Carlos Alcaraz Beats Nerves to Claim Year-End Number 1 Ranking
Locker Room
November 14, 2025
Carlos Alcaraz couldn’t hide his nerves going into the match against Lorenzo Musetti.
Good as the Italian is, the tennis world knew the biggest battle Alcaraz would face would be the psychological struggle against himself.
Now Carlitos is king at the turn of the year. That’s some achievement with a player of Jannik Sinner’s quality breathing down his neck.
Carlos Alcaraz will want to take his grass court crown back from Jannik Sinner at Wimbledon 2026 as well!
But all that drama lies in the not-too distant future. In the short term in Turin, it is more than possible that both men will end the tournament as winners.
Alcaraz for securing his year-end number one status with that deceptively straightforward 6-4, 6-1 victory over Musetti.
Sinner for extending his 28-match unbeaten run on hard courts even further, to win the ATP Finals in Turin.
Jannik faces the Australian, Alex de Minaur in the semi-finals, after the underdog defeated Taylor Fritz 7-6 (7-3), 6-3 to qualify on number of games won overall.
For Carlos, there is a sense that it’s already “mission accomplished” after he overcame his nerves to claim the most prestigious prize on offer at this stage of the season.
Alcaraz explained: ‘The match was really important for me. Playing to end the year as number one. It wasn’t easy at the beginning with the nerves.
‘I knew that I was going to play the first set with those nerves, which I had to focus on. I tried to handle the pressure and those nerves the best I could.
‘This means the world to me, to be honest. The year-end number one is always a goal.’
Carlos Alcaraz will already have another goal at the back of his mind beyond these ATP Finals. To win Wimbledon 2026, where Sinner will be defending champion.
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