Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz could close the year battling for Davis Cup and world No. 1 ranking

With the early withdrawal of No. 1 Jannik Sinner from the Vienna ATP, Carlos Alcaraz's chances of snatching the top spot in the rankings from the Italian have benefited. While it is true that Jannik's immediate pursuer is Alexander Zverev, it has become clear that the domination of the circuit is in the hands of the only two players who lifted the most important trophies this year.

Carlos Alcaraz is competing in the China Open, a tournament in which Sinner decided not to participate. In Beijing, the Spaniard will seek to recover from the defeat suffered in the semifinals just before the Italian in the 2023 edition;

Sinner's trajectory has been remarkable. After emerging as one of the players to watch during 2023, his Davis Cup victory last year (knocking out Novak Djokovic among others), he has quickly climbed the ATP rankings, winning his first major in Australia; reaching world number one and winning the US Open recently.

Alcaraz, although already consolidated as champion, is still looking to reaffirm his status and prove that he can compete at the highest level against Sinner;

In this Asian tour, both players could face each other at the Shanghai Masters, a tournament in which the Europeans will want to improve what they did last year, where both fell in the round of 16;

Also at the Masters, Novak Djokovic returns to action. After an early exit at the US Open, Nole took a long break but has confirmed that he will be back in China. His presence cannot be overlooked as the 37-year-old Serb has shown that he can fight toe-to-toe with the best on the circuit.

The ATP Finals, the competition that brings together the best players of the season and in which both Sinner and Alcaraz will surely be present, is not that far away. If some results go in favor of the Spaniard, a duel between the two in Turin could define who will close 2024 as number one.

But there is one more possible showdown: The Davis Cup Finals will be held in Malaga a few days after the ATP Finals. There, Alcaraz and the Spanish team will seek to snatch the throne from the defending champions; precisely the Italian team, led by the recent champion at Flushing Meadows;

This means that we may be in the prelude to an epic battle for the top of the ranking, with clashes in Italy and Spain between the two best players of the moment;