ATP Finals 2024: Analysis of the eight 'masters'

Streaming live tennis

🎾

* You can watch and bet on this match live here..

As with every season, the ATP Finals 2024 are responsible for closing the curtain on an unforgettable ATP year. A year that has served to open a new chapter in tennis history, with two young and well-prepared players reaching the pinnacle with every Grand Slam victory. The confirmation in the Olympus of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz is also reflected in the Masters tournament: for the first time since 2001, none of the Big Three players will fight for the final crown of the year, a clear sign that times are changing. Who will take the title in Turin? Let's analyze, as expected, the eight candidates.

1. JANNIK SINNER (6 titles, record of 65-6, 12-5 vs top-10): The best player of the year is seeking a finale worthy of his evolution. After narrowly missing victory last year, where only a colossal Novak Djokovic denied him glory, the player from San Candido arrives as a very clear favorite. Reasons? He comes in rested (chose not to play in Paris-Bercy), in great form (champion in Shanghai and Six Kings Slam), and will compete on a surface, the indoor hard court, that suits him perfectly. Furthermore, all the fans will be on his side, turning his matches into Davis Cup-like experiences. The only cloud that could gather on his horizon has been recurrent in major events throughout 2024, and it's named Carlos Alcaraz... but perhaps the setting makes it more likely to dissipate. Who can stop him?

2. ALEXANDER ZVEREV (2 titles, record of 66-20, 5-6 vs top-10): The title in Paris-Bercy has revitalized the end of the season that was turning into a nightmare for Sascha. The player with the most elite matches arrives at a place he knows inside out, where he already claimed the title in 2021, enhancing his devastating serve. His 2024 has been good, though not outstanding, as the Grand Slam title continues to elude him, and his candidacy for the title ranks second on the podium, just behind Sinner  and most likely on par with Alcaraz. On a fast court, he won't need to rely on a physique that has struggled due to his recent respiratory issues: perhaps this surface will be his biggest ally to end a year of many triumphs on a high.

3. CARLOS ALCARAZ (4 titles, record of 52-11, 11-3 vs top-10): It's impossible not to classify Alcaraz's season as good. No one surpasses him on two surfaces (clay, grass), no one has more versatility than him, and no one handles five-set challenges better. His unfinished business, however, is to raise a level that led to somewhat unexpected defeats in Masters 1000 tournaments, putting him in a slightly awkward position approaching a tournament where he was in better physical condition than in 2023. One of those defeats, against Humbert in Paris-Bercy, has reduced his chances for the mastery throne, but there are still clear reasons to believe he can at least reach the semifinals, if not go further. Taking a step forward there, whether in the form of a final or a 50/50 match against Sinner, should be his main goal.

4. DANIIL MEDVEDEV (0 titles, record of 45-19, 4-7 vs top-10): It's quite strange to see Medvedev's title count at zero over the past 11 months. His season, in a way, is a mystery: there are no signs of evolution in his tennis, his serve remains a shadow of its former self, and the gap between him and Sinner and Alcaraz only seems to widen. This paints a somewhat pessimistic picture, but ruling Medvedev out would be a huge mistake. Turin represents his last chance to add some color to a disappointing season, although clearly starting behind the leading pack.

5. TAYLOR FRITZ (2 titles, record of 49-21, 6-8 vs top-10): A great season for the American player, who pushed his limits to reach his first Grand Slam final in New York. Not only that: two other quarterfinals in major tournaments and a couple of titles adorn the American's trophy case, returning to a place where he reached the semifinals back in 2022. He appears unquestionably as the most dangerous player in the "trailing pack," although we still have doubts about his tennis level when facing top-class opponents. Reaching the semifinals again would make this a great experience for him, and that involves, at minimum, defeating Medvedev or Zverev.

6. CASPER RUUD (2 titles, record of 49-22, 4-2 vs top-10): There are two Ruuds in a single season. As if Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, physical complications (he suffered an infection halfway through the season that weighed him down) have caused a steep decline in the latter part of the year, giving us a completely different version of Casper compared to when he returned to his best form in April and May. Thus, his cushion from the first quarter propels him to Turin, where hardly anyone expects anything from him. This freedom and lack of expectations could be a good incentive for the Norwegian, whose best form led him to the final in 2022... although that seems quite distant now.

7. ALEX DE MIÑAUR (2 titles, record of 47-16, 5-7 vs top-10): The only newcomer on the list has achieved this milestone entirely deservedly. A shining season for the Australian, who increased the aggression in his game from the first month of the season and managed to significantly improve his tennis quality. An unfortunate injury in the Wimbledon round of 16 prevented a greater leap in performance, but he arrived just in time to accumulate valuable points in the final stretch of the year. With three Grand Slam quarterfinals under his belt, Demon might be one of the dark horses of the tournament, given his adaptability to this surface and freshness in recent months, even just being here is a gift for him.

8. ANDREY RUBLEV (2 titles, record of 42-23, 3-3 vs top-10): Mr. Consistency ceased being so in a season with more shadows than lights. The unexpected title at the Mutua Madrid Open keeps him in the fight, although Novak Djokovic's absence was the boost he needed to qualify. With the feeling that what he needs most at a mental level is a break rather than adding another week of competition under his belt, his level is a total mystery: he has the shots to surprise the top players, but his on-court focus has reached levels of volatility we had never seen before.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, ATP Finals 2024: Análisis de los ocho "maestros"