Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz needs just one more win to achieve his interim goal at the ATP Finals.
Carlos Alcaraz has one last step to take before he achieves one of his two major goals at the ATP Finals in Turin.
A win over Lorenzo Musetti in Thursday’s final group match would secure the Spaniard the top spot in the world rankings at the end of the tennis year, regardless of other results and for the first time since 2022.
“Really difficult not to think about number one”
He can’t completely block out the thought, even though he tries to stay focused on his game. “It’s really difficult not to think about being number one,” said Alcaraz, who wants to keep his rival Jannik Sinner at bay in the race for the crown. At the start of his hard-fought three-set victory over Taylor Fritz, which marked the penultimate step on his journey, the topic was definitely on his mind.
It is important “that my nerves don’t slow me down and that I can control my emotions,” the Spaniard explained: “It’s going to be a big day for me.”
If, contrary to expectations, Alcaraz does not triumph against Italian substitute Musetti, he will still have another chance. Reaching the final would also be enough to achieve his goal. Incidentally, the six-time Grand Slam winner is also fighting for his first triumph at the finals. Last year, an exhausted Alcaraz was already out in the group stage, but in 2024 he finished third in the world rankings – behind Sinner and Alexander Zverev.
