Andy Murray reveals why Carlos Alcaraz is his pick to win the ATP Finals title
Former world No 1 Andy Murray has named Carlos Alcaraz as his pick to win the ATP Finals in Turin this week, with the Spaniard arriving at the event in strong form.
Having won all four Grand Slam titles, the ATP Finals is now the arguably the biggest title that Alcaraz is yet to win, having been beaten by great rival Jannik Sinner in the final in 2025.
With two-time defending champion Sinner absent from the event this year due to injury, many have named Alcaraz and world No 1 Alexander Zverev as the leading favourites to triumph this week.
Zverev has strong credentials at the ATP Finals, having won the title in 2018 and 2021, and has had a stronger indoor hard court career than Alcaraz.
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However, the Spaniard arrives in Turin in fine form, claiming back-to-back titles on indoor courts in recent weeks, starting with triumph at the ATP 500 Vienna Open a fortnight ago.
That was immediately followed by an impressive run at the Paris Masters, with Alcaraz saving two match points in his quarter-final against Taylor Fritz before going on to defeat Ben Shelton in the final.
Alcaraz had only won one indoor title in his career before his victories in Vienna and Paris, at the Rotterdam Open in February 2025, and he rides a nine-match winning streak prior to the event.
Speaking on The Set, 2016 ATP Finals champion Murray named Alcaraz as his favourite to triumph — in part due to the seven-time Grand Slam champion’s recent form.
He said: “I would back Alcaraz to win, although I think Zverev is pretty close based on the surface there.
“I don’t think Alcaraz has played his best tennis there over the years. It’s always a little bit quicker in Turin and I don’t think that’s his favourite. But he has been playing very well the last few weeks, winning in Paris and Vienna.
“I also think he’s fresh as well. He missed a large chunk of the year because of injury, whereas a lot of the other players have been competing for the whole 11 months. I think he’s coming into it a little bit fresher than everyone else.”
Alcaraz will not start his ATP Finals campaign until Monday, with the Spaniard the second seed at the event behind Zverev.
The Spaniard is in the Ivan Lendl Group in Turin and faces seventh seed Frances Tiafoe on Monday afternoon, with the American making his debut appearance at the ATP Finals.
Alcaraz is also set to face fourth seed Daniil Medvedev and sixth seed Flavio Cobolli in round-robin action, with two players then set to progress to the semi-final matches on Saturday.
Should the 23-year-old triumph in Turin, he would become just the fourth man — after Andre Agassi, Roger Federer, and Novak Djokovic — to win all four Grand Slam titles and the ATP Finals.
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