When Carlos Alcaraz plays the first point of his match on Saturday against Albert Ramos-Vinolas at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia, the 20-year-old Spaniard will clinch his return to No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

Novak Djokovic arrived in Rome with a five-point lead over Alcaraz. However, Djokovic is the defending champion and will drop 1,000 points on 22 May. Alcaraz is not defending any points, and he will earn 10 by beginning his opening match in the Italian capital. That has already put him atop the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings.

Alcaraz will therefore begin his 23rd week at World No. 1 on 22 May. The Spaniard has a big opportunity to leave Rome with a sizable lead. If the 20-year-old wins the Internazionali BNL d’Italia, he will depart Italy with at least a 1,395-point advantage over Djokovic.

Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings (entering Rome)

Djokovic can keep the battle close if he wins his seventh Rome title. The Serbian can finish the tournament with 6,775 points, which would keep him within 595 points of Alcaraz if the Spaniard reaches the final.

The 35-year-old’s grip on World No. 2 is not secure, though. Daniil Medvedev can climb to 6,330 points by winning the title on his least-favourite surface. That would force Djokovic to reach the final to remain World No. 2.

That will be a crucial battle for Roland Garros seeding. Alcaraz is in position to take the first seed in Paris, but the seeds below him are up for grabs.

Casper Ruud and Stefanos Tsitsipas also have an opportunity to potentially move into the world’s top three by winning the title in Rome, depending on Medvedev’s performance. Neither man can pass Djokovic.

The rivalry between Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic has played out at the top of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings this season, with the pair jockeying for World No. 1 throughout 2023. The 20-year-old Alcaraz began the year at the pinnacle of the men’s game and has since traded the top spot with Djokovic, with each man enjoying two separate stints as No. 1. 

Alcaraz will reclaim the honour from the Serbian in the next edition of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings by simply taking the court on Saturday for his Internazionali BNL d’Italia debut against fellow Spaniard Albert Ramos-Vinolas. But after months of back-and-forth drama, Alcaraz and Djokovic could meet on the court for the first time this year during the Rome ATP Masters 1000.

“Being in the same tournament with Novak is great, having him here and learning from him,” Alcaraz said, after injuries for both men prevented them from being in the same draw previously this season. “It’s always good having the best tennis players in the world in the tournament. It’s great. I hope to meet him in the final.

“I always say that as a tennis fan, I always want to see the best players in the world, to watch them, learn from them, because you have to learn from everyone. It’s great to share the tournament [with him].”

If the top two seeds meet in the Rome final, it would be their second ATP Head2Head meeting. Alcaraz won a thrilling 6-7(5), 7-5, 7-6(5) semi-final last year in Madrid on the way to completing a Spanish trophy double across Barcelona and the nation’s capital — a feat he repeated this season.

While the tennis world is eager to see the pair develop a rivalry on the court, Alcaraz said his biggest rival is himself.

“I said before that your biggest rival is yourself. It’s not only for me, it’s for everyone,” he explained. “You have to control yourself, your emotions first, then playing against the opponent.

“You have to choose the correct [tactics and shots] in every moment. That is really tough because we have just seconds before hitting the ball. It’s tough. It’s not just for me, it’s for everyone.”

As Alcaraz looks ahead for his Rome debut, his opening match also brings back memories of the past. The matchup against Ramos-Vinolas is a repeat of his very first ATP Tour match, which he won in a third-set tie-break in Rio de Janeiro in 2020.

“It was a really good match for me, my first ATP win against him,” recalled Alcaraz, who now owns a 3-0 ATP Head2Head record against his countryman. “But, yeah, that was a long time ago.

“After that I played [him] a few times more. It was really tough. I would say it’s a good first round for me. I have to play well to get through. Let’s see. I’m going to enjoy my first match here. Obviously here it’s such a nice place to be, to play, to enjoy the Italian fans. It’s always great to play in front [of them]. I’m going to enjoy that moment.”

Cameron Norrie wasted little time kick-starting his Internazionali BNL d’Italia campaign on Friday morning in Rome.

The World No. 13 required just 74 minutes to down Alexandre Muller 6-2, 6-3 for a confidence-boosting second-round win at the ATP Masters 1000 event. Norrie entered the match with a modest 2-3 record on the European clay so far this year but the Briton fired 20 winners and converted three of his seven break points to overcome the No. 100-ranked Muller.

The 27-year-old Norrie, who defeated Carlos Alcaraz to lift his fifth ATP tour title in Rio de Janeiro in February, now takes on Marton Fucsovics as he bids for back-to-back main-draw victories in the Italian capital for the first time in four attempts.

Fucsovics will be looking to upset a seeded opponent for the second straight match after he took out 17th seed Alex de Minaur 6-3, 6-4. Norrie leads the Hungarian 4-0 in the pair’s ATP Head2Head series, including two wins on clay.

Also on Friday, Alexei Popyrin completed a hat-trick of Top 10 wins for 2023 after he upset World No. 10 Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 in a three-hour, 17-minnute epic on Grand Stand Arena.

A pulsating encounter in which Auger-Aliassime struck 38 winners and Popyrin hit 36 tilted the Australian qualifier’s way after he sealed the only break of the deciding set in the 11th game with a stunning backhand pass. Popyrin then held his nerve behind serve to book a third-round spot on main-draw debut in Rome, where he will next face 22nd seed Sebastian Korda or Roman Safiullin.

HUGE WIN! ✅

Popyrin takes out No.10 seed Felix Auger-Aliassime in a 3 hour clash 6-4 4-6 7-5!@InteBNLdItalia | #IBI23 pic.twitter.com/tKJF09mNmM

— ATP Tour (@atptour) May 12, 2023

In January, Popyrin also beat Auger-Aliassime (then No. 6 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings) in Adelaide before he downed Taylor Fritz (then No. 9) at the Australian Open. Friday’s win moved the 23-year-old to 3-0 against Top 10 opponents this season.

Francisco Cerundolo was another three-set winner early on the Friday schedule at the Foro Italico. The Argentine trailed Wu Yibing 0-2 in the deciding set but rallied to a 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 triumph to advance. It was a first main-draw win in Rome for the 24-year-old, who next takes on 11th seed Karen Khachanov or Gregoire Barrere.

Portugal’s Nuno Borges has enjoyed some rise in recent years. After clinching his maiden ATP Challenger Tour title in 2021, the 26-year-old cracked the Top 100 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings for the first time in 2022.

On Thursday, the 26-year-old broke new ground again when he overcame Dusan Lajovic to earn his first ATP Masters 1000 match win at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia.

“I never imagined that I would be playing at tournaments like these even a few years ago. I am living the dream as a player,” Borges told ATPTour.com. “Rome is one of those tournaments you go and watch on TV, so to be here playing it’s really special. I have only started playing these big tournaments recently, so every match is like a final. Playing here on the big stage is incredible, I am just taking it all in.”

Borges took his first steps into tennis aged six at his local club in Maia. While he had a number of different coaches, the World No. 88’s father, Paolo, was a constant pillar of support.

Paolo was also a professional sportsman, having won national championships in volleyball. Borges believes his father’s experience in the sporting world was crucial for his early development in tennis.

“My father gave me the first few steps into sport, but I guess he always let me choose whatever sport I picked. I really liked individual sports when younger. Maybe because I’m an only child too. I liked to be the one in charge and to be the one to do it and be responsible for my own result. Even though tennis is not absolutely like that, it is a little,” Borges said.

“I would throw so many tantrums when young. I would be such a sore loser after matches. And I think my dad helped me a lot, knowing how it is to go through losing, winning, preparing.”

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Aged 19, Borges opted to attend college in the United States while he weighed up his options. The Portuguese studied at Mississippi State University from 2016 to 2019 and thoroughly enjoyed the experience, which left him feeling ready to tackle the pro tour with everything he had.

“I didn’t feel ready for the Tour at 19 and I guess I bought myself a couple years and postponed my pro career to get ready,” Borges said. “And then when I jumped into pro, I was sure I wanted to do it. Because of my college days, I still feel very young on the Tour today, even though I’m 26. I feel like maybe a guy who is 21 or 22. That is about what I feel, how I feel with living these experiences and playing these big events.”

Off court, Borges enjoys baking, completing puzzles and exploring cities, with Melbourne his favourite destination.

The four-time ATP Challenger Tour champion will have to put his hobbies to the back of his mind on Saturday, though, when he takes on World No. 5 Stefanos Tsitsipas in the second round in Rome. It is the second time Borges will face a Top 5 opponent after he lost against Carlos Alcaraz in Barcelona last month.

The 26-year-old is looking to take the lessons that he learned from his match against the Spaniard when he plays Tsitsipas in the Italian capital.

“It will be another good learning experience,” Borges said. “I played Alcaraz and I guess it was similar. I knew I wasn’t the favourite and I tried to enjoy it, but I always go in to try to win. I mean, we’re all so competitive.

“I’m really enjoying this tournament and I’m for sure going to enjoy the challenge against Tsitsipas and hopefully I’ll play my best tennis because I am going to need it if I want to have any chance. I know I’m not the favourite, but I’ll also use that to bring out my best tennis. Play without pressure. I’m going to give it my all. I feel like I’m up to the challenge.”

Jannik Sinner gave a lesson in handling home pressure on Friday in Rome, where the highest-ranked Italian in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings made a lightning-fast start to his 2023 Internazionali BNL d’Italia campaign.

Sinner breezed past the dangerous Thanasi Kokkinakis 6-1, 6-4 to reach the third round at the ATP Masters 1000 event. A near-complete performance from the World No. 8 featured precise serving, fierce baseline hitting and high-class net play, and he wrapped victory in 79-minutes at the Foro Italico to improve to 13-3 at Masters 1000 level for the year.

Sinner is now 5-0 in his opening-round matches in Rome, where he reached the quarter-finals for the first time in 2022. His next test in the Italian capital is a third-round clash against Sebastian Baez or lucky loser Alexander Shevchenko.

More to follow…

Playing his first match as a Top 100 player, Italy’s Matteo Arnaldi made the most of the occasion with a victory against Diego Schwartzman on Thursday night at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia. Playing in front of his home fans in Rome, the 22-year-old wild card scored a 6-1, 4-6, 6-3 victory to close the day’s play on centre court.

Arnaldi rose to No. 99 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings behind his third-round run in Madrid, where he upset World No. 4 Casper Ruud. After beating 2020 Rome finalist Schwartzman, he will bid for his second Top 20 win against 18th seed Lorenzo Musetti in the second round at the ATP Masters 1000.

After a dominant opening set, Arnaldi miseed two chances for an early break in the second as Schwartzman found his footing on the Italian clay. The Argentine secured the first break of set two to force a decider, but the flash point of the middle set came in a thrilling cat-and-mouse point that included a well-placed tweener from Arnaldi. The wild card had a chance to cap off the all-action point with a bunted passing shot, but he pushed it just long, still drawing thunderous applause from the crowd.

Even Schwartzman seemed mildly disappointed the show-stopping point did not end with a winner, with the Argentine grimacing as he confirmed to his opponent that the ball was out before flashing a smile and joining in on the applause.

Arnaldi struck immediately in set three to edge in front once again, and he did not face a break point in the final set — though he did need four match points to put Schwartzman away in a 12-minute final game.

Entering the 2023 season without a tour-level win, Arnaldi is now 4-3 on the year while Schwartzman dropped to 5-13.

Also in evening action, Alex Molcan edged Italian qualifier Stefano Napolitano 6-4, 3-6, 7-6(1) on the Grandstand. The 28-year-old Napolitano had gone through pre-qualifying to receive a qualifying wild card and posted wins against Aleksandar Kovacevic and Maximilian Marterer to reach the main draw. At No. 555 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, he was the second-lowest ranked player in the main draw, with only No. 591 Jeremy Chardy, who entered with a protected ranking, behind him.

Molcan improved to 8-3 since March, with his best result of the 2023 season a semi-final run in Banja Luka (l. to Andrey Rublev). He is now 6-2 at the ATP Masters 1000 level this season, with third-round runs in Indian Wells and Miami.

The Slovakian converted on both of his break points in the win, while saving five of the seven break chances against him. He will next contest a rematch with the sixth-seeded Rublev in the second round on Saturday.

The seeded players spring into action on Friday at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia, where defending champion Novak Djokovic and home favourite Jannik Sinner are among those seeking a fast start in Rome.

Djokovic begins his bid for a seventh title at the Foro Italico against Tomas Martin Etcheverry, while the eighth-seeded Sinner faces the big-hitting Thanasi Kokkinakis. A #NextGenATP clash between Holger Rune and Arthur Fils is another standout second-round clash in the top half of the draw at the clay-court ATP Masters 1000.

ATPTour.com looks ahead to some of the intriguing matchups on the Friday schedule in Rome.

[1] Novak Djokovic (SRB) vs. Tomas Martin Etcheverry (ARG)

Taking down Djokovic in the early rounds in Rome is a task that no one has yet managed. The World No. 1 may have suffered early losses in both clay-court events he has played this year (he went 2-2 across Monte-Carlo and Banja Luka), but the Serbian has never failed to reach the quarter-finals in 16 appearances in the Italian capital.

On six of those occasions, including 2022, Djokovic went on to lift the title at the Foro Italico. The man trying to dent Djokovic’s standout 64-10 Rome record on Friday is Tomas Martin Etcheverry, the No. 61-ranked Argentine who has been handed the ultimate second-round test on his Rome debut.

Etcheverry can take confidence from some excellent displays on the clay so far this year, including reaching his first two ATP Tour finals in Santiago and Houston. The 23-year-old will hope to exploit any struggles that Djokovic, who is playing for the first time in three weeks after missing Madrid, has adapting to the Italian clay.

“I feel that it takes more practice sessions, more weeks of spending time on the court and working on your shots, working on your tactics, on technique, adaptation to the court, than any other surface,” said Djokovic on Thursday when asked about the challenge of preparing for clay. “Some players say that about grass. I’ve been fortunate on grass, I adapt really quickly. But clay is something that really demands time for me.”

It will be the first ATP Head2Head meeting between Djokovic, chasing a record-extending 39th Masters 1000 crown, and Etcheverry, whose first-round triumph against Luca Van Assche was just his third at this level. Can the Argentine spring a mammoth surprise in the Eternal City?

[8] Jannik Sinner (ITA) vs. [Q] Thanasi Kokkinakis (AUS)

The 21-year-old Sinner looks to bring his strong ATP Masters 1000 form to his homeland, but the eighth seed has been handed a stiff opening test in the free-hitting Kokkinakis.

Sinner reached the semi-finals in Indian Wells and Monte-Carlo either side of a run to the championship match in Miami, earning him a 12-3 record at Masters 1000 level for the year so far. Despite not playing in Madrid, the World No. 8 feels ready to chase his second tour-level title of the season in front of his home fans.

“I made a lot of good [results]. The start of the season was good and I’m happy to be back here, especially in Rome,” said Sinner, whose form has carried him to fifth place in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin, on Tuesday. “It’s a special tournament for all Italians and also obviously for me. Physically, we worked very hard for one week now and I’m happy to be here.”

On his day, Kokkinakis’ combination of big serving and powerful groundstrokes can test anyone on Tour, even a high-class mover such as Sinner, although the Italian leads 2-0 in the pair’s ATP Head2Head series. That includes a straight-sets win in Kokkinakis’s hometown of Adelaide in January, and the Australian qualifier will hope to return the favour and send the locals home disappointed again as he chases a second victory on his main-draw debut in Rome.

[7] Holger Rune (DEN) vs. [Q] Arthur Fils (FRA)

A #NextGenATP battle between established Top 10 star Rune and the fast-rising Fils should provide an intriguing spectacle for fans on Grand Stand Arena.

Rune will hope that his experience at this level proves decisive against 18-year-old Fils. The Dane, who turned 20 two weeks ago, won his maiden Masters 1000 trophy last November in Paris and reached another final in Monte-Carlo last month. Yet despite sitting at a career-high No. 7 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, Rune’s clash with the World No. 119 Fils will be his main-draw debut in Rome.

The lack of any real weaknesses in Rune’s game makes Fils’ ability to stay consistent key, although the Frenchman is also more than capable of producing moments of magic at crucial moments. He did exactly that en route to back-to-back ATP Tour semi-finals in Montpellier and Marseille in February, performances which made him an immediate favourite with his home fans.

Fils can also take confidence from defeating Juan Manuel Cerundolo in the opening round on Wednesday for his first main-draw win at a Masters 1000. His next challenge is to maintain that form against an opponent who holds a 22-9 record for the year and lifted his fourth ATP Tour title in Munich just under three weeks ago.

Also In Action…

Casper Ruud and Felix Auger-Aliassime join Djokovic, Sinner and Rune as Top 10 stars in second-round action on Friday. The fourth-seeded Ruud, a two-time semi-finalist in Rome, takes on Arthur Rinderknech, while the 10th seed Auger-Aliassime chases his first clay-court win of the year against qualifier Alexei Popyrin.

Stan Wawrinka made a fast start to his Rome campaign on Wednesday with a straight-sets win against Ilya Ivashka, and the 2008 finalist seeks to back up that result against 26th seed Grigor Dimitrov on Grand Stand Arena. The 11th-seeded Karen Khachanov, a quarter-finalist in Madrid last week, faces Gregoire Barrere, while 13th-seeded Cameron Norrie meets qualifier Alexandre Muller.

Aside from cheering on Sinner, Italian fans will head to the iconic Court Pietrangeli to witness Fabio Fognini take on 30th seed Miomir Kecmanovic. The 35-year-old wild card Fognini, a quarter-finalist in 2018, defeated former World No. 1 Andy Murray in the first round.