Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz are the overwhelming favourites to win the ATP Finals, which is set to begin on November 9.
Sinner has been given a favourable ATP Finals draw as he looks to become the first player to win the tournament in consecutive years since Novak Djokovic in 2022 and 2023.
Alcaraz, meanwhile, heads to the year-end competition having never reached further than the semi-final stage.
The two men have already begun their preparations for the tournament as they look to end their successful seasons on a high, and they did so with a practice match in Turin.
The result of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner’s practice match at the ATP Finals
Alcaraz began his preparations with a practice against Taylor Fritz on November 6, and he continued to test himself against the top players on the tour.
The Spaniard played with Sinner on November 7 as they played out an entire set, as well as a tie-break, on Centre Court.
Sinner took the set 6-3 to continue his excellent post-US Open form, but he wasn’t so lucky with the tie-break.
With just 15 minutes left of the practice, Sinner lost the tie-break by seven points to three to leave both men happy ahead of the tournament.
The two men have made no secret of their admiration of each other despite their intense rivalry on the court, and they often catch up away from tennis.
Jannik Sinner sends Carlos Alcaraz a message after their practice
The two best players in the world exchanged messages after sharing a practice together at the ATP Finals.
Alcaraz posted a selfie with Sinner on the court in Turin, with a selection of emojis that hinted toward their rivalry for the World No. 1 position.
Sinner overtook Alcaraz at the top of the rankings after winning the Paris Masters, but the Spaniard is expected to retake the lead in Turin.
Following the social media selfie, Sinner sent a message directly to Alcaraz which read: “Gracias Carlos, great practice today!”
The two men will not play each other in the group stages, with their earliest meeting set for the knockout stages.
The ATP Finals draw
Sinner has been handed an exceptionally kind draw as he looks to defend his ATP Finals trophy, having missed out on playing Alcaraz or Djokovic in the round robin.
The Italian will play Alexander Zverev, Ben Shelton, and either Felix Auger-Aliassime or Lorenzo Musetti, with Musetti needing to win the title in Athens to qualify.
| Jimmy Connors Group | Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic, Taylor Fritz, and Alex de Minaur |
| Bjorn Borg Group | Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev, Ben Shelton, and Felix Auger-Aliassime OR Lorenzo Musetti |
Sinner has beaten Shelton in each of their last seven matches, with the American’s one and only win coming against the Italian in 2023.
Zverev has fared better against Sinner, having beaten the star four times throughout their career, but Sinner has won their last four matches.
As for Alcaraz, Djokovic – if he plays – looks to be the biggest danger to the Spaniard in their round robin matches.
Djokovic leads his head-to-head with Alcaraz, with five wins from their nine matches, with his most recent win coming in the 2025 Australian Open.
Fritz has beaten Alcaraz on one occasion, at the Laver Cup, although that doesn’t count on the ATP record due to its exhibition status.
Alcaraz has beaten de Minaur in all four of their matches, with the Aussie only managing to win one set against the Spaniard.
