Roger Federer’s former coach insists Carlos Alcaraz is not Jannik Sinner’s biggest threat at the ATP Finals

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Jannik Sinner is enjoying his best season to date, capturing an impressive seven titles, six of which have come on the hard-courts.

Since the Cincinnati Open in August, he has lost only once, with defeat to Carlos Alcaraz in Beijing the only blip in an otherwise supreme run.

This month alone, Jannik Sinner has defeated Novak Djokovic twice, once at the Shanghai Masters and second at the inaugural Six Kings Slam.

Now, he has his sights set on winning his first ATP Finals title, aiming to cap off his breakout year in style.

However, his momentum took a slight hit with his recent withdrawal from the Paris Masters due to illness.

Despite this setback, Sinner remains a strong contender heading into Turin and is widely anticipated to lift the trophy on home soil.

However, with Alcaraz the obvious pick to challenge the Italian, Roger Federer’s former coach Ivan Ljubicic has snubbed the Spaniard and warned Sinner of someone else.

Ivan Ljubicic insists Jannik Sinner is not under threat from Carlos Alcaraz at ATP finals

As the ATP Finals approach, Sinner is being widely regarded as the player to beat in Turin after a stellar season.

While Alcaraz has found more success on grass and clay this year, he has still managed to topple the Italian there times this year.

Former world number three Ivan Ljubicic recently expressed confidence in Sinner’s chances, saying to Sky Sports: “Sinner is the big favorite at the Finals in Turin, also because Alcaraz still has to convince me indoors. His level is very high outdoors, but when he plays indoors he suffers.”

Reflecting on the Spaniard’s defeat in the semi-final to Djokovic last year, he continued: “In Turin he suffered a lot last year, especially from a mental point of view. Let’s see if things will change.”

With Sinner having fallen in the final to the Serb, it looks unlikely Djokovic will be able to defend his title this year.

Having aired his doubts over Alcaraz, Ljubicic suggested Germany’s Alexander Zverev poses the most threat to Sinner.

“If we want to look for someone who is closer to Jannik, I would say Alexander Zverev. But Jannik, without a doubt, is the big favorite,” he concluded.

• READ MORE: What Alex de Minaur, Grigor Dimitrov and Stefanos Tsitsipas need to happen to qualify for the ATP Finals in Turin

What is Alexander Zverev’s record like against Jannik Sinner?

The Italian has struggled historically against the big-serving German, with four defeats in their six encounters.

Zverev’s experience and age has often given him an advantage, but Sinner has closed the gap of late and with two Grand Slam titles, has already secured a legacy far superior to that of his rival.

Their matches are typically hard-fought, with their most recent outing in Cincinnati, narrowly going the way of Sinner in three close sets.

Given Sinner’s recent form and Zverev’s lack of, the Italian will go in the favorite if they run into each other in Turin.