Carlos Alcaraz started his ATP Finals run with a win against Alex de Miñaur, in straight sets (which may be important when it comes to see who qualifiers from group stage) 7-6(5), 6-2, and broke the curse: Alcaraz had never won his opening match of this competition, losing to Zverev in 2023 and to Ruud in 2024. He reached the semi-final in 2023 but lost to Djokovic, and was eliminated in the group stage in 2024.
Alcaraz doesn't usually excels in indoor hard courts, and often reaches this late of the season more exhausted than his usual self. But he thinks he has improved in that aspect this year, despite his shocking defeat against Cameron Norrie in his Paris Masters debut: "It's a process. It's about figuring out what I need, especially off the court, to stay motivated until the end and being aware that the season is very long. At the end of the year you're tired, but this season I've had more time between tournaments, more time at home, and that's been great for preparing myself physically and mentally", he said to El País.
After missing Shanghai Masters and most of Paris, Alcaraz will soon surpass his record of more matches in a season (77 in 2023) with the ATP Finals and Davis Cup. When asked if he could only play one tournament, he said, "Why not both? Why choose one if I can compete for both? I'll have many years to play in both tournaments, and I hope to represent Spain for a long time, but this year I'm going to try to compete for both", he said to Spanish newspaper.
Carlos Alcaraz relieved that Musetti replaces Djokovic in the ATP Finals
Last week, Jannik Sinner explained his decision to miss Davis Cup, that was controversial in Italy. Lorenzo Musetti, who qualified for the ATP Finals after Djokovic retired, will represent Italy in Davis Cup. Alexzander Zverev, also in ATP Finals, will also be in German's team for the nation's competition.
Also in the interview with El País, Alcaraz admitted that he is relieved that Djokovic retired from the competition. "I won't lie, I prefer Lorenzo to him. He has the experience he has... And in 2023 he killed me here". Djokovic concluded his season after winning Musetti in the final of the tournament in Athens, where he lives.