After an action-packed 10 months, the 2024 season is nearing its end. However, all the eyes will be on the ATP World Tour Finals in Turin, where the top 8 players of the season will battle to clinch the year-end championships. Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, who have clinched two Grand Slam titles each this season, will have a firm battle to end the year as the season’s best player. Ahead of the ATP Finals, Roger Federer’s ex-coach, Ivan Ljubicic, sounded alarm bells for the Spaniard.

During an interview with We Love Tennis ahead of that event, Ljubici was asked to name his favorite for the year-end ATP Finals. The Croatian-Italian former professional tennis player and coach unhesitatingly sided with the World No. 1, Jannik Sinner over Carlos Alcaraz due to one major reason. He said, “Yes, for me, he is the dark horse.” But why?

“It’s also because Alcaraz hasn’t convinced me on the inside courts yet. He has a very high level on hard courts, but on indoor courts, even in Turin last year, he suffered a lot, especially from a mental point of view. Let’s see if that will change this year.” Indoor hard courts remain a challenge for Alcaraz. He struggled towards the end of last season, losing some close matches. His journey was halted in the semifinals of the 2023 Nitto ATP Finals by Novak Djokovic and later by Roman Safiullin in Paris.

Interestingly, Sinner has a hefty lead on the race to Turin leaderboard over his rivals. He sits with 10,330 points this season while second-placed Alcaraz is far behind with 6,710 points. Meanwhile, despite winning just 1 title this year, Zverev has been a model of consistency and has won 6,315 points in 2024. Additionally, he also picked Alexander Zverev apart from Sinner, who could pose a firm challenge in Turin. “If we want to look for someone who is closer to Jannik, I would say Zverev.” 

On the bright side of things, Alcaraz’s arsenal of shots and quick reflexes makes him arguably the most versatile and adaptable player on the ATP Tour. As the youngest player to win both the French Open and Wimbledon in a single year, the young Spanish champion has already proven his ability to excel on any surface. While current world number one Jannik Sinner has emerged as a formidable rival, Alcaraz has dominated their head-to-head matchups, winning three out of three this year.

While Sinner may have been handed a boost by Ljubicic, the Italian star hasn’t had the best of luck after being handed a nightmarish draw at the Rolex Paris Masters. On the contrary, Alcaraz has a clear path in the draw which was released yesterday.

Luck runs out for Jannik Sinner after the Paris Masters draw

The Italian star enters the Paris Masters on the back of clinching the title in Shanghai. Additionally, he has had a good run in the Masters tournaments this year, also winning the Miami Open and the Cincinnati Masters. Being the top seed in Paris, Sinner is one of the favorites to continue his winning run. However, his chances took a major hit after the draw was announced for the Paris Masters.

Being the top seed, Sinner was handed a bye in the opening round. However, the real show starts in the second round for the Italian star, who will face the winner of the match between Ben Shelton and Felix Auger-Aliassime. Further, a potential matchup with Holger Rune will await him in the third round.

Meanwhile, Alcaraz has had a fairly easy draw in Paris. Like Sinner, he will also play the second round directly after being handed a bye in the first round. Alcaraz will open his campaign against the winner of the match between Nicolas Jarry and a qualifier. Further, Daniil Medvedev is also in his half of the draw and the two could meet in the semifinals.

With just a few tournaments left this year, the likes of Sinner and Alcaraz will go out all guns blazing to end the 2024 season on a high. Who do you think will win the Paris Masters? Let us know your views in the comments below.