'Superman' Djokovic had 'slap from reality in last couple of years'
Novak Djokovic still believes he can win a 25th Grand Slam title – despite being given a “slap from reality in the last couple of years”.
Novak Djokovic still believes he can win a 25th Grand Slam title – despite being given a “slap from reality in the last couple of years”.
A confident, heavy-hitting Taylor Fritz carried the momentum for much of the first 90 minutes against Carlos Alcaraz at the Nitto ATP Finals on Tuesday. But the Spaniard displayed his trademark resilience and escaped with a 6-7(2), 7-5, 6-3 victory.
Last year’s finalist dissected his three-set defeat in his post-match press conference, specifically highlighting his missed opportunities, none more notable than when he let slip two break points at 2-2 in the second set.
“My opportunity to win that match was in the second set, and I didn’t take it,” Fritz said. “I had the chances. I had all I could ask for.”
While holding his first break point of the second set, Fritz had the upper hand in a thrilling 19-shot rally, but Alcaraz quickly turned the tables and moved forward to put away a backhand volley. Fritz had a chance for an overhead but he elected to let the ball bounce, a decision he later admitted, “I probably should have
sent it out of the air.”
It was a rare lapse in aggression from Fritz, who otherwise pulled no punches against the World No. 1.
“I’d say the thing that’s frustrating is most of the opportunities that come to my mind were all on me actually having the ball that I want to really attack on, just not hitting it well enough,” said Fritz, who is 1-1 in the Jimmy Connors group.
“The first two sets of this match I felt like I was getting a lot of opportunities. That was because I was returning really well, returning really aggressive.”
Fritz is now 1-5 in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with Alcaraz, with four of their meetings coming this year. The American earned his maiden win against Alcaraz at the Laver Cup in September. Reflecting on his encounters with the Spaniard, Fritz had high praise for the 22-year-old.
“He is always on offence,” Fritz said of Alcaraz. “I don’t even get a chance to get the balls to attack. Today I did, I just wasn’t clinical enough in finishing some points on some really big points.”
Up next for Fritz is Australian Alex de Minaur, whom the American is tied with at 5-5 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series. It will mark their first meeting of 2025.
Asked about his knee tendinitis, Fritz acknowledged that he will continue playing through the pain.
“I start to feel it when I’m bending, loading, kind of stomping,” said the 10-time tour-level titlist. “I think a big part of why it got going today is, one, the match yesterday, and two, I was returning very explosive in this match. It’s one of the best matches I’ve returned for two sets. The pushing off, the landing when I’m returning, that puts a lot of force through it. It’s just tendinitis. It’s just gotten worse.
“You could probably line up a video and compare side by side and see that in the third set, my back leg is just not bending as much, not loading as much as it was earlier in the match.”
Watch Highlights from Alcaraz vs. Fritz in Turin:
Carlos Alcaraz battles back from a set down to edge past Taylor Fritz in a thrilling contest and close on a place in the knockout stages at the ATP Finals.
Carlos Alcaraz stayed firmly on course for his maiden Nitto ATP Finals crown on Tuesday, when he rallied past Taylor Fritz in a pulsating two-hour, 48-minute clash.
In front of a packed crowd inside Inalpi Arena, the top-seeded Spaniard produced a stirring comeback to prevail 6-7(2), 7-5, 6-3 and remain unbeaten at 2-0 in the Jimmy Connors Group. Last year’s runner-up Fritz looked poised to claim his second indoor win over Alcaraz in 2025, but the 22-year-old turned the tide with a blend of resilience and shotmaking brilliance — highlighted by a marathon 14-minute service hold in the second set.
Carlitos Comes Through! 💪@carlosalcaraz | #NittoATPFinals pic.twitter.com/8t2Rm3317B
— ATP Tour (@atptour) November 11, 2025
Alcaraz can now qualify for the semi-finals if Alex de Minaur defeats debutant Lorenzo Musetti later on Tuesday. He has also moved to within 50 points of securing ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF honours over rival Jannik Sinner.
The highlight of the match came early in the second set, when Alcaraz — facing break point at 2-2 — conjured a bit of magic to escape a losing rally before charging the net for a crisp volley winner. That effort was one of many in a marathon 14-minute service hold and proved to spark a momentum shift.
Having saved both break points he faced in the second set, Alcaraz then benefitted from a slice of luck in the decisive 12th game. A shovelled backhand return at 0/15 clipped the net cord, wrong-footing Fritz and opening the door for Alcaraz, who converted his second set point before taking firm control of the decider en route to improving to 5-1 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series.
More to follow…
[NEWSLETTER FORM]The Italian Tennis Federation and the ATP confirm that two spectators died from cardiac arrests at the ATP Finals in Turin on Monday.
Semi-final spots at the Nitto ATP Finals are up for grabs.
Carlos Alcaraz, Taylor Fritz, Alex de Minaur and Lorenzo Musetti are trying to advance out of Jimmy Connors Group.
Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev, Ben Shelton and Felix Auger-Aliassime are pushing to come through Bjorn Borg Group.
The best doubles teams in the world are competing in Peter Fleming Group and John McEnroe Group, respectively.
ATPTour.com looks at the semi-final qualification scenarios for the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin.
Singles Jimmy Connors Group qualification scenarios after the completion of the 1st round of the event’s group stage:
Carlos Alcaraz qualifies on Tuesday if:
– C. ALCARAZ defeats T. FRITZ and A. DE MINAUR defeats L. MUSETTI.
– C. ALCARAZ defeats T. FRITZ in 2 sets and L. MUSETTI defeats A. DE MINAUR in 3 sets.
Taylor Fritz qualifies on Tuesday if:
– T. FRITZ defeats C. ALCARAZ and L. MUSETTI defeats A. DE MINAUR.
– T. FRITZ defeats C. ALCARAZ in 2 sets and A. DE MINAUR defeats L. MUSETTI in 3 sets.
Singles Bjorn Borg Group qualification scenarios after the completion of the 1st round of the event’s group stage:
Jannik Sinner qualifies on Wednesday if:
– J. SINNER defeats A. ZVEREV and F. AUGER-ALIASSIME defeats B. SHELTON.
– J. SINNER defeats A. ZVEREV in 2 sets and B. SHELTON defeats F. AUGER-ALIASSIME in 3 sets.
Alexander Zverev qualifies on Wednesday if:
– A. ZVEREV defeats J. SINNER and B. SHELTON defeats F. AUGER-ALIASSIME.
– A. ZVEREV defeats J. SINNER in 2 sets and F. AUGER-ALIASSIME defeats B. SHELTON in 3 sets.
Doubles Peter Fleming Group qualification scenarios after the completion of the 1st round of the event’s group stage:
Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos qualify if:
– M. GRANOLLERS / H. ZEBALLOS defeat S. BOLELLI / A. VAVASSORI and K. KRAWIETZ / T. PUETZ defeat J. CASH / L. GLASSPOOL.
Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori qualify if:
– S. BOLELLI / A. VAVASSORI defeat M. GRANOLLERS / H. ZEBALLOS in 2 sets.
– S. BOLELLI / A. VAVASSORI defeat M. GRANOLLERS / H. ZEBALLOS and J. CASH / L. GLASSPOOL defeat K. KRAWIETZ / T. PUETZ.
Doubles John McEnroe Group qualification scenarios after the completion of the 1st round of the event’s group stage:
Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten qualify on Wednesday if:
– H. HELIOVAARA / H. PATTEN defeat J. SALISBURY / N. SKUPSKI and C. HARRISON / E. KING defeat M. AREVALO / M. PAVIC.
– H. HELIOVAARA / H. PATTEN defeat J. SALISBURY / N. SKUPSKI in 2 sets and M. AREVALO / M. PAVIC defeat C. HARRISON / E. KING in 3 sets.
Joe Salisbury and Neal Skupski qualify on Wednesday if:
– J. SALISBURY / N. SKUPSKI defeat H. HELIOVAARA / H. PATTEN and M. AREVALO / M. PAVIC defeat C. HARRISON / E. KING.
– J. SALISBURY / N. SKUPSKI defeat H. HELIOVAARA / H. PATTEN in 2 sets and C. HARRISON / E. KING defeat M. AREVALO / M. PAVIC in 3 sets.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Felix Auger-Aliassime’s return to the Nitto ATP Finals didn’t go as planned on Monday night, as the Canadian battled a calf issue during his 7-5, 6-1 defeat to home favourite Jannik Sinner in Turin.
After an encouraging start against the in-form Italian, Auger-Aliassime appeared to pull his left calf late in the first set while landing from a serve at 5-6. Though he continued to compete, the injury clearly affected his movement, but the No. 8 player in the PIF ATP Rankings later downplayed any concerns about his physical condition.
“No, not dangerous. I’m not too concerned. He’s an amazing player. You have to give credit when the guy is just better than you,” said Auger-Aliassime. “Today he was better than me. I’ll get ready for the next one.”
Auger-Aliassime, who is making his first appearance at the season finale since 2022, had matched Sinner through much of the opening set, but the Italian began to turn the tide with his. He won 100 per cent (21/21) of points behind his first delivery, according to Infosys ATP Stats, in the first set.
“He’s tough to beat anywhere, especially here,” said Auger-Aliassime, who now trails Sinner 2-4 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series. “He started off amazing [and] never looked back really. From the first point to the last, he was amazing. Toughest guy to beat here.”
Still, the Canadian insisted he remains mentally strong despite the physical setback and defeat, keeping a balanced perspective about the nature of competition at the elite eight-man event.
“I’ve never been [afraid] because we’re not going to war,” Auger-Aliassime said when asked about his mental approach to facing Sinner. “I do put in my mind that it’s a battle, a tennis battle. I’m very focused, very driven.
“[I’ve] never been afraid of a tennis match. [You’re] more focused when you play at this level, everything needs to be very disciplined and very precise from the first moments.”
Monday’s encounter marked the fourth meeting between Auger-Aliassime and Sinner since August — a stretch during which the Italian has asserted his dominance over their growing rivalry. Just eight days prior to their Turin clash, they faced off in the final of the Rolex Paris Masters, where Sinner also triumphed, but in two tight sets.
“I’ve been playing him a few times this year, so I knew what to expect,” Auger-Aliassime added. “It’s more like when you play this top level, you have to be extremely good. That’s it.”
While the loss was a tough opening blow to his Turin campaign, Auger-Aliassime will hope the calf issue settles quickly as he looks to regroup for his remaining round-robin matches, which will come against Ben Shelton on Wednesday and Alexander Zverev on Friday.
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Former world number two Ons Jabeur announces that she is pregnant with her first child.
Jannik Sinner made a confident start to his Nitto ATP Finals title defence on Monday evening, although the home favourite’s 7-5, 6-1 opening victory in Turin came against an injury-hampered Felix Auger-Aliassime.
With his one-hour, 41-minute victory, Sinner improved to 1-0 in Bjorn Borg Group. The 24-year-old, who did not face a break point against Auger-Aliassime, is now on a 27-match winning streak indoors, and he has not dropped a set at the Nitto ATP Finals since his 2023 final defeat to Novak Djokovic.
Winning Start! 💪@janniksin overcomes a physically hampered Auger-Aliassime 7-5 6-1 in his 2025 #NittoATPFinals opener pic.twitter.com/XM5WPOWfZG
— ATP Tour (@atptour) November 10, 2025
“It was a very tough match until 6-5,” said Sinner. “I had some chances to break. He served very well, only once I missed a return, but it can happen. He played some very aggressive tennis, so I’m happy to overcome a very tough test today. Obviously winning the first match is very important in this competition and this format. I’m very happy.
“I hope it‘s nothing too serious. I wish him obviously a very speedy recovery and hopefully he is back to 100 per cent physically.”
By triumphing on Monday night at Inalpi Arena, Sinner also kept alive his chances of pipping Carlos Alcaraz for ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF honours. The Italian trails his rival by 1,050 points in the PIF ATP Live Rankings, with Alcaraz having begun his Nitto ATP Finals campaign by defeating Alex de Minaur on Sunday afternoon.
In a rematch of their Rolex Paris Masters championship-match clash eight days ago, Sinner and Auger-Aliassime played out a hard-fought first set. The Canadian dug deep to fend off two break points at 3-2 and a set point at 5-4, but he was unable to deny Sinner a decisive break in a 12th game in which he also appeared to start feeling pain in his left leg after he served at 0/30.
Auger-Aliassime took an off-court medical time-out at the end of the first set and although he battled bravely in his first Nitto ATP Finals appearance since 2022, the No. 8 in the PIF ATP Rankings was unable to recover from dropping serve in the second game of the second set. He also received treatment on his leg on court at 0-3, when he indicated to the physio that he was feeling pain in his left calf, and again at 1-4.
“He’s tough to beat anywhere, especially here,” Auger-Aliassime said of Sinner. “He started off amazing [and] never looked back really. From the first point to the last, he was amazing. Toughest guy to beat here.”
In trademark fashion, Sinner struck the ball cleanly throughout the match and he retained his focus throughout as Auger-Aliassime’s physical struggles played out across the net. The second seed finished the match having won 89 per cent (32/36) of points behind his first serve, according to Infosys ATP Stats. Following his November victories against Auger-Aliassime in Paris and Turin, the Italian has opened a 4-2 lead in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series.
“You still have to be very consistent, with a great balance on the court,” said Sinner, when asked about facing a physically struggling opponent. “Especially mentally, it is a bit different, but at the same time it is an advantage. You have to say that. You have to use it in the right way, even if you don’t want it to be like this.”
[NEWSLETTER FORM]Three weeks remain in the ATP Challenger Tour 2025 season and this week the highest category tournament is the Uruguay Open in Montevideo.
Here’s what you need to know ahead of the Challenger 100 clay-court event:
When is the Uruguay Open?
The 2025 Uruguay Open runs from 10-16 November. The South American tournament will take place at the Carrasco Lawn Tennis Club, which was founded in 1943.
Who is playing at the Uruguay Open?
World No. 45 Sebastian Baez is the top seed in Montevideo, where he is joined by countryman Mariano Navone, who is seeded second. Emilio Nava, who is among a five-way tie for a season-leading five Challenger titles, is seeded third. Nava is not the only American in the clay-court draw. American Tristan Boyer returns as the defending champion.
#NextGenATP 20-year-olds Rodrigo Pacheco Mendez and Juan Carlos Prado Angelo are also in the field.
What is the draw for the Uruguay Open?
Click here to view the main draw.
What is the schedule for the Uruguay Open?
*Singles main draw runs from 10-16 November.
*Doubles main draw runs from 10-15 November.
What is the prize money for the Uruguay Open?
The prize money for the Uruguay Open is $160,000. See the full breakdown below:
SINGLES:
Winner: $22,730 / 100 points
Finalist: $13,350 / 50 points
Semi-finalist: $7,960 / 25 points
Quarter-finalist: $4,620 / 14 points
Round of 16: $2,695 / 7 points
Round of 32: $1,670 / 0 points
DOUBLES ($ per team):
Winner: $7,960 / 100 points
Finalist: $4,600 / 60 points
Semi-finalist: $2,760 / 36 points
Quarter-finalist: $1,620 / 20 points
Round of 16: $930 / 0 points
How can I watch the Uruguay Open?
Watch live for free on Challenger TV.
A big week ahead 🔥
Catch all the action LIVE ➡️ https://t.co/zdmegU414m #ATPChallenger pic.twitter.com/ODsZLMLjXB
— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) November 10, 2025