5 January 2025.

The 29-year-old has been hampered by wrist and foot injuries that have kept him sidelined for almost two years, having last contested a tour-level match at the BOSS OPEN in Stuttgart in June 2023.

Kyrgios, the former No. 13 in the PIF ATP Rankings, has fond memories of playing at the ATP 250 in Brisbane. In 2018, on his main-draw debut at the event, Kyrgios swept through the field to clinch his fourth tour-level title.

Now, after a gruelling injury hiatus, the seven-time ATP Tour titlist and Wimbledon finalist will return to Brisbane with his sights set on reigniting the form that propelled him to stardom earlier in his career.

World No. 10 Grigor Dimitrov is back to defend his title, along with Holger Rune and Frances Tiafoe, who will begin their 2025 campaigns in Brisbane. WTA Year-End No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka will lead the women’s event.

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