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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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The post Carlos Alcaraz gets ATP Finals backing from two-time Slam finalist: ‘He has a better chance’  appeared first on Tennis365.

Ben Shelton’s difficult debut ATP Finals campaign came to an end with a defeat to Jannik Sinner in his third and final round robin match.

The world No 5 fell 3-6, 6-7(3) fell to Sinner in Turin on Friday, and he now holds a 1-8 record against the Italian star having lost their last eight encounters without winning a set.

Shelton had already been eliminated from the ATP Finals prior to playing Sinner after losing to Alexander Zverev and Felix Auger-Aliassime.

Ben Shelton posts 0-3 record on ATP Finals debut

• Ben Shelton finished winless at the ATP Finals after losing to Jannik Sinner in his final match of 2025
• The American did, though, earn a healthy prize money sum for appearing in Turin
• Shelton assessed his end to the season after returning from a shoulder injury

Sinner, the world No 2 and reigning champion at the ATP Finals, has finished top of the Bjorn Borg Group with a 3-0 record after beating the 23-year-old American.

The four-time major champion broke Shelton twice in the opening set before winning a competitive second set on a tiebreak.

How many ranking points and how much prize money did Ben Shelton earn in Turin?

As Ben Shelton exited the 2025 ATP Finals with a 0-3 record, he did not collect any ATP ranking points.

The world No 5 leaves Turin with $331,000 in prize money as this is the set participation fee earned by players who complete three singles matches in the round robin stage at the ATP Finals.

ATP Finals prize money breakdown

Participant fee: $331,000 (for three complete matches)
Alternate fee: $155,000
Round robin: $396,500 per match win
Semi-final: $1,183,500
Final: $2,367,000
Unbeaten champion: $5,071,000

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What did Ben Shelton say after losing to Jannik Sinner at the ATP Finals?

In his post-match press conference, Shelton reflected on the challenging end to what was a hugely positive 2025 season for him.

“Yeah, tough to finish out the season like this, 0-3 at the Finals. Yeah, for me obviously a great year. A lot of positives,” said the 23-year-old.

“Tennis is full of highs and lows. This will just make me work harder in the off-season, make me even more excited for the 2026 season. But yeah, it stings, for sure.”

Shelton also addressed how he performed in the latter stages of the season after coming back from the shoulder injury he suffered at the US Open.

“Yeah, definitely not my best. I played one good match. Actually wouldn’t say that today was a bad match either. My match against [Andrey] Rublev in Paris I thought I played well,” Shelton assessed.

“Yeah, it’s just tennis. Everybody is wired differently. Me coming back from being out for a while, it takes me a little bit to find my rhythm. Trying to do that at the end of the year when guys are really, really in good form is difficult.

“For me, I’ll find it. I’ll find my movement, all the different shots around the court that I need. Today I played a good match from the baseline, from the net. I just honestly got out-served. That was kind of the theme all three matches I played here: the guys served better than me. That’s not a biggest concern. I know I have a great serve.

“Got to give a lot of credit at the end of this year the way that guys, in-form players, played. There’s no easy matches in my group. Yeah, came up a little bit short.”

READ NEXT: Novak Djokovic gets candid Grand Slam message from tennis icon at end of 2025 season

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The ATP Finals round-robin stage is coming to a close in Turin, with Taylor Fritz and Lorenzo Musetti officially the first players to end their campaigns at the year-end championships.

Fritz looked well-placed to qualify in the final day of Group Jimmy Connors action in Turin, though the sixth seed’s loss to Alex de Minaur on Thursday left him unable to qualify for the semi-final.

That result meant Musetti needed to defeat Carlos Alcaraz to qualify for the knockout rounds, though the Italian’s straight-set defeat saw him join Fritz in exiting the event, Alcaraz topping the group and de Minaur progressing in second.

Here, we look at the prize money and ranking points that both Fritz and Musetti will take home from the ATP Finals.

What ranking points did Fritz and Musetti earn in Turin?

No ranking points are automatically awarded to players for qualifying for the year-end championships, meaning players have to contest — and win — matches to earn points.

Both Fritz and Musetti end their ATP Finals campaigns with one win and two defeats, with Fritz’s win coming over the Italian, and Musetti’s sole win coming versus de Minaur.

That means that both men earn 200 ranking points for their ATP Finals campaigns, with 200 points on offer per round-robin win in Turin.

De Minaur has also earned 200 ranking points thanks to his win over Fritz on Thursday, with Alcaraz on a full 600 points after an unbeaten group-stage campaign.

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What prize money did Fritz and Musetti earn in Turin?

Prize money works differently from ranking points at the ATP Finals, with a participant fee awarded to all of who qualified for the year-end championships.

Having successfully completed all three round-robin matches in Turin, both Fritz and Musetti will receive a complete participant fee of $331,000 for their campaigns.

However, with one win in Turin as well, both men add to their prize money payouts for the tournament.

Each round-robin win at the ATP Finals is worth a staggering $396,500, meaning that Fritz and Musetti both leave the tournament with total prize money earnings of $727,5000 for their campaigns.

De Minaur is also on $727,5000 for his campaign so far, while Alcaraz is already on $1,520,000 in winnings for the tournament, thanks to an unbeaten round-robin stage.

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

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Carlos Alcaraz spoke about a range of topics, including clinching the year-end No 1 ranking, after defeating Lorenzo Musetti at the 2025 ATP Finals in Turin.

The 22-year-old downed world No 9 Musetti 6-4, 6-1 to ensure he topped the Jimmy Connors Group at the season-ending championships with a 3-0 record.

Alcaraz‘s victory means he will finish 2025 on top of the ATP Rankings ahead of his rival, Jannik Sinner, who is ranked second. This is the second year Alcaraz will end as world No 1 after 2022.

Carlos Alcaraz speaks after topping Jimmy Connors Group at ATP Finals

• Carlos Alcaraz labelled 2025 his best season on indoor courts and spoke about his preparation for the end of the campaign
• The Spaniard spoke about the different feelings that come with securing the year-end No 1 ranking and winning a Grand Slam title
• The six-time major champion called for changes to the Davis Cup as he was asked if the team competition should be held less often than every year

The world No 1 will face either Alexander Zverev or Felix Auger-Aliassime in the semi-finals at the ATP Finals, where he is chasing a maiden title.

Here is everything Alcaraz said in his press conference after defeating Musetti in Turin.

Reaction to finishing year as world No 1 and reaching ATP Finals semi-finals

ALCARAZ: Well, it’s a great achievement. It was the goal to end the year as No 1. Yeah, after getting the win in this match and know that I got and achieved my goal of the year, it means a lot. I think I’ve been playing great tennis. Excited about keep it going. I’m playing a semi-final here in the ATP Finals.

Has this been Alcaraz’s best season on indoor courts?

ALCARAZ: Well, I would say is difficult to say that is my best season on indoor courts because I just played Paris Bercy, and Paris Bercy I lost in the first round. Here it’s still the semi-final. So let’s see how it’s going to be. I reached the semi-final here back in 2023 again, so I don’t know. I don’t play too many indoors tournaments per year, which means that I don’t get so much experience on playing in this surface. But just feeling great after every match. Yeah, hopefully in the semi-final still keep feeling even better… I forgot that I won Rotterdam, so… I forgot that. I would say yeah, it’s my best season indoor so far.

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Alcaraz’s process to prepare for the end of the season

ALCARAZ: Coming at the end of the season, approaching the indoor swing at the end of the season, for me it’s always great having time at home preparing as much as I can or as good as I can these tournaments. It doesn’t mean that I’m going to play well or not. I’m just really happy that I came here with confident, knowing that I’m playing a great tennis. I had really good preparation before this tournament. It’s always to get to know yourself, what you need on and off the court. I think approaching this time of the year, I think I’ve done it pretty well.

Comparing the feeling of securing the year-end No 1 ranking with winning a Grand Slam

ALCARAZ: Well, I would say it’s different feelings. Winning Grand Slams is always a goal. End the year as No 1, obviously it’s always a goal as well. Securing ending the year as No 1 here, for example in this match, the tournament is not over, you have to play a semi-final. The tournament keeps going. It’s kind of different because always it’s great, you can celebrate it with my team, with my close people that they are here. But right after you got to still focus on recover, on going as soon as bed as you can, just to be ready for the semi-final.

Comparing to winning a Grand Slam, the tournament is over, you can relax, you can do whatever you want after achieve one of the best things you can achieve on our sport, that is getting a Grand Slam. I would say it’s kind of a different feeling.

Would it be better to hold the Davis Cup Finals every two or three years?

ALCARAZ: If I am honest with you, I think the Davis Cup is one of those tournaments that you’re not used to feel and play because you’re playing for your country, you’re playing with your teammates. It’s totally different. I think it’s one of the most privileged things you can do in our sport, representing your country. I agree that they got to do something in this event, because I think playing every year, I mean, it is not as good as it might be if you’re playing every two or three years. I think if the tournament is played like every two years or every three years, the players, the commitment of the players, it’s going to be even more because it’s unique, it’s different.

You’re not able to play every year. Yeah, I’m playing this year. I really want to win the Davis Cup one day because for me it’s a really important, important tournament. Jannik [Sinner] has won it twice. I think Lorenzo [Musetti] once or twice, as well. For me, I would say it’s normal for them because the season has been so long. They might keep it to have one more week to recover, to do vacation, to do pre-season, which is understandable. It’s normal. But I would say they got to do something about it to make the Davis Cup unique.

READ NEXT: Alexander Zverev shuts down Jannik Sinner ‘unplayable’ question after ATP Finals loss

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The ATP Finals is slowly approaching the business end of the tournament, with the final phase of round-robin matches already underway in Turin.

Group Jimmy Connors comes to its conclusion on Thursday, before Group Bjorn Borg ends on Friday with Jannik Sinner facing Ben Shelton, and Alexander Zverev taking on Felix Auger-Aliassime.

Compared to Thursday’s scenarios, the permutations for Friday’s action are much simpler to understand; here, we look at what is at stake for all four men inside the Inalpi Arena.

What’s at stake between Sinner and Shelton?

Sinner’s first two matches at the ATP Finals have been primetime night session matches in Turin, though his final round-robin match against Shelton has been moved to the daytime slot.

There is one very simple reason for that: in terms of qualifying, there is nothing at stake in this match.

Having already beaten Auger-Aliassime and Zverev in Turin, Sinner is already guaranteed to finish atop Group Bjorn Borg, regardless of his result here.

While, having tasted defeat to both the German and Canadian on his ATP Finals debut, Shelton cannot qualify for the semi-final stage.

It would be easy to describe this match as a ‘dead rubber’, though there is still significant prize money and ranking points at stake for both men.

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Each round-robin win in Turin is worth both 200 ranking points and a staggering $396,500 in winnings, ensuring that both men still have plenty to play for, regardless of the lack of ramifications.

Sinner will enter this contest as an overwhelming favourite for victory, having won his last seven matches — and last 17 sets — against the American.

What’s at stake between Zverev and Auger-Aliassime?

With Sinner already guaranteed to progress as the group winner, and Shelton already out of contention, Zverev and Auger-Aliassime have clear scenarios in their encounter.

Whoever wins this match will qualify in second place and face the winner of Group Jimmy Connors in the semi-final, while whoever loses will exit the tournament.

Both men have picked up wins over Shelton and tasted defeats to Sinner at the ATP Finals this year, leading to a straight shootout between the two.

Zverev holds a 6-3 advantage in their head-to-head, though it was Auger-Aliassime who won their most recent meeting — defeating the German at the US Open this summer.

This will be the final round-robin match of the tournament, with the semi-finals taking place on Saturday, and the final on Sunday.

Order of play (Friday, November 14 – local time)

n/b 14:00: (1) Jannik Sinner vs (5) Ben Shelton
n/b 20:30: (3) Alexander Zverev vs (8) Felix Auger-Aliassime

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Alex de Minaur overcame his demons to seal a stunning win over Taylor Fritz at the ATP Finals on Thursday — a result that holds huge ramifications in Turin.

After a heartbreaking loss to Lorenzo Musetti on Tuesday, de Minaur’s hopes looked all but over at the year-end championships, with the Australian falling to a 0-5 career record at the ATP Finals.

However, a 7-6(3), 6-3 win over Fritz provides the perfect tonic after his loss to Musetti, and holds huge significance for himself, the Italian, and Carlos Alcaraz in Group Jimmy Connors.

What does victory mean for de Minaur?

After opening losses to Alcaraz and Musetti in Turin, de Minaur’s ATP Finals hopes were hanging by a thread heading into Thursday.

The only way the Australian could have any hope of qualification was if he could beat sixth seed and 2024 runner-up Fritz in straight sets — something he was able to do in style.

Victory for de Minaur this afternoon now means that he will qualify for the semi-final if Alcaraz beats Musetti in the final Group Jimmy Connors match tonight, a result that would see the Australian finish second.

What does defeat mean for Fritz?

Fritz had one win and one loss to his name across his first two matches, beating Musetti in straight sets before a three-set defeat to Alcaraz on Tuesday.

That set won against Alcaraz put the American in with a solid chance of qualification come Thursday, with his destiny largely still within his own hands.

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However, a straight-set loss to de Minaur was the absolute worst-case scenario for Fritz, and last year’s finalist is now officially out of the tournament and is unable to progress — regardless of Alcaraz and Musetti’s result.

What does it mean for Alcaraz and Musetti?

Alcaraz and Musetti will be focusing on their own match, but this afternoon’s result holds huge significance for both men in this group.

The good news for Alcaraz is that he has now officially qualified for the knockout stage, with neither de Minaur nor Fritz able to overtake him.

The Spaniard will top the group should he beat Musetti on Thursday night, and face the runner-up from Group Bjorn Borg in the last four — one of Alexander Zverev or Felix Auger-Aliassime.

Should Alcaraz lose to Musetti, he would finish in second place behind the Italian — booking a blockbuster semi-final against Jannik Sinner, the winner of Group Bjorn Borg.

De Minaur’s win now means that Musetti must absolutely defeat Alcaraz on Thursday to have any chance of progression.

If Musetti were to lose, he, de Minaur, and Fritz would all hold three points — though the Australian would reach the semi-final due to a higher percentage of sets won.

A win for the Italian would see him top the group ahead of Alcaraz, moving ahead of the Spaniard on head-to-head.

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Alexander Zverev has addressed whether Jannik Sinner is “unplayable” after his straight-set defeat to the world No 2 at the 2025 ATP Finals.

The world No 3 fell 4-6, 3-6 to four-time major champion Sinner in the round robin stage at the season-ending championships in Turin on Wednesday.

Zverev was unable to convert any of the seven break points he had, while Sinner won two of his four break points as both sets were decided by a single break.

Alexander Zverev addresses whether Jannik Sinner is ‘unplayable’

• Alexander Zverev dismissed the suggestion that Jannik Sinner is “unplayable” after losing to the Italian at the 2025 ATP Finals
• The German assessed that the difference was the fact Sinner used the opportunities he had in the match “much, much better”
• Zverev said this year has been “a nightmare for me injury-wise” and explained that this has made it difficult for him to improve his game

Sinner now holds a 6-4 record against Zverev having won the pair’s last five encounters in a run that started with a win in Cincinnati in August last year.

Zverev won four of the pair’s first five meetings, which all came before Sinner won his first Grand Slam in 2024.

Sinner’s win ensured his qualification for the semi-finals in Turin, while Zverev must defeat Felix Auger-Aliassime in his final round robin match in order to progress.

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In his press conference after losing to Sinner in Turin, Zverev was asked a question about Sinner being “unplayable.”

Q. “I was pretty impressed with your first set. You served 87% of first serves. You won 19 out of 26 points [on first serve]. You still lost 6-4.What do you say to yourself in these occasions? What could I have done better? It’s unplayable?”

Zverev: “It’s not unplayable. 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.”

The 28-year-old was then asked what he can do to get closer to Sinner.

“Number one is to stay healthy and injury-free. This year was a nightmare for me injury-wise. All the time I had something. It was difficult for me to improve when I always had to try to get healthy. This is number one thing,” Zverev said.

“Look, of course I think it’s quite easy for you guys to ask these questions because the score says 6-4, 6-3. If you look deeper into the match, I really believe that it could have been more than 6-4, 6-3, so… Don’t always judge it by the score.”

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Aryna Sabalenka was without a doubt the best player on the WTA Tour in 2025, but Rennae Stubbs feels the four-time Grand Slam winner will be “highly disappointed” with her season.

The Belarusian started the year at No 1 and also finished the campaign at the top as she became only the seventh woman to spend an entire calendar year atop the WTA Rankings whlie she also won the most titles (four) and topped the prize money earnings list ($15,008,519).

Although she reached four Grand Slam finals, Sabalenka won only won – and that was at the US Open when she defeated Amanda Anisimova in the final – with her other titles coming at the WTA 500 Brisbane International and the WTA 1000 Miami Open and Madrid Open.

She lost five of the nine finals she played in and some were big ones as she was beaten by Madison Keys at the Australian Open, Coco Gauff at the French Open and, most recently, Elena Rybakina at the WTA Finals.

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Doubles legend Stubbs was full of praise for Sabalenka’s “outrageously good” consistency in 2025, but says the four-time major winner will feel she should’ve won more trophies, especially majors.

“Aryna Sabalenka, another fantastic year, finishes world number one. It’s been a long time since [somebody has] gone back-to-back, since somebody has done that as well number one,” the four-time women’s doubles Grand Slam winner said on the Rennae Stubbs podcast.

“But having said that, I would venture to say that she would say it was a great year, but it wasn’t the year that she would have hope for.

“And that’s an amazing thing to say when you reach as many finals as she has, as you are the pinnacle of world number one two years in a row, the consistency that she had this year was outrageously good.

“But having only won one, essentially one major title, the US Open, I would say that she would say that this year was a little bit of a failure.

“And I mean that in the nicest way, because she’s been so good and consistently the best player all year and making all the finals that she did.

“I think she would be highly disappointed that she lost in the finals of the Australian Open, that she lost in the semi-finals of Wimbledon, that she lost the final of the French Open, and then she lost to Rybakina in the WTA Final.

“I think that for her, someone who’s that dominant would be very disappointed that they didn’t get more major titles under their belt this year. And she sort of deserved it, but in the end, if you don’t win, you don’t deserve it.”

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Jannik Sinner kept his hopes of beating Carlos Alcaraz to the year-end No 1 ranking alive after he sealed his passage to the last four of the ATP Finals with a thrilling win against Alexander Zverev in front of his home fans.

Zverev pushed Sinner in a competitive first set, but he failed to take his chances in a match that saw him miss out on seven break points and then faltered at crucial moments in a 6-4, 6-3 defeat.

“A very, very competitive match, a very close match,” said Sinner. “I felt like I was serving very well in important moments. I tried to play the best tennis possible when it mattered, which fortunately went my way.

“We both changed a little bit tactically, so I felt like we both were trying to hit quite fast, quite flat, but I’m very happy with how I returned his serve.

“It’s very difficult. One of the best serves in the game. The group I’m in, with Sascha (Zverev) and Ben (Shelton), it’s very difficult to return their serves.”

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This was another polished performance from Zverev, as he lifted his game in the key moments and won an impressive 83 per-cent of his first serve points.

His success in saving seven break points was crucial to the outcome of the match, as he won two of the four break point chances he had against Zverev.

Sinner out-aced Zverev 12-7 and that was an impressive effort against one of the biggest servers in tennis, with the service motion he was keen to improve after his US Open final defeat against Alcaraz in September in impressive working order.

Remarkably, Sinner has now won 28 successive matches in indoor conditions, and he suggested the conditions in Turin are suiting him.

“I feel like indoors suits my game style very well,” he added. “You don’t have the wind, you don’t have the sun, you always have the same feeling on the court and it always helps you feel more comfortable.”

This win against Zverev took his prize money for the ATP Finals to $1,124,000. That allowed him to move through the $15m barrier for 2025 and if you throw in the $6m he collected for winning the Six Kings Slam exhibition event last month.

His battle for the year-end world No 1 position with Alcaraz will continue into what will be a crucial Thursday, with the Spaniard getting his first chance to wrap up the prestigious ranking if he can beat Lorenzo Musetti on Thursday.

If Alcaraz is beaten by Sinner’s Italian compatriot, there are some scenarios that would see Sinner take on Alcaraz in the semi-finals in Turin on Saturday, where the world No 1 ranking could be on the line.

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