Carlos Alcaraz faced a rare situation in the final of the ATP Finals, as the crowd were mainly in favour of his opponent.
Alcaraz was already gearing up for the crowd against Jannik Sinner, with the ATP Finals taking place in Turin, Italy.
Despite confirming his spot as year-end world number one, Alcaraz was beaten by Sinner in straight sets.
As expected, the crowd were mostly in favour of the home player, and now Alcaraz has given his verdict on the Italian fans and named the worst crowd he has ever faced.
Carlos Alcaraz says he experienced the worst atmosphere at the Paris Masters
While many players may be affected by a crowd being in favour of their opponent, that did not seem to be the case for Alcaraz, who claimed that he enjoyed the atmosphere in the Turin final.
However, Alcaraz went on to say that the worst atmosphere he has ever experienced came at the Paris Masters in 2021 against Hugo Gaston.
“First of all, they didn’t affect me at all,” Alcaraz said in his post-match press conference. “There were sometimes that I really even like it, feeling this energy, even though I’m not going to say ‘against me’. It wasn’t against me, it was more cheering for him. I like to feel this kind of energy, this environment, even though if it wasn’t cheering for me. I think he deserved that energy from the crowd.
“I would say, I haven’t talked too much about it, but the most difficult match that I have ever played in my career with the crowd was in Paris Bercy 2021.
“I will not forget it in my whole life because it was a (indiscernible). I grew up a lot from that match. But that match was the most difficult match that I have ever played with the crowd (smiling).”
The Paris Masters is Alcaraz’s worst ATP 1000 tournament, which continued this year after he lost his only match to Cameron Norrie.
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Carlos Alcaraz rates his 2025 season after losing to Jannik Sinner at the ATP Finals
The ATP Finals are the final individual tournament of Alcaraz’s season, which he ends as the world number one.
Alcaraz has won eight titles in 2025, including the French Open and the US Open, as well as three Masters 1000 tournaments.
When asked to reflect on his year, Alcaraz appeared very pleased with how his season had gone and explained how he has developed both as a player and personally.
“It was brilliant. Not perfect but brilliant,” answered Alcaraz. “Enjoyed some great moments. Eight titles, 11 finals. Incredible. But for me the most important is the way I grew up as a person and player.”
Although it is the end of his 2025 season at individual tournaments, Alcaraz is still signed up to play the Davis Cup Finals.
Alcaraz has already confirmed his plan is to compete in Bologna next week, with Spain playing their quarterfinal tie against Czechia on Thursday, November 20.
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