by Former world number 3 Ivan Ljubicic does not believe Carlos Alcaraz will be Jannik Sinner’s biggest rival at this year’s ATP Finals in Turin.
The Croatian revealed that Alcaraz has not yet convinced him on indoor courts, while he named Alexander Zverev as the player who is “closer” to Sinner in such conditions.
The ATP Finals, in which the eight players with the most points of the season compete, are held on indoor hard courts.
The 2024 edition of the Year-End Championships will be held at the Inalpi Arena in Turin from November 10th to 17th.
Sinner, Zverev, Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev have all booked their spots for the ATP Finals, while the other four qualifiers have yet to be confirmed.
Alcaraz has yet to win a title or reach a final on indoor hard courts, and in his short career so far he has found the surface more demanding than others. The four-time major champion has won eight titles on clay, five on outdoor hard courts and three on grass.
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At the 2023 Paris Masters, the ATP Tour’s other major indoor tournament, Alcaraz suffered a surprise straight-sets defeat to Roman Safiullin in the second round.
The Spaniard was then defeated by a delighted Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals of the 2023 ATP Finals on his debut at the event. Alcaraz qualified for the ATP Finals for the first time in 2022, but had to withdraw due to injury.
Sinner, the world No. 1, has won six of his 17 titles on indoor hard courts, while he finished second at the ATP Finals in Turin last year.
Zverev has now won seven of his 22 career titles at indoor hard court events – and he triumphed at the 2018 and 2021 ATP Finals.
In an interview with Sky Sport Italy, Ljubicic discussed whether Sinner is the favorite to win the 2024 ATP Finals.
“Yes, for me he (Sinner) is the dark horse,” said Roger Federer’s former coach.
“Also because Alcaraz still has to convince me on indoor courts. He has a very high level on hard courts, but even in Turin last year he had big problems on indoor courts, especially from a mental point of view.
“Let’s see if that changes this year. If we want to look for someone who is closer to Jannik, I would say Zverev.”
The 2024 Paris Masters begins on Monday, October 28th. Sinner, Alcaraz and Zverev will all be at the Masters 1000 event, but Novak Djokovic has withdrawn.
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