Alcaraz arrives in Turin on a 10-match run as Zverev seeks to silence critics at ATP Finals

Carlos Alcaraz arrives in Turin as the player in form while Alexander Zverev looks to silence critics at the ATP Finals, which start on Sunday in Turin, Italy. Alcaraz comes on a 10-match winning run after titles in Vienna and Paris, while Zverev arrives on a two-match losing streak despite holding the world No. 1 ranking.

Alcaraz celebrated after beating Ben Shelton to win the Paris Masters final at Plenitude Arena in Nanterre, France, on November 8, 2026. He missed four-and-a-half months in the middle of the year because of a right wrist injury and lost last year’s ATP Finals final to Jannik Sinner; Sinner, the two-time defending champion, is sitting out after ending his season early due to a right knee injury. After the Paris final Alcaraz said, “This is a tournament that I really want to win one day.” He added, “I’m going to go this year with a lot of confidence, with a lot of information in my bag to do the things that I really wanted to improve and be better in that tournament, and I’m going to go for it.”

Two years ago Alcaraz acknowledged his lack of indoor experience, saying, “I have no experience playing on indoor courts,” and adding, “I’ll be a really good player on indoor courts, I’m sure about it. But I think it’s about time, about getting experience. ... A lot of players are better than me on indoor courts.” Since returning this season he has dropped only one set during his 10-match winning streak indoors. “Mentally tired athletes often run low on patience,” Tennis Channel analyst and former No. 1 Jim Courier said in an email to The Associated Press. “Carlos is generally making better choices with his shot selection than a few years ago and his mental freshness, given the time away from tour due to injury this year, is also a factor.”

Zverev won more of the big titles this year and has the No. 1 ranking, but he has appeared mentally tired during recent losses to Alex de Minaur and Lorenzo Musetti in Vienna and Paris, respectively. After falling to Musetti in his Paris opener Zverev said, “I feel like I’m the only world No. 1 in tennis history that has to explain why it’s OK for me to be world No. 1, which I find quite difficult, because I think I deserve to be where I am.” He also described the criticism as “annoying, to be honest.” Zverev claimed his first two Grand Slam titles this year and ascended to the No. 1 ranking for the first time.

Ben Shelton reached his first Grand Slam final at the U.S. Open and beat Alcaraz in New York, taking a fifth-set super tiebreaker to conclude a quarterfinal that ended at 3:33 a.m. Shelton then lost to Alcaraz in two close sets in Paris; he said, “It’s all about the little details. The difference in our match in the U.S. Open was the little details, and same (in Paris).” One not so minor detail for Shelton is that he recently added Juan Carlos Ferrero — Alcaraz’s former coach — to his staff. “Super hungry,” Shelton said, “and excited going into Turin.”

A third career title for Zverev at the Finals — preferably with a victory over Alcaraz — would go a long way toward quieting the questions surrounding his place at No. 1. The ATP Finals is the season-ending event for the year’s top eight men’s players.

John McEnroe group: Alexander Zverev (1), Ben Shelton (3), Arthur Fils (6), Rafael Jodar (8).

Ivan Lendl group: Carlos Alcaraz (2), Daniil Medvedev (4), Flavio Cobolli (5), Frances Tiafoe (7).

The ATP Finals start on Sunday in Turin, Italy.