Developments with Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner present an interesting scenario at the ATP Finals

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The ATP Finals are just around the corner, and for many, there are only two men who are actually contenders for the title.

Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner will, of course, enter the year-end tournament as the heavy favourites, which seems to be the case at every tour-level event these days, and for good reason.

The Spaniard and the Italian are simply untouchable and have dominated the 2025 season, splitting all four Grand Slam titles between them for the second year in a row.

Both Alcaraz and Sinner qualified for the ATP Finals long before everyone else, with the race to Turin coming down to the wire recently.

While most will assume the final matchup in Italy is a foregone conclusion, recent developments may have dictated otherwise.

An opportunity presents itself for six players at the ATP Finals

Some top stars will be looking to clinch a maiden title at the ATP Finals this year, including Ben Shelton, Taylor Fritz, and Alex de Minaur, and though it won’t be easy for any of them, the task at hand is less daunting than it may have appeared weeks ago.

Top favourite Alcaraz has barely played at all during the indoor hard-court season, having featured in just one tour-level match since the end of the Asian swing.

After winning the Japan Open in September, the six-time major champion’s sole ATP appearance was an opening-round exit at the Paris Masters, in which he lost to Cameron Norrie.

Alcaraz has not had sufficient competitive matchplay on an indoor hard court ahead of the ATP Finals, which could cost him.

Meanwhile, his rival Sinner is facing the opposite problem, having simply played too much during the indoor hard-court season, which has resulted in him being visibly fatigued.

The 24-year-old has put together two final runs in Vienna and Paris, with just two days’ rest in between both campaigns.

Sinner admitted that he is not feeling fresh at all, and while there is some time for him to recover before the ATP Finals, any nagging injuries sustained during his packed recent schedule may prove tricky to navigate in Turin.

With the ‘new two’ dealing with separate issues, a fantastic opportunity has presented itself for the rank outsiders to take advantage of the situation.

Novak Djokovic could benefit the most from the top star’s problems

Even if Sinner and Alcaraz are not playing at 100%, however, the likes of Fritz, Shelton and Alexander Zverev may have to deal with Novak Djokovic.

Djokovic has not confirmed that he will play at the ATP Finals just yet, but the Serb is qualified for the tournament, which he has won seven times.

The Serb is due to feature at one of the final ATP 250 events in Athens next week, which he has had pencilled in for some time now.

If Djokovic does compete at the ATP Finals after his trip to Athens, he could be the one to benefit the most from the issues Sinner and Alcaraz are dealing with.

His tally of seven ATP Finals crowns is already the highest in history, and he now has a great chance to extend his record.