Alcaraz, who aims high, must give utmost importance and serious attention to every opponent.

This Sunday marks the start of the ATP Turin Year-End Finals. The Italian newcomer Sinner, who recently regained the world No.1 ranking, and the Spanish versatile player Alcaraz, who after winning the US Open briefly returned to No.1 before slipping to No.2 this week, will battle intensely for the 2025 year-end No.1 position.

At present, Sinner holds a 250-point advantage over Alcaraz in the world rankings. However, after deducting last year’s Finals points (Sinner earned 1500 points by winning all matches, while Alcaraz only won one group match for 200 points), Alcaraz actually leads Sinner by 1050 points. Clearly, Alcaraz is in a dominant position in the race to be the 2025 year-end No.1, with the situation looking very favorable.

Nevertheless, for Alcaraz to claim the year-end No.1 title again after 2022, he must not show any slack or he will deeply regret it.

At last week’s Paris Masters, Alcaraz had a great chance to secure the 2025 year-end No.1 by reaching his first Masters final in Paris. Unfortunately, after a first-round bye, he was surprisingly defeated in the second round by British veteran Norrie, a devoted fan of Nadal, losing two consecutive sets after winning the first, resulting in an early exit and losing the No.1 ranking. This was a harsh lesson.

According to ATP Finals scoring rules, each group stage win grants 200 points; a semifinal win after advancing from the group adds 400 points; winning the final awards another 500 points. If Sinner wins all five matches next week as he did last year, he will earn 1500 points. To surpass that, Alcaraz must earn more than 450 points, meaning one of these three scenarios must happen: winning all three group matches; winning two group matches and the semifinal; or winning one group match, advancing unexpectedly, and winning the semifinal.

Therefore, the group stage of the 2025 Year-End Finals is crucial for Alcaraz. To claim the year-end No.1, he must face not only Sinner but also the other three opponents seriously. As previously noted by Doufen, Alcaraz must adopt the mindset that his rivals are not just one person—Sinner—but every opponent across the net, treating each match with full commitment and caution.

Remembering the past helps guide the future. In the 2022 season, Alcaraz soared to win the US Open and became world No.1. That year he had a 57–13 record, losing only twice to Sinner (Wimbledon round of 16 and ATP250 Umag final) and the other 11 losses to different players.

In 2023, Alcaraz realized his dream by winning Wimbledon and achieving a career-best 65–12 record, again losing only twice to Sinner (Miami Masters semifinal and ATP500 China Open semifinal), with the other ten defeats coming from other opponents.

In 2024, Alcaraz won both the French Open and Wimbledon, finishing with a 54–13 record and not losing a single match to Sinner; all 13 losses were against other players.

So far in 2025, Alcaraz has captured the French Open and US Open titles, setting a new career best with a 67–7 record, losing only once to Sinner (Wimbledon final), and the remaining six losses to other competitors.

Over the past four years, Alcaraz’s most surprising and painful defeat was last week’s second-round loss at the Paris Masters to British veteran Norrie!

A fully healthy Alcaraz, well-rested, in great training form, adapted to indoor hard courts, confident on his preferred slow indoor hard surface, unexpectedly lost badly. In a three-set match lasting two hours and 22 minutes, Alcaraz shockingly made 54 unforced errors—undoubtedly his worst performance of the 2025 season and possibly the worst of his career so far.

With lofty ambitions, Alcaraz must treat every opponent with the utmost seriousness, both tactically and strategically.

(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Colorful Doufen)