It’s time for the final round of the ATP Finals Round Robin stage. Here is our Sinner vs Rune prediction and more.

Alcaraz back in business

The most famous moment from yesterday’s matches was when Rublev hit himself bloody with his racquet on his leg. It was gruesome to watch and showed a mental state that I think he needs to work on. He has loads of fans all over the world for his self-deprecating attitude and a good sense of humor, but this type of emotion is not going to be conducive to a great tennis performance. It was reminiscent of the famous Youzhny forehead incident at the Miami Masters 2008.

On the other side of the net, the waters were calmer as Alcaraz had found a better groove than his match against Zverev. It’s Alcaraz’s first time at the ATP Finals and besides getting used to the fast hard courts at the Pala Alpitour, he also needs to get used to the format. One loss is not the end of the world and now he is back to fight for a place in the semi-finals. He will need to defeat an in-form Medvedev to do so.

“After the first match, I was feeling really bad. I didn’t know where my game was. I thought I couldn’t win any matches at this tournament feeling the way I did. After yesterday’s practice session, and after today’s match, I’ve changed the way I feel and the way I will approach the coming days. Now I do have a chance to reach the semi-finals, and to have a good tournament here.”

Carlos Alcaraz

Alcaraz got it done against Rublev 7-5 6-2 and has a good chance against Medvedev on Friday. Especially since the Russian is already qualified.

Rublev, on the other hand, is sadly out of the tournament for this time but will finish the event against Zverev and hope to get one win on his scorecard.

Medvedev battles for the win

As we said in yesterday’s prediction, Medvedev and Zverev had faced many times before. The H2H was 10-7 in Medvedev’s favor, but it was a difficult match to predict based on Zverev’s form against Alcaraz. Also, when Zverev finds his serve on a fast indoor court, he is extremely challenging to break.

But Medvedev managed to break Zverev straight away. He started well but found himself in a slump towards the middle of the first set.

It was a very tough match mentally. I started very well, I was playing well. He was kind of not there yet, but at one moment he stepped up his game and at this moment, for whatever reason, I started playing a little bit worse for a short period of time. 

“I’m happy that I managed to regroup and play better at the end of the first set. The end of both sets was very tight… In the tie-break he had set point on his serve. I’m happy because this year I might have lost some matches like this. I’m happy to be able to win.”

Daniil Medvedev

The first set tie-break was arguably the key to the match as Zverev had an easy shot for 5-1 up in the breaker. He missed that and Medvedev came roaring back to take the set and then the match 7-6 6-4.

This means Medvedev is qualified, but he has to keep his engine running against Alcaraz and not enter the semi-final stage in the wrong mindset.

Djokovic vs Hurkacz Prediction

Polish tennis star, Hubert Hurkacz, comes in as an alternate after Tsitsipas’ back injury. This is not an easy spot to be in, especially since he has to start against a motivated world number one.

Unless he hits a large purple patch and plays his best tennis for the majority of the match, there are few roads pointing toward a Hurkacz win. He has a 0-6 head-to-head against Djokovic and Djokovic needs to win to make the semis.

The match might be even on paper as Hurkacz is difficult to break, but this has Djokovic’s name all over it. The bookies give 5.50 on a Hurkacz win and 1.14 on a Djokovic triumph; that says it all.

TN Prediction: Djokovic in 2 sets.

Sinner vs Rune Prediction

This match is an interesting one. If Rune wins, he can qualify, as there will be three players with two wins (based on Djokovic defeating Hurkacz). Also, Sinner has never beaten Rune. He retired once in 2022 and lost their encounter earlier this year in Monte Carlo. But the way Sinner played against Djokovic should give him plenty of confidence and puts him as the favorite.

Still, an exciting match to look forward to with two great ball-strikers.

1.30 on a Sinner win and 3.50 on a Rune win. If you want to know more about these numbers, we have an article called how do tennis betting odds work.

TN Prediction: Sinner in three sets.

Before our ATP Finals 2023 Predictions and today’s matches with Alcaraz vs Rublev and Medvedev vs Zverev, we need to talk about yesterday.

Jannik Sinner played, arguably, the best match of his life to defeat Novak Djokovic 7-5 6-7 7-6 after a bit more than three hours. It was a high quality match where Sinner kept taking it to Djokovic with his aggressive and whippy ground strokes.

“I think the main difference is that in the important points, he was going for it. He was more courageous. He deserved to win because in important moments, I wasn’t aggressive enough; I wasn’t decisive enough. I allowed him to take control of the points. At 5-all in the third set, 15/30, second serve, I was in the rally and should have stepped in and didn’t, and he did. You have to just congratulate him. He just played a fantastic match. That’s what I told him at the net. I think in the most important moments, he played his best game and he absolutely deserved to win.”

Novak Djokovic

Djokovic is an astute reader of the game as any and summarized the feeling of the match well. It wasn’t a bad performance by the world number one, but Sinner struck when it mattered.

Djokovic now needs to beat Hurkacz to qualify for the semi-finals. Hurkacz is coming in as an alternate after Tsitsipas pulled out of the tournament due to a back injury.

Alcaraz vs Rublev ATP Finals Prediction

These guys both lost their previous matches, and this is their chance at redemption…AND qualifying for the semi-finals.

They have never played before so this match is like an open book. Alcaraz is not in his best form and Rublev doesn’t seem to be either after his lukewarm performance against the masterful Medvedev.

Who is favored by the fast courts? Alcaraz has expressed an opinion which makes it seem like he is not a huge fan of them. But with Rublev the issue seems to be more on the mental side than the pace of the courts. Can he believe that he has what it takes to defeat the world number two?

Alcaraz is the favorite (1.50) among the best tennis betting sites, but it still somewhat of a coin toss.

TN Prediction: Alcaraz wins in three sets.

Medvedev vs Zverev ATP Finals Prediction

Medvedev and Zverev have a pretty long rivalry. One which Medvedev leads 10-7. The Russian did win their last encounter in Beijing 6-4 6-3 and the bookies hold him as a favorite (1.44), but Zverev’s performance in the first match was promising.

If Zverev can maintain the kind of serve percentages he did against Alcaraz, he has a good chance. But Medvedev did look very confident against Rublev.

TN Prediction: Medvedev wins in three sets.

Your thoughts?

Today, we have a real treat at the ATP Finals in Turin. Here is our Djokovic vs. Sinner ATP Finals prediction.

Alcaraz vs Zverev

Yesterday’s matches were Alcaraz vs Zverev and Medvedev vs Rublev. And they went kind of as predicted.

We predicted Alcaraz would defeat Zverev in three sets, but Zverev showed why he is one of the most consistent power servers. Zverev’s first serve percentage was high on the fast indoor courts at the Alpi arena and he will be a threat if he can keep that up.

Alcaraz, on the other hand, has not really found his form after his Wimbledon title. It is not a cause for concern as Alcaraz is young and probably a little bit spent mentally, but his perceived domination will be delayed if it happens at all. Djokovic remains the man to beat.

The Spaniard did comment about the fast courts on social media and like many other players he also threw some shade of having new balls at almost every single tournament. The ball debate continues.

The match, as such, could have been more exciting. Alcaraz had some surges here and there, but Zverev was the more consistent player, backed up by his strong serve and the 6-7 6-3 6-4 in Zverev’s favor, was deserved.

Medvedev vs Rublev

The night match, which we called bro-match in our previous post, went as expected. Medvedev has a good head-to-head against Rublev and he showed how good he is on fast hard courts. The scoreline (6-4 6-2) was more one-sided than the match reality, but it seems like Rublev doesn’t even trust himself in these types of matches. From my amateur eyes, Rublev’s biggest issue is his belief in himself. I am not sure if he works with a mental trainer of some kind, but if not, maybe that is worth looking into.

You often see how hard Rublev is on himself and he sometimes takes some credit away even from big wins against the top players. “He was not in good form”, “I was lucky,” etc, etc. It is a part of his personality, but in professional sports, the kind of alpha-attitude that Djokovic displays seems better to achieve the results you want.

Tsitsipas vs Rune ATP Finals Prediction

If you are into tennis betting, check out our ATP Finals Betting sites and odds. Only bet what you can afford to lose, and never hassle a player about your losses.

This is a must-win match for either player. Tsitsipas lost to Sinner in the first round and Rune lost a titanic battle to Djokovic. Both players need to go all in.

The head-to-head is 2-0 in Rune’s favor. He defeated Tsitsipas in the Stockholm Open Final 2022 and at the French Open R16 earlier the same year. This is not a large enough to draw any big conclusions, but the extra confidence you get from beating a player before is important. Rune also played a good match against Djokovic, while Tsitsipas performance against Sinner was a little less impressive.

Based on that and the head-to-head, we will predict Rune to win in three sets. The bookies at William Hill agree with this prediction and pay out 1.53 for a Rune win and 2.50 on Tsitsipas.

Djokovic vs Sinner ATP Finals Prediction

Jannik Sinner can play toe-to-toe tennis with anyone on the planet. But he has never beaten Djokovic. Their brilliant match at the quarter-finals in Wimbledon 2022 comes to mind. Sinner was up two sets and dominating, but Djokovic can never be counted out.

You can’t really bet against Djokovic in the current form, but Sinner will push him. Our prediction is that Djokovic will get it done in three tough sets. This should be a blockbuster match with loads of breathtaking rallies.

Who do you think will win and why? Let us know in the comments.

The ATP Finals 2023 started with some great matches. Let’s look at ATP Finals Predictions for day 2, including Alcaraz vs Zverev.

Day 1 of the ATP Finals 2023 in Turin delivered. Sinner did get the better of Tsitsipas relatively comfortably and as we discussed in our ATP Finals 2023 Predictions post, Sinner is a strong contender for the title outside Djokovic.

A reminder about the groups:

SINGLES
Green Group: Novak Djokovic (1), Jannik Sinner (4), Stefanos Tsitsipas (6), Holger Rune (8)

Red Group: Carlos Alcaraz (2), Daniil Medvedev (3), Andrey Rublev (5), Alexander Zverev (7)

Sinner winner chicken dinner

Sinner’s strategy against Tsitsipas was pretty clear. Keep up the tempo and target the backhand. In the end, he hit 22 winners and won 6-4 6-4 in less than 90 min.

“I was excited to step on court, and opening the Finals is really, really special. I knew it was going to be very tough but I think I handled the situation well. I tried to stay aggressive and I am very happy with the performance. I am happy to start off with a win and hopefully, I can continue with this intensity.”

Jannik Sinner

Tsitsipas, meanwhile, said that the beauty of the ATP Finals format is that he is still in it. He did lose a match to Nadal in the round-robin stage when he won the title in 2019.

“That’s the beauty of ATP Finals. It’s not over until it’s really over,” the World No. 6 said. “You can always re-bounce and you can always come back. It’s a good format. It allows for great competition and for some good comebacks that we don’t really see in the sport because our tour is based on knockout rounds, a single opportunity in every tournament.”

Stefanos Tsitisipas

Can the Greek bounce back? He said he will play freely and aggressively from now on and that does spell dangers for the other players in the group.

Djokovic is the year-end-number-one

The other match of the day was more of a fight. One the line: Djokovic would finish as the world number one for a record eighth time. He is going for ALL the records and has been refreshingly open about those intentions.

But Rune came to fight. He has beaten Novak before, and with Boris Becker, ex-coach of his opponent, in his box, I am sure there were some clever game-plan discussions before the match.

Despite losing the first set in a tie-break (does Djokovic ever lose tie-breaks?), Rune came back with an early break in the second set. He lost it pretty quickly, though and it looked like Novak was determined to finish the match in two sets.

But to reply to my own question, Djokovic rarely loses tie-breaks, but he did lose the second set one against Rune. Which made it for an appetizing final set.

Djokovic did take the initiative with an early break. Got broken back. But then he dialed up his intensity for another break and the match was done: 7-6(4), 6-7(1), 6-3.

“It means a lot,” said Djokovic of ensuring he will end the year as World No. 1. “You could see there were a lot of emotions on the court. I could feel it. I was very eager to win tonight’s match, get that monkey off my back. I won Paris, which put me in a much better position rankings-wise, and I knew coming into Turin I only needed to win one match. A big goal is achieved, everything else now is a bonus.”

Novak Djokovic

Novak credited Rune for playing really well and pushing him to the brink. It looks like he is in form and he still has a chance to qualify for the semi-final stage.

ATP Finals Predictions: Alcaraz vs Zverev

The Red Group starts with a tough one to predict. On paper, Alcaraz vs Zverev should be relatively straightforward. Alcaraz has won the three latest matches they have played, but the head-to-head is only 4-3 to the Spaniard.

But there are question marks around Alcaraz’s form after his early loss in Paris. And it’s the first time Alcaraz is playing the ATP Finals (he was injured last year), which hasn’t stopped him from performing before but can still be a question mark. And Zverev won this event in 2021.

Who handles the fast courts of the Pala Alpitour the best? I think Zverev is a bit more comfortable on fast indoor courts than Alcaraz, but the world number two is so confident and all-round as a player that he can play on anything.

Looking at the odds at William Hill as an example, Alcaraz is 1.44 vs Zverev at 2.75 (tennis betting odds explained). Alcaraz is the favorite, I agree, but I think a first match is always tough, so there is a decent chance for Zverev.

I am still going to pick Alcaraz in three sets based on his higher level of play overall, but I think it is a 60/40 match.

“I’m expecting the Carlos from early this year, despite the results I’ve had in recent tournaments. The defeat in Paris, which was quite painful, made me realise that I have to work harder,” he said of the match he lost in the recent ATP Masters 1000 against Roman Safiullin “And that’s what I’ve done. You always have to look for the positive in things. I’ve had several days to train to come here in optimum form. I’ve worked hard, on both fitness and tennis. I feel really good.”

Carlos Alcaraz

TN Prediction: Alcaraz in 3 sets

ATP Finals Predictions: Medvedev vs Rublev

This is a bro-match. Medvedev and Rublev are great friends but still fierce competitors. Medvedev has a 6-2 head-to-head record and has beaten Rublev twice this season in Dubai and at the US Open. Medvedev is also extremely at home on fast hard courts and has won the title before (2020).

All roads lead to a Medvedev win. The tennis bookies at Bovada rightfully put Medvedev as the favorite. You can find out more about ATP Finals Betting Sites and Odds here. Obviously, Rublev has a chance, but he needs to bring his A-game.

“I think he improved a lot this year,” Medvedev added when discussing Rublev. “He won a Masters 1000. The match I played against him at the US Open and the match I saw against Novak at Wimbledon, I think he improves step by step even more. Every match against him is tougher and tougher. I am going to have to fight my best, run a lot, and try to get him.”

Daniil Medvedev

Rublev has the game, but does he have the mind to do well at the ATP Finals? Sometimes, he doesn’t trust himself enough against the best players in the world and this tournament will be a stern test of his abilities.

TN Prediction: Medvedev in 2 sets.

Who do you think will win in today’s matches at the ATP Finals in Turin? Comment below.

The ATP Finals start on Sunday, November 12. Who will take the trophy? Here are our ATP Finals 2023 Predictions.

Djokovic is chasing the ATP Finals record, which he shares with Federer. Considering he hasn’t lost a match since the Wimbledon final against Alcaraz, he should be the strong favorite. Several pundits single out Alcaraz and Djokovic as the the top favorites, but considering Alcaraz loss in Paris and indoors being his least favorite surface (at least based on results), I think Djokovic should be the strong favorite on paper.

Below, you have the two groups.

ATP Finals 2023 Groups

SINGLES
Green Group: Novak Djokovic (1), Jannik Sinner (4), Stefanos Tsitsipas (6), Holger Rune (8)

Red Group: Carlos Alcaraz (2), Daniil Medvedev (3), Andrey Rublev (5), Alexander Zverev (7)

Which group would you play in? ;)

It is difficult to say which one is the most difficult on paper. Outside Alcaraz and Djokovic, Sinner has been in great form and should be the most dangerous. When I polled fellow tennis nerds on Instagram (make sure to follow us there for daily content) Sinner got a lot of votes to win his first ATP Finals. He gets around 4 times your money if he wins on most tennis betting sites.

Another “outsider” is Medvedev, who is usually good on faster courts.

Outsiders aside, this event has a determined and in-form Djokovic written all over it. He has been a “man on a mission” for a while, and I think having the most ATP Finals titles is another record he wants solely to his name.

The TN Prediction is, therefore, Djokovic. It’s kind of boring, but it isn’t easy to bet against this guy at the moment.

There is also a doubles tournament being played.

ATP Finals 2023 Doubles

Are you watching doubles? Does the game have more potential than we think on average? Let me know in the comments.

For the Doubles ATP Finals 2023, the defending champions are Ram and Salisbury. Bopanna and Ebden, Gonzalez and Roger-Vasselin, Gonzalez and Molteni and Hijikata and Kubler are all making their team debuts at the event.

DOUBLES
Green Group: Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajicek (1), Santiago Gonzalez and Edouard Roger-Vasselin (4), Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos (5) and Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni (7)

Red Group: Wesley Koolhof and Neal Skupski (2), Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden (3), Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury (6) and Rinky Hijikata and Jason Kubler (8)

Which pair do you think will take home the doubles trophy?

The TN Prediction will be Bopanna and Ebden who seem to be in great form at the moment.