The most attractive duel in the current tennis scene, the confrontation between the two strongest tennis players in the world, the Spaniards Carlos Alcaraz and the Serbian Novak Djokovicé, who will be able to compete in a hypothetical match in the semi-finals or finals of the ATP Finals 2023 in Turin , in which the Murcian will challenge Belgrade.
A number of special ATP Finals events will take place at the Pala Alpitour in Turin from November 12 to 19 for the third year in a row. They will be the first to receive the sensation of the circuit, an Alcaraz, who was there last year, but only received the prize that made him number 1 of the year, because he could not participate due to an elbow injury. .
Already at that moment, almost a year ago, he could see with his own eyes how “Nole” won his sixth “Master” title and how he was placed on the same level as Roger Federer. Their paths crossed several times this year, but something special was the Wimbledon final, which ended in victory for Alcaraz, who, after his recent departure in Paris, is now confident he can return to his best level.
“I expect a Carlos like at the beginning of the year, despite the results I achieved in the last tournaments,” guaranteed Alcaraz from Turin.
The defeat in Paris, which was quite painful, showed me that I have to work harder.
Later he was noticed.
And that’s what I did. You should always look at the positive side of things. I had a few days to train and I arrived here in good condition. I did great both physically and in tennis. I feel very good.
Alcaraz is considered the main favorite in the Red Group, where he will face Russians Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev, as well as German Alexander Zverev.
The rival to beat is undoubtedly Novak Djokovic, who strangely could lose his number 1 ranking at the end of the year if a difficult combination of results occurs and he does not win a single match in the tournament. In this case and as long as Alcaraz achieved all his victories, he would exchange places with the Murcian. Something that Alcaraz considers “almost lost”.
The battle for first place was the main goal and I practically lost that. That’s something I’m going to try to use to my advantage because I’m not going to think about it. I’m going to make my debut at the ATP Finals and we’re going to make the best of it. For me it is a gift to be here, although of course I deserve it.
Djokovic, top seed in the Greens’ group, will face Italian Jannik Sinner, Dane Holger Rune and Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas, the latter of whom is in doubt after feeling uncomfortable during training with Carlos Alcaraz. If he fails, his replacement will be the Pole Hubert Hurkacz.
The Serbian has a clear goal in mind. First he was number 1 and then he won the tournament that would make him the tennis player with the most Masters Cups.
“For me at the moment the biggest goal is to finish the season as number 1 in the world, so I hope to achieve that. I need a win, so I hope that happens,” Djokovic said.
And of course I would also like to win the tournament.
“After the Grand Slams, this is the most important tournament in sport. And the eight best players in the world have worked hard all year. “It is a great privilege for me,” said the current number 1.
In addition, the biggest prize in tennis history is at stake: a total prize pool of $15 million, with the undefeated winner taking home $4 million, or 801,500.
(With information from EFE)
Source: La Neta Neta
I’m George Gonzalez, a professional journalist and author at The Nation View. With more than 5 years of experience in the field, I specialize in covering sports news for various print media outlets. My passion for writing has enabled me to craft stories that capture the attention of readers all over the world.
