ATP has confirmed the order of play for the ATP Finals semi-finals this Saturday. Jannik Sinner has been given the afternoon shift: he plays at 14:00 CET, 13:00 GMT against Alex de Miñaur. Meanwhile, Carlos Alcaraz plays in the night shift, at 20:30 CET, 19:30 GMT against Alexander Zverev or Felix Auger-Aliassime, depending on the outcome of tonight's match.
The tight schedule forces Sinner to play two tennis matches in 24 hours: he plays against Ben Shelton on Friday at 14:00 CET, the last group stage match which is unimportant: Shelton has already been eliminated and Sinner has secured his qualification as group leader. The big game tonight between Zverev and Auger-Aliassime was put in the more attractive evening shift, at 20:30 CET.
However, in the case Sinner qualifies for the final, he will have more hours of rest than Alcaraz, who plays the semi-final on Saturday night, and -in the case he wins- he would play the final less than 20 hours later, on Sunday afternoon.
Alcaraz would rest less time before a potential final: "It's not a huge handicap, but..."
"Obviously, the less recovery time you have, the worse it is. I'm not saying it's a huge handicap, but it's not the same to finish at 11:30 or 12 and go to bed at 2 AM as it is to go to bed at 11 and do everything much earlier. Recovery time and rest time have a big impact on being in good condition for Sunday," Alcaraz said (via Marca).
Do you think Alcaraz and Sinner will clash in another final on Sunday?