Carlos Alcaraz has fallen out of form at the wrong time as he prepares for the ATP Finals in Turin next week.
Alcaraz lost his number two ranking to Alexander Zverev after the Paris Masters, having lost in the round of 16 to eventual finalist Ugo Humbert.
Zverev meanwhile won the tournament, and heads into the ATP Finals behind only Jannik Sinner in the rankings.
The major headline concerning the event so far is that defending champion Novak Djokovic has withdrawn from the ATP Finals.
Serbian icon Djokovic also won the tournament in 2022, and boasts a record seven ATP Finals titles overall.
Carlos Alcaraz’s chances of winning the ATP Finals rated
Alcaraz will be aiming for his maiden success this year, but it certainly won’t be easy given the level of competition involved.
Eurosport’s Alex Corretja does, however, feel good about the four-time Grand Slam champion despite his recent struggles.
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“Alcaraz is going to arrive in Turin at a great time,” Corretja wrote for Eurosport. “Why? Because he has recently won some tournaments on a hard court, especially beating Sinner in the final, which always gives you a dose of confidence. Although in Paris-Bercy he did not play his best tennis, the court was a little faster than he likes it.
“In the ATP Finals it is true that everything is very open, that the groups are very difficult and that everyone arrives very mentally saturated, somewhat physically affected. But I believe that Carlos has learned from the past and is going to arrive a little fresher than last season.”
What is Carlos Alcaraz’s record at the ATP Finals?
Alcaraz has played at just one ATP Finals so far, when he reached the semi-finals in 2023 before losing to Djokovic.
A repeat of that match is, of course, off the cards after the latter’s withdrawal due to injury, with the former having withdrawn from the event in 2022 for the same reason.
| Position | Player | Titles |
| 1 | Novak Djokovic | 7 |
| 2 | Roger Federer | 6 |
| =3 | Ivan Lendl | 5 |
| =3 | Pete Sampras | 5 |
Alcaraz will now be eager to go further this time around, with the Spaniard definitely able to take some confidence from his Laver Cup and China Open displays.
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In the former he secured a stunning eight points to help Team Europe come out on top, while he beat Sinner in the final of the latter.
And Corretja has backed Alcaraz to step up when it matters most in Turin, adding: “I trust him, I think he is a happy, explosive player for great events and the ATP Finals is one. All the matches are big finals and all the matches are complicated, but at the same time are very tense and very motivating.
“In this I believe that Alcaraz is a master and he is going to have a hard time like everyone else, but I give him chances. I don’t know if it will be this year, but I am convinced that at some point in his career he will triumph in one of these tournaments.”
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