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Alexander Zverev will finish 2025 as the world No 3, but a remarkable statistic confirms the big-serving German is further away from the top of the game than ever before.

Zverev has suffered a frustrating year, with his appearance in the Australian Open final last January not the prelude to a consistent year for the 28-year-old.

Speaking exclusively to Tennis365 prior to Wimbledon, Zverev admitted he took time to recover from the heavy beating he was handed by Jannik Sinner in that Australian Open final, with his comments summing up where he went wrong after that.

“It did take me a while to get over it because I really went into the match and I thought, I can win this, I’m going to win,” Zverev told Tennis365.

“Then very quickly, I felt like, well, he was outplaying me on every single aspect. So I felt a bit lost out there at times.

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“Jannik was above everyone else the entire tournament and there was nothing else to say, but after that, I made some mistakes.

“I think I overplayed. I didn’t give myself, my body and my mind time to accept what happened. I just carried on playing and kind of had a little bit of a burnout in the middle of the season.

“It was too much. Some stupid decisions from my end and I paid the price for them, but that is in the past now.”

Zverev may have been trying to convince himself that he was back on track heading into Wimbledon, but he lost in the first round at the All England Club and he has struggled to find consistent form since.

He ends 2025 with 5,160 ranking points after going out of the ATP Finals at the group stages and even though he is officially the third best player in the world according to the rankings, the brutal reality is he is going backwards in his effort to challenge the game’s best players.

Zverev is almost 6,000 ranking points behind world No 2 Sinner and even more behind Alcaraz, who has wrapped up the year-end world No 1 ranking.

That means the player ranked at No 1000 in the ATP Rankings is closer to Zverev than the German star is to the top two players in the men’s game.

“For me, an incredibly unsatisfying season,” said Zverev after he was knocked out of the ATP Finals. “The tennis season is long, you have a lot of up and downs. For me there were not many ups. I think for me the Australian Open final, Munich as you mentioned. Everything else, I’m very unsatisfied.”

The gap highlights the dominance Alcaraz and Sinner have over their rivals, with former British No 1 Tim Henman suggesting Zverev needs to spend the weeks ahead of the 2026 season to find a way to change the direction of his career.

“You feel for Zverev. I think he’s had 11 break point chances in his last two matches and he hasn’t broken serve,” Henman told Sky Sports Tennis, after the channel’s lead commentator Jonathan Overend suggested the German’s performance was ‘very odd’.

“He was creating some opportunities, but just couldn’t find a way through and it’s amazing to think 12 months ago when we were watching Zverev and I was the one who said I thought he could win a Grand Slam.

“Then he got to the final at the Australian Open and now I see a performance like that and he looks lost. I don’t see a plan out there. His serving is phenomenal and it is keeping him in these matches, but from the back of the court, his forehand is looking vulnerable, he’s very reactive, he retreats.

“He is missing by a large margin and for someone who is a very, very good player, I just look at his game and I’m surprised that he’s playing a match like this. He has the experience, he has been there for a long time and I feel he needs to go away and reinvent himself.

“He’s got to really look at his game, break down his game and use his weapons more effectively. His serve is very good, but he has to work out how to make it work.

“He’s sitting back hoping his opponents will make mistakes and at this level, you won’t get away with that. He’s a very, very good player. He’s No 3 in the world, but I don’t feel like his game is trending in the right direction.”

The post Incredible Alexander Zverev rankings statistic highlights Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner’s dominance appeared first on Tennis365.

Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner’s rivals are yet to come up with a successful game plan when they face the two with former world No 1 Justine Henin saying the chasing pack is not up to scratch.

Alcaraz and Sinner will meet in their seventh final in 2025 with four of those coming at the biggest events as after squaring off in the Roland Garros, Wimbledon and US Open finals, the duo will now face each other in the ATP Finals.

They have been the dominant pair on the ATP Tour the past two years as they have each won four Grand Slams, last year Sinner reached the most finals (nine) and won the most titles (eight) while this year Alcaraz has reached 11 finals and won eight titles with the ATP Finals showpiece match still to come.

The gap between the two and their rivals appears to be widening all the time, according to Henin.

Ahead of the ATP Finals showpiece match in Turin, Alcaraz leads the Live ATP Rankings on 12,050 with Sinner on 11,000 and Alexander Zverev a distant third on 5,160 while Novak Djokovic (4,830) and Auger-Aliassime (4,245) complete the top five.

“We have a top 10 that has been shaken up with players who have dropped out after giving their all in recent years: [Andrey] Rublev, [Daniil] Medvedev, [Casper] Ruud… [Stefanos] Tsitsipas has been there for a while now,” she told Eurosport.

“Some are coming up, others are coming back, but we’ve seen [Felix] Auger-Aliassime’s shortcomings, it’s hard to imagine [Alex] de Minaur going much higher.”

Their ruthlessness continued in Turin this week as they have both reached the final without losing a match with the Italian winning his four matches in straight sets as he beat Auger-Aliassime, Zverev and Shelton in the group phase before seeing off De Minaur in the semi-finals.

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Alcaraz lost one set against Taylor Fritz in the round-robin phase while he beat De Minaur and Lorenzo Musetti without dropping a set to reach the last four, where he defeated Auger-Aliassime in straight sets.

“We can try to rewrite history as much as we want, but that’s the reality,” Henin said. “There are them, and then there are the others. So, yes, we naturally want to see them in the final. I’ve seen other great things this week from other players, but not when they’re up against Sinner or Alcaraz. There’s no suspense there. It’s as simple as that.”

So what makes the new Big Two so impressive?

“When he decides to step on the gas, when he attacks him on his backhand side, he throws him off balance, including on the other side. What’s phenomenal about Alcaraz is his footwork,” the Belgian said.

“He must have done a lot of proprioception work, because he has a responsiveness in his feet that allows him to start faster than anyone else. And Sinner isn’t bad in his own way either. So when you take into account the aerial aspect and the speed, you end up with this huge difference. Physically, they are 10 steps ahead of the others.”

She added: “For people, physicality is often about the ability to last very long matches. But no, it’s not just that. It’s also what they impose, in terms of duration of course, but also in terms of intensity, speed of movement, and speed of execution. Their vision and reactivity constantly pose a problem.”

The post Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner ’10 steps ahead of their rivals’, says former world No 1 appeared first on Tennis365.

Felix Auger-Aliassime’s 2025 ATP Tour season came to an end with a run to the semi-final of the ATP Finals, but how much prize money and how many ranking points did he earn for his efforts?

The Canadian was the eighth and final qualifier for the season-ending event, in fact, Auger-Aliassime qualified so late that his name was initially missing when the draw was made and he didn’t feature in the pre-event photoshoots.

But once his spot was confirmed, he was placed in the Bjorn Borg Group alongside Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev and Ben Shelton and he eventually finished second behind world No 2 and defending champion Sinner at the end of the group phase.

The 25-year-old met top seed Carlos Alcaraz in the semi-final and the reigning world No 1 was too good as he won 6-2, 6-4 to end the eighth seed’s campaign in Italy.

But Auger-Aliassime had plenty of reason to be optimistic after the tournament, as he left with a new career-high ranking and a decent amount of prize money.

Asked about his season afterwards, he replied: “Back where I belong. Back where I feel like I can play with more consistency. Really happy to be part of this tournament, to have played that way in the last few months. Yeah, happy with the progress.

“The journey goes on.”

ATP Ranking Points Earned In Turin

Auger-Aliassime – who had peaked at No 6 in the ATP Rankings in 2022 – started the tournament at No 8 following an incredible few months as he reached the semi-final of the US Open and finished runner-up to Sinner at the Paris Masters.

The Canadian has earned a new career-high ranking by reaching the last four of the ATP Finals with his points coming via his two group wins.

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Players earn 200 points per win in the round-robin phase and Auger-Aliassime defeated Shelton and Zverev for a total of 400. There is no additional points for reaching the semi-final with only the two finalists rewarded after the showpiece match.

The 25-year-old’s 400 points will see him rise three places to No 5 when the rankings are updated on Monday with Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev and Novak Djokovic ahead of him.

Prize Money Earned In Turin

Players earn a $331,000 participation fee if they play three group matches and are then rewarded $396,500 for each group win.

Auger-Aliassime will thus go home with $1,124,000 as he won two group matches.

The Canadian, who $1,260,000 for his semi-final appearance at the US Open in September, will take his prize money for the year to $5,262,350 while his career total now sits at $19,671,882, which will see him move into the top 30 on the all-time list.

The post Felix Auger-Aliassime’s prize money and ranking points from ATP Finals appeared first on Tennis365.

The tennis world has been dominated by Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner throughout 2025 and now we will have the two kings of the game contesting the match of the season in the ATP Finals.

Alcaraz and Sinner have been playing at a different level than every other player in the sport over the last year and the pair confirmed their class as they served up a remarkable Saturday of brilliance in Turin.

Sinner was simply brilliant as he saw off Alex de Minaur in straight sets to reach a third successive ATP Finals championship match without dropping a set all week.

That masterful Sinner display appeared to inspire Alcaraz to raise his level and after he blew Felix Auger-Aliassime 6-2, 6-4, he was honest enough to admit he felt invincible on the court as he moved into top gear.

“I felt like I could do everything on court,” said Alcaraz.

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“It doesn’t matter if it was a forehand down the line, dropshots, backhand down the line – I felt like everything was going to be in.

“I found that confidence really helpful coming through the whole match, just pushing him to the limit, pushing him to try and do something different. I’m just happy that I continued playing such great tennis.”

Alcaraz tends to have the support of the fans in every match he plays, but he is expecting a different reception as the Italian fans cheer on his biggest rival.

“It’s great facing Jannik. If it was someone else, I wouldn’t mind to be honest, but it’s great,” he added.

“I will try to approach the match in a different way. I know I have to play my A-game if I want to beat him, to win the tournament, so we both are going to have lift our level to the top which is going to be great for the fans, for the crowd.

“It’ll be like the Davis Cup. I think the whole stadium will be supporting him, which I have to be prepared for.

“I hope there are three or four friends who will be cheering for me and I will hear them more.

“It is going to be a fun and interesting atmosphere to play in just once.”

Alcaraz’s summation of his performance against Auger-Aliassime was not misplaced, as he was simply mesmeric in the opening set.

He offered up just two unforced errors as he attacked every ball with a relish that suggested he was living every second as he picked his opponent apart.

Auger-Aliassime was smiling as he sat down at the end of the opening set, as he knew he was powerless to stop the brilliance coming at him from all angles.

The Canadian got closer to Alcaraz in the second set, but the Spaniard always looked capable of flicking the switch and moving into GOAT mode and even though the Italian fans tried to lift Auger-Aliassime, this mismatch ended in double quick time.

Sinner looked unbeatable when he saw off De Minaur and then a few hours later, Alcaraz produced a display that suggested he is also on fire.

What a treat we have in store to conclude this ATP season, as the best two players on the planet end a year they have owned with the ultimate final showdown.

The post Carlos Alcaraz makes startling claim as he sets up Jannik Sinner ATP Finals showdown appeared first on Tennis365.

Emma Raducanu has been immersing herself in all things rugby in recent days and she could not stop smiling as she watched England’s impressive wins against the All Blacks from prime seats at Twickenham.

The 2021 US Open champion was invited into the England rugby camp to meet the players and deliver an inspirational talk prior to their mission to face the might All Blacks.

She clearly had a positive impact as England’s long wait for victory over New Zealand ended after they came from behind to crush seal a 33-19 with.

Raducanu was beaming with joy as she shook hands with England giant Maro Itoje as he collected the trophy at the end of the match, concluding a birthday week for the 23-year-old spent plenty of time around rugby players.

Her appearance at the England training base created plenty of headlines earlier this week, as she took part in a line-out drill with the England players.

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“I had a brief chat with Emma. It was very nice of her to come in. I know the squad appreciated having her here,” said Itoje as he was asked about Raducanu’s visit earlier this week.

“To be honest, I didn’t speak to her about anything performance-related, it was more just getting to know her, getting to understand where she’s at with her season, and she was asking similar questions with regard to where we are and what we’re doing.

“She was taken aback by the size of the weights in the gym, but it was nice to have her.”

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England coach Steve Borthwick said welcomed Raducanu’s visit to his camp as he said: “It’s just great having elite sports people come and visit us. Emma was talking to the players and sharing her experiences about preparing for the elite level of competition, which is terrific. People like her are always very welcome because we enjoy learning from others’ experience.

“I think the players were journalists in the rounds just talking in the contrast around individual preparation and a need to feel that everything is right and for a tennis player who is on their own out there on the court, individual preparation is everything.

“For a team sport member, it is always getting that balance but we still need to maximise that individual preparation.””

Raducanu sat alongside English actress Simone Ashley for the match at Twickenham, who is famous for her appearances in shows like the Netflix smash hit, Bridgerton.

British No 1 tennis star Raducanu is currently taking a break from the sport after a troubled end to her season saw her struggling to play in the burning heat in Asia.

She has come exhibition matches on her agenda of the next few weeks before flying to Australia next month to start her preparations for the first Grand Slam of 2026.

Raducanu is due to team up with British No 1 male player Jack Draper in the United Cup event before playing at the Australian Open.

The post Emma Raducanu can’t stop smiling as England seal famous All Blacks win at Twickenham appeared first on Tennis365.

Carlos Alcaraz tends to get lavished with praise at any tennis venue in the world, but he got a snapshot of a very different reception as he arrived at the Inalpi Arena in Turin ahead of his ATP Finals last four clash against Felix Auger-Aliassime.

A sell-out crowd was cheering on local hero Jannik Sinner as he booked his place in Sunday’s final with a thrilling performance to see off a gutsy Alex de Minaur.

As images were flashed up on the big screen inside the arena showing Alcaraz’s arrival on site, the crowd instantly started to boo loudly, as they showed their loyalty to Sinner by jeering his biggest rival.

Sinner and Alcaraz enjoy a friendly off-court relationship, with the duo often practising together and they even took part in joint interviews ahead of this year’s ATP Finals.

“I think the word rivalry takes on the professional part, in the tennis side,” Alcaraz told CNN Sports prior to the ATP Finals.

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“We’re trying to find the weaknesses in each other on court, but then when we shake hands and we are off the court, we’re totally different.

“We sometimes forgot about the rivalry we were getting on tour and we became persons and that’s what it means, the word rivalry.”

Sinner also offered up warm words for Alcaraz as he said: “When you practice together, see each other in the locker room, then it’s natural that you get to know each other better and better.

“You talk about family and life in general, sharing also some personal stuff.

“I don’t think it’s changed. It just has become better because we know each other better.”

The two dominant players in men’s tennis shared the four Grand Slam titles between them over the last two seasons, with both ending up collecting four of the majors since the start of 2024.

Yet that will not dilute the enthusiasm of Italian fans to cheer for Sinner… and against Alcaraz.

While Sky Sports commentator Jonathan Overend described the boos for Alcaraz as ‘pantomime’ fun from the Italian fans, there is no doubt that the Spaniard could face a hostile reception if he threatens to get the better of the Italian front of his home fans.

Sinner will be back in the ATP Finals deciding match for a third straight year on Sunday after his clinical performance against De Minaur took his winning run on indoor courts to a remarkable 30 straight wins.

On the evidence of his performance against De Minaur, only Alcaraz has a chance to stop his incredible momentum in these conditions.

The post Carlos Alcaraz booed by Italian fans as Jannik Sinner rivalry reaches boiling point appeared first on Tennis365.

Jannik Sinner sent an ominous message as he delivered a stellar performance to see off Alex de Minaur in straight sets to reach the final at the 2025 ATP Finals.

The world No 2 and reigning champion prevailed 7-5, 6-2 against seventh-ranked de Minaur in a high-quality semi-final match in Turin.

Sinner now holds a 13-0 record against de Minaur (including a match at the Next Gen ATP Finals), and he has dropped only two sets against the 26-year-old Australian.

Jannik Sinner makes statement as he reaches ATP Finals final

• Jannik Sinner extended his incredible indoor hard-court win streak to 30 matches, moving him up to fifth on the all-time list
• Alexander Zverev rejected the claim that Jannik Sinner was “unplayable” after losing to the Italian in Turin, but was he right?
• In the final, Sinner could meet Carlos Alcaraz — who is arguably the only player who can stop him indoors

The four-time Grand Slam champion struck 29 winners to 22 unforced errors as he progressed to his third consecutive final at the ATP Finals.

Sinner was pushed hard by de Minaur in a 66-minute opening set as he had to hold from 0-40 in his opening service game, while it took eight break points for him to break the Australian’s serve.

The 24-year-old then raised his level in the second set as he raced into a 4-0 lead en route to sealing a statement win.

Sinner will play either world No 1 Carlos Alcaraz or world No 8 Felix Auger-Aliassime in the final in Turin.

Jannik Sinner overtakes Roger Federer as he extends indoor streak

Jannik Sinner’s win against de Minaur was his 30th consecutive victory in indoor hard courts — a streak that started at the 2023 Davis Cup Finals.

The Italian has climbed to fifth place on the list of the longest indoor hard-court win streaks in ATP history, overtaking Roger Federer’s 29-match run between 2010 and 2012.

Sinner’s last indoor defeat came against Novak Djokovic in the final of the 2023 ATP Finals.

Longest ATP indoor hard-court win streaks

John McEnroe – 47 wins (1978-1987)

Novak Djokovic – 35 wins (2012-2015)

Roger Federer – 33 wins (2004-2007)

Ivan Lendl – 32 wins (1980-1983)

Jannik Sinner – 30* wins (2023-active)

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Is Jannik Sinner “unplayable” at the ATP Finals?

After losing to Sinner in the round robin stage in Turin, Zverev rejected a question that suggested the Italian’s level was “unplayable.”

“It’s not unplayable,” the world No 3 insisted. “I had many opportunities. He had one [in the second set], he used the chance. This is why he’s No 1 in the world, you know? He uses the chances that he gets.

“It was a high-level match. He just used his chances much, much better than me. That’s why, in the end, he won both sets.”

Sinner’s latest performance confirmed his status as the ATP Finals favourite, and the Italian is close to unstoppable on indoor hard courts when he is at his best.

Alcaraz is, perhaps, the only player capable of beating an in-form Sinner in these conditions.

The 22-year-old Spaniard has won seven of his last eight encounters with Sinner and leads the overall head-to-head 10-5.

However, the pair have only played one match on indoor hard, and it was their first-ever meeting — which Alcaraz won at the 2021 Paris Masters.

Alcaraz secured his maiden indoor title in Rotterdam in February and he went unbeaten in the group stage in Turin, but this remains his least favourite surface.

If the six-time major winner can overcome Auger-Aliassime to set up a blockbuster final showdown with Sinner, he will find himself in a rare occasion where he is the underdog.

READ NEXT: Jannik Sinner’s reaction to Carlos Alcaraz’s year-end No 1 milestone revealed

The post Jannik Sinner delivers masterclass to reach ATP Finals final – but is he ‘unplayable’? appeared first on Tennis365.

Carlos Alcaraz has spoken about his motivation to reach the heights of the legendary trio of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.

The world No 1, who has won six Grand Slam titles, revealed a specific number of majors he would be happy to finish his career with.

Alcaraz is currently competing at the ATP Finals in Turin, where he is seeking a maiden title at the year-end championships.

Carlos Alcaraz opens up about chasing the Big Three

• Carlos Alcaraz has said that reaching the same level as Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer is a goal he believes he is capable of achieving
• The Spaniard wants to be the player with the most Grand Slam titles in history, but admitted he would settle for winning one major fewer than Djokovic, who is the record-holder
• Alcaraz also discussed his friendship with Nadal and answered whether he would beat his legendary compatriot on clay if both players were at their peak

The 22-year-old has won the US Open (2022 and 2025), Wimbledon (2023 and 2024), the French Open (2024 and 2025).

Djokovic holds the all-time Grand Slam record with 24, while Nadal and Federer retired on 22 and 20 majors respectively.

What Carlos Alcaraz said about matching Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer

In an interview with El Partidazo de COPE, Alcaraz expressed his desire to sit at the same table as the Big Three in terms of accomplishments.

“It’s an achievement for the end of my career, it makes me ambitious and I see myself as capable of doing it,” said the Spaniard.

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“If I didn’t believe I was capable, there wouldn’t be any goals. There would be nothing without that goal; that’s why I believe I can do it.”

Asked if would sign up to win 23 Grand Slam titles in his career, Alcaraz said: “Without hesitation. 23? Right now.

“In the end, we have to be realistic. I want to be the one with the most, I want to surpass Djokovic with 24, but 23… 23, we’re talking! It’s no joke…”

What Carlos Alcaraz said about his friendship with Rafael Nadal

Alcaraz was asked if he would beat 14-time French Open champion Nadal in a match on clay if both were at their peak.

“I think Rafa would win, without a doubt,” Alcaraz said.

On his relationship with Nadal, Alcaraz added: “He always offered me a helping hand. Now we’re two friends who talk to each other as equals, and that means everything to me.”

READ NEXT: What Carlos Alcaraz said about year-end No 1 feat, his indoor record and calls for Davis Cup change

The post Carlos Alcaraz reveals number of Grand Slams he would be happy to retire with  appeared first on Tennis365.

Jannik Sinner appeared to escape with only a limited punishment when he accepted a three-month ban to end his doping controversy at the start of 2025, but the full cost of his suspension has now been felt.

The Italian served a three-month ban prior to the Italian Open in May after he tested positive for a performance-enhancing drug at the 2024 Indian Wells Masters tournament.

He could have been banned for a year if his case had gone against him at the Court of Arbitration for Sport, with the plea bargain he made with the World Anti-Doping Agency ensuring he didn’t miss any Grand Slam tournaments.

After reaching the final of the French Open a few weeks after his suspension ended, Sinner took advantage of his good fortune after he was only banned for a brief period of time by winning at Wimbledon and going on to lift three more titles in the second half of the season.

The timing of his suspension sparked plenty of criticism, with 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic among those who had big questions over how his case was handled.

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“That cloud will follow him just as the cloud of Covid will follow me, for the rest of his, or my career in this case,” said Djokovic in his interview with Piers Morgan.

“When this happened, I was shocked, honestly. I don’t think he did it on purpose, but the way the case was handled, there were so many red flags, honestly.

“There is the lack of transparency, the inconsistency, the convenience of the ban coming, between the Slams, so he doesn’t miss out the others – it’s just, it was very, very odd.

“I really don’t like how the case was being handled and you could hear so many other players, both male and female, who had some similar situations coming out in the media, and complaining that it was a preferable treatment.

“I want to believe (him). My history with him, I think, he didn’t do it on purpose, but of course, he is responsible. That’s the rules. So when you see people who had something very similar or same being banned for years and he’s banned for three months, it’s not right.”

Those comments from Djokovic brought Sinner’s positive doping test back to the forefront of attention and while it appeared to many that he had a lenient punishment after traces of a performance-enhancing drug were found in his system, he has paid a heavy price in the end.

Carlos Alcaraz’s coronation as year-end world No 1 had a direct link to Sinner’s ban because while the young Spaniard has been magnificent all season, he was helped over the line in the battle to finish as No 1 by Sinner’s absence for a quarter of the season.

Sinner missed three ATP Masters 1000 events during his ban and he would have picked up plenty of ranking points if he had played those events, which may have left Alcaraz chasing his rival for the No 1 position.

While year-end world No 1 ranking titles do not define a career, they are a magical addition to the CV of any top player and Alcaraz has now achieved the feat for a second time after Sinner secured his first No 1 ranking title last year.

Alcaraz was crowned as the ATP’s top player for 2025 in from of Sinner’s fans in Turin on Friday and it is safe to assume the Italian will be keen to ensure he is the man collecting that prize next year.

The post True cost of Jannik Sinner’s ‘very odd’ drug ban revealed as he misses out on a big prize appeared first on Tennis365.

Spanish tennis great Alex Corretja has assessed Carlos Alcaraz’s hopes of winning the 2025 ATP Finals as he also discussed his compatriot’s rivalry with Jannik Sinner.

Alcaraz is chasing his maiden ATP Finals crown at the 2025 edition of the prestigious season-ending championships in Turin.

The world No 1 defeated Alex de Minaur, Taylor Fritz and Lorenzo Musetti to top the Jimmy Connors Group with a perfect 3-0 record, and he will face Felix Auger-Aliassime in the semi-finals.

Alex Corretja gives his verdict on Carlos Alcaraz’s ATP Finals title bid

• Alex Corretja said that Carlos Alcaraz arrived at the 2024 ATP Finals “with nothing left in the tank”, but he feels there is a “huge difference” this year
• The two-time French Open runner-up thinks Alcaraz “has a better chance” of winning the ATP Finals than ever before as he is “fresher” and in “better shape”
• Corretja compared the “healthy” rivalry between Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner to the rivalry between tennis icons Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer

Alcaraz’s 6-4, 6-1 victory against Musetti in his third round robin match ensured that he will end the year as the world No 1 ahead of Sinner.

The Spaniard could face Sinner — the defending champion and world No 2 — in the final in Turin.

Alcaraz is making his third ATP Finals appearance, having reached the semi-finals on his debut in 2023 and exited at the round robin stage in 2024.

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What Alex Corretja said about Carlos Alcaraz ahead of the ATP Finals semi-finals

Speaking on El Larguero on the Cadena SER radio station, Corretja highlighted the difference between Alcaraz at this year’s ATP Finals compared to previous editions.

“There’s a huge difference, in capital letters. It’s a matter of learning at every moment,” said Corretja, who won the 1998 ATP Finals (translated from Spanish).

“This year, he finishes in Tokyo and doesn’t go to Shanghai, arriving in Paris without rhythm. But this investment of time means he’s in better shape at the end of the year.

“Carlos has played 16 tournaments this year, and Sinner has played 11 because he was suspended for three months. Alcaraz needs to compete during those weeks to bring out his most explosive and competitive tennis.

“It’s not just sixteen weeks; it’s practically half the year competing. I think that’s why he’s fresher, in better shape, and therefore has a better chance of winning the tournament, whereas last year he arrived with nothing left in the tank.”

What Alex Corretja said about the Carlos Alcaraz-Jannik Sinner rivalry

Corretja, a former world No 2, also shared his thoughts on the rivalry between Alcaraz and Sinner.

“What I like most about all this is the healthy rivalry that Jannik and Carlos have created,” said the Spaniard.

“We saw it with Roger [Federer] and Rafa [Nadal] when they were already at the end of their careers, but being so young, for them to be fighting for number one until the end of the year and to take it with such simplicity, is great news for the world of tennis.”

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