"I’m not going to lie": Carlos Alcaraz admits he rather face Musetti than Djokovic in Turin

Carlos Alcaraz successfully began his ATP Finals campaign, securing a straightforward victory over 7th seed Alex de Minaur 7-6(5), 6-2. The World No. 2 returned to winning ways after a surprising first-round loss at the Paris Masters and achieved his 49th win against a Top-10 player—14 of them this season.

The 6-time major champion arrived with extra motivation in Turin, where he is seeking his first ATP Finals title—his best result being the semi-finals in 2023. Alcaraz has the chance to finish the year as World No. 1, despite having dropped in the rankings just two weeks ago, with Sinner temporarily taking the top spot.

"I am fighting to win the title and the number one. I feel satisfied with the way I played," Carlitos commented after finishing his opening match. "It is very difficult to play against De Minaur, and I am already looking forward to the next match," added the 22-year-old star. The Spaniard had previously defeated De Minaur this year in the Rotterdam Open final and the Barcelona Open quarter-finals.

"This year is a little different. I have done what is necessary to arrive here motivated," he added. "I want to play good tennis to try to win this tournament. It is one of the best we have on the calendar, and you play with the world's Top 8."

One of the issues that grabbed attention just a day ago was the confirmation from Novak Djokovic that he would not play the ATP Finals, despite having qualified as the 4th seed. The last few weeks had seen an intense battle between Felix Auger-Aliassime and Musetti for the final spot in the tournament that gathers the season's Top 8.

Musetti needed a wildcard for the Hellenic Championship, and his last hope for qualification was winning the title in Athens. Although he had a good run to the final—his third of the season—he ultimately fell to Djokovic, which (apparently) left Musetti out of Turin.

Shortly after the Athens final, which ended in a 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 victory for Nole, it was made public that the 24-time Grand Slam champion opted to withdraw from the tournament, and Musetti, as the first alternate, secured his spot. The Italian was drawn into the same group as Alcaraz, who admitted that facing Nole would have been a bigger problem. "I'm not going to lie, I prefer Lorenzo over Djokovic in the group," commented the World No. 2. "It's always difficult to face Novak here because of the experience he has and his level on these courts. I lost to him in the 2023 semi-finals; he killed me."

Although Sinner entered the tournament as World No. 1, both players face vastly different realities regarding point defense. Sinner, the undefeated defending champion, defends 1,500 points—meaning he starts the tournament with 10,000 points in the live ranking.

In Alcaraz's case, he was eliminated in the Round Robin in 2024, winning only one match and losing the other two. Thus, he only defends 200 points—which he has already recovered with the win over De Minaur. Alcaraz has already secured 11,250 points—a difference of 1,250 points over the Italian.

Another Round Robin win for Alcaraz would put him at 11,450 points—while Sinner can reach a maximum of 11,500 if he wins the title undefeated, but for that to happen, Alcaraz needs to avoid winning all three Round Robin matches and be defeated if he advances to the semi-finals.

However, even if Sinner falters in the Round Robin, Alcaraz will be close to guaranteeing the year-end World No. 1. Both players have managed to finish a year at the top of the ranking: Alcaraz back in 2022—shortly after his first major title at the US Open—while Sinner achieved it in 2024.