Former French Open runner-up Alex Corretja has backed Carlos Alcaraz's chances of succeeding at the ATP Finals because of the Spaniard learning from the past.
Alcaraz was the third man to qualify for the ATP Finals a few weeks ago. He followed Jannik Sinner, who became the fastest player to secure the year-end No. 1 ranking since 2015, and Alexander Zverev to the tournament in Turin.
Daniil Medvedev and Taylor Fritz were the fourth and fifth players to qualify. This week's tournaments at the Serbia Open and Moselle Open looked set to be a thrilling battle between Casper Ruud, Andrey Rublev, and Alex de Minaur for the remaining spots.
However, Novak Djokovic, who was very likely to qualify in sixth place, announced his withdrawal from the ATP Finals. That ensured Ruud, Rublev, and de Minaur booked their spots in Turin without having to worry about their results this week.
The draw for the ATP Finals was made on Thursday. Alcaraz's group contains Zverev, Ruud, and Rublev. That will not be an easy group for the Spaniard to get out of with all those men capable of playing great indoor tennis.
Some doubt Alcaraz's chances of challenging for the ATP Finals title because of his struggles at indoor tournaments. All of the four-time Grand Slam champion's 21 ATP Finals were in outdoor conditions.
Alcaraz's latest poor indoor result was at the Paris Masters, where he lost in the round of 16 to Ugo Humbert. The 21-year-old criticized the very fast conditions at the tournament afterward but Rennae Stubbs had no sympathy for him and said he needed to adapt his game.
However, Corretja told Eurosport he thinks Alcaraz is arriving at a great time and that the confidence the world No. 3 gained from winning the China Open last month will help him. The 50-year-old also believes losing early at the Paris Masters is unlikely to affect Alcaraz.
"Alcaraz is going to arrive in Turin at a great time. Why? Because he has recently won some tournaments on a hard court, especially beating Sinner in the final [in Beijing], which always gives you a dose of confidence. Although in Paris Bercy he did not play his best tennis, the court was a little faster than he he likes it."
"In the ATP Finals, it is true that everything is very open, that the groups are very difficult and that everyone arrives very mentally saturated, somewhat physically affected."
The two-time Wimbledon champion has admitted to tiring in the closing stages of previous seasons, but Corretja is confident that his compatriot has learned from the past and will be ready to compete well at the ATP Finals.
"But I believe that Carlos has learned from the past and is going to arrive a little fresher than last season. “I trust him, I think he is a happy, explosive player for great events and the ATP Finals is one.All the matches are big finals and all the matches are complicated, but at the same time are very tense and very motivating."
"In this, I believe that Alcaraz is a master and he is going to have a hard time like everyone else, but I give him chances. I don’t know if it will be this year, but I am convinced that at some point in his career he will triumph in one of these tournaments."
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