"It was a privilege to practise with Jannik once again" - Alcaraz touches on relationship with Sinner while Fritz comments on Djokovic's late decision to compete in ATP Finals

Carlos Alcaraz, Taylor Fritz and Alex de Minaur sat down in their press conference ahead of the 2025 ATP Finals in Turin. The event kicks off on Sunday, 9th November with the trio along with Novak Djokovic competing in the Jimmy Connors group.

The Spaniard instantly stressed the prestige of this event. "I think this is one of the best and most important tournaments that we have on tour — all the players are trying since the beginning of the year to qualify for this tournament," Alcaraz began by saying. "So it’s a really special one, and I’m excited and really motivated to perform well here, to play good tennis, and give myself the chance to try to win it. Obviously, the No. 1 spot is on the line as well, so I think it’s going to be really interesting for people to watch the matches and follow everything closely. I think this will be a great and exciting week."

He had been practising on the courts with his arch-rival Jannik Sinner, with him getting questions based on this. "Well, first of all, you know, the practices for every tournament are usually set up two or three weeks in advance. I was in Paris thinking a little bit about the practices here — and, yeah, why not? That was the question — why not? I practise with many players, and practising with Jannik is always really good. It’s great to be in good shape, to get rhythm and feel the conditions. It was a privilege to practise with Jannik once again."

Alcaraz went on to describe his relationship with the Italian. "Well, it’s quite good. The relationship we have is really nice. He’s a great person and has really good people around him, which is great. We have time off court to talk about life, not just tennis," Alcaraz said. "Once we step on court, we both want to win — but off court, we’re just the same people. I think it’s a really healthy rivalry, and that’s great for the sport."

It is not just the title on the six-time Grand Slam champion's mind but holding onto the world number one spot. "Being No. 1, or ending the year as No. 1, has been an important goal for me since about halfway through the year," Alcaraz admitted. "At the beginning, I didn’t think about it much, to be honest. But in the second half, it became a big motivation. I’m just really focused on performing well, playing my best tennis, trying to get some wins here and qualify for the semi-finals. Doing well in this tournament — winning matches — goes together with ending the year as No. 1. So it’s kind of the same motivation; they stick together. It’s going to be a big and important week."

It was a hugely successful event for the American last year, who backed up his US Open final run to reach the ATP Finals final, once again losing at the last step to Sinner. "Last year, I just felt like I was playing very good tennis the whole week. I had a really good training week leading into it, and obviously making the final was a really good result."

He defeated Alexander Zverev to reach last year's final, a match which holds a large amount of pride within him. "I’d say that moment — winning the semi-final match — was the best. Even though I played Jannik twice, including in the final, I thought the crowd was amazing and incredibly nice to me. So that was great as well."

Djokovic, if he chooses to compete, will be the fourth player in the group. Fritz has only managed to defeat the Serbian once back at the Six Kings Slam, in a torrid record against the 24-time Grand Slam champion. He voiced his opinions on his late decision to compete or not. "Well, when you’re on the fence and everyone’s not sure if you’ll play — yes, it causes inconveniences. But in my opinion, he’s earned that right," Fritz stated, "He’s qualified; it’s his decision whether he wants to play or not. If he wants to wait and see how he feels, that’s fine. It does cause some issues, but he’s earned that right, in my opinion."

The Aussie will make his second appearance in this event after a year of progress and consistency at the highest level. "Yeah, look, as soon as I was done last year, it was obviously a big goal — as it is for many players — to be back here, to qualify again for Turin," de Minaur acknowledged. "I had a great time last year, and obviously at the end of the year, it becomes a little stressful waiting to see when exactly you’ll qualify, who’s winning matches, and so on. We’ve still got a couple of players fighting it out right now, but ultimately I’m very happy to be back here and very excited."

Two Grand Slam quarter-finals, an ATP 500 title in Washington along with four deep runs in Masters 1000 events have left de Minaur pleased with his 2025 campaign."Yeah, look — overall, I’m very pleased with my year. I think I’ve shown good consistency and played solid tennis on this surface."

But there is more to do, with a tough group phase to be played. "Looking ahead, I think we’ve got a very tough group — all of us here at the table, and potentially Novak as well," de Minaur said. "We’re all capable of playing good tennis and making life difficult for each other. We’re excited for the competition to start. It’s the last tournament of the year, and we all want to finish strong and show what we’ve accomplished throughout the season."

There has been recent tension between the ATP and players, specifically with a lack of communication and transparency. De Minaur spoke for the three players on the ongoing situation in the press conference: "I think I can talk on behalf of the players — we’re in communication with the Slams and trying to work out solutions. Ultimately, what we all want is for the sport as a whole to keep growing, keep bringing more fans and attention. Hopefully, we’re all in this together," he said.

Alcaraz backed up his fellow tennis star: "I think he said everything. There’s no need to add more — we’re all on the same page and the same line. Everything Alex said speaks for everyone," the Spaniard concluded.