Carlos Alcaraz got a pretty big break when Novak Djokovic decided to pull out of the 2025 ATP Finals at the last minute.
Most people think Alcaraz is one of the top two favorites to win this year’s tournament. Along with Jannik Sinner, he’s expected to make it to the final and fight for the trophy.
But here’s the thing – only the eight best players in the world usually get to compete at this year-end championship.
| Name | Age | Points | Stats 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carlos Alcaraz | 22 | 68,791 | 25 - 5 |
This year was different though. The ninth-ranked player also made it to Turin after Lorenzo Musetti replaced Djokovic just hours before the tournament started. And the way it happened? Pretty amazing, actually.
The two guys met in the Athens Open final right before the ATP Finals.
Musetti needed to win that ATP 250 tournament to jump ahead of Felix Auger-Aliassime and grab the last spot. But he couldn’t quite get past Djokovic, who picked up his 101st career title.
Here’s where it gets interesting.
Right after winning the match point, Djokovic walked up to Musetti at the net and told him he wasn’t going to play at the ATP Finals.
Alcaraz Gets Honest About The Switch
Djokovic took his sweet time deciding whether to play or not. Some people criticized him for it – mainly because his withdrawal made the draw pretty lopsided. But honestly, he had every right to make that call.
Since Djokovic was supposed to be in Alcaraz’s group, reporters asked the Spaniard what he thought about the 24-time Grand Slam champion’s decision.
Alcaraz didn’t sugarcoat it. He straight up said he’d rather face Musetti than someone as experienced as Djokovic.
"Well, obviously someone like Novak being in the group is always tough. The experience he has in this tournament, the level he has on indoor court, it’s quite good. I lost to him in 2023, and I played great. He killed me (smiling)."
"To be honest, I prefer Lorenzo. I’m not going to lie (laughter). If he’s there, he deserves it because of the level he has put on the matches, the tournaments he has done this year, and the level he showed this year. It was really, really high."
That’s pretty refreshing honesty right there.
"Let’s see how he’s going to be, how he’s going to adapt. He’s coming from Athens, and he couldn’t feel the court at all. But I’m sure he’s going to do great and let’s see how is going to be."
A Historic Draw For Alcaraz
The reality is that Alcaraz now has one of the weakest possible draws in ATP Finals history. In the round-robin stage, he’ll face players ranked sixth, seventh, and ninth in the world.
That combination wouldn’t even be possible with Djokovic in the mix.
This also helps the 21-year-old lock up the year-end world No. 1 ranking. That spot came under threat from Sinner after Alcaraz surprisingly lost early at the Paris Masters, while the Italian went on to win the whole thing.
Alcaraz already beat Alex de Minaur in his opening match.
Now he just needs two more wins to secure that year-end No. 1 ranking. With this draw, that’s looking pretty achievable.
