Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev have already arrived in Turin to prepare for the ATP Finals, where they will be the overwhelming favourites to win the title.
They are the top seeds at the event following Jannik Sinnerâs withdrawal, with Zverev currently sitting as the world No 1 and Alcaraz as the world No 2.
Zverev is looking to win his third ATP Finals after lifting the title in 2018 and 2021, whereas Alcaraz is looking to win the year-end tournament for the first time in his career.
The pair have already hit the practice courts together in Turin and they played out a fascinating tie-break ahead of the tournament.
According to a video posted online by Tennis TV, Zverev and Alcaraz played out a 34-point tie-break as part of their preparations for the tournament.
More Carlos Alcaraz news
Carlos Alcaraz urged to improve in a key area to become more like Novak Djokovic
Alcaraz eventually ended up winning the tie-break 18-16, which led the two rivals to embrace at the net and shake hands after a truly incredible tie-break.
Although it is only a practice tie-break, it continues Alcarazâs good run against the German on the ATP Tour.
The Spaniard currently leads his head-to-head with Zverev by 7-6, although his recent record against the world No 1 is far better than that scoreline suggests.
Heâs won four out of five of his last matches, with Zverevâs only victory in the last two years actually coming at the ATP Finals back in the 2024 season.
Their last meeting came at the Australian Open earlier this year, in which Alcaraz produced a stunning comeback from two sets to one down to knock the star out of the semifinals.
Their next match could be as soon as the ATP Finals, although they have been drawn in opposite groups at the year-end tournament.
That means they will both need to qualify from their groups to the knockout stages, which they are the overwhelming favourites to do.
Alcaraz has been drawn against Daniil Medvedev, Flavio Cobolli, and Frances Tiafoe, while Zverev will play Ben Shelton, Arthur Fils, and Rafael Jodar in the round robin phase.
Zverev has qualified for the knockout stages at the ATP Finals in four of his eight appearances at the tournament, while Alcaraz has only failed to get out of his group in one of his three appearances.
Alcaraz reached the final of the 2025 tournament, while Zverev exited the tournament at the round robin phase. Plenty as changed in the last year, however, and it would not be a surprise to see an Alcaraz vs Zverev final at the Turin tournament in 2026.
O que achou dessa notĂcia? Deixe um comentĂĄrio abaixo e/ou compartilhe em suas redes sociais. Assim conseguiremos informar mais pessoas sobre o que acontece no mundo do tĂȘnis!
Convidamos vocĂȘ a clicar em PĂĄgina de Parceiros para conhecer os parceiros do TĂȘnis Portal e acessar seus sites.
Esta notĂcia foi originalmente publicada em: Fonte original