ATP Finals draw: who will be Alcaraz’s opponents on his expected debut?

Carlos Alcaraz has accomplished a lot in the past year. Still, he’s about to make his debut at the ATP Finals. Who will he face in the main group at the final event of the 2023 season? Can he expect success?

It’s only been a little over a year since Carlos Alcaraz was a household name. In that time he has managed to win two Grand Slam titles and also go through a minor results crisis.

Let’s not make a big deal out of the mosquito, but it’s fair to admit that the Spaniard’s results in recent weeks have been less than stellar. He certainly doesn’t now stand alongside Novak Djokovic as a fully matched rival in the battle for the world number one title.

2023 ATP Finals

Alcaraz is, although it may come as a surprise, about to make his debut at the ATP Finals. He also qualified for the Turin event, officially called the Nitto ATP Finals, last year but did not participate due to injury.

The youngest ever world number one has a huge challenge ahead of him. To succeed at the final event of the season on the ATP circuit on his debut and at the same time to dispel doubts about his current performance.

Of course, you can’t pick your opponents at such a packed tennis event, but the lot has been pretty tough on the current world number two. In fact, the Spanish star does not have a positive match record with any of his opponents.

Alcaraz will face the Russians Medvedev (2:2 record) and Rublyov (the Spaniard has no matches played with the latter), as well as the German Zverev (3:3 record).

With Medvedev, the 20-year-old has played three big matches this year. In the final of the Masters in Indian Wells and in the semifinals of Wimbledon it was Alcaraz who rejoiced, in the semifinals of the US Open it was the Russian tennis player. Now at least a fourth duel awaits them and again with a big charge.

Against both Zverev and Rubljov, the Wimbledon champion will be a big favourite. Experts gush, for example, about his forehand with the added possibility of an elite stopball, but Alcaraz’s recent results cast doubts.

In conclusion ..

While the green group of the ATP Finals is the “group of death” for everyone except Djokovic, in the red one the most anticipated event will be the performance of the paper number one Alcaraz. His opponents here have a significantly more realistic chance to threaten the favourite than the fighters from Djokovic’s quartet.

Source: ATP