What Carlos Alcaraz said about Novak Djokovic's late ATP Finals withdrawal and Lorenzo Musetti replacing him in his group instead

Carlos Alcaraz won his opener at the 2025 ATP Finals on Sunday, beating Alex de Minaur in straight sets. One win confirmed, the Spaniard also received one more good news just before that -- he will not have to face Novak Djokovic at the tournament.

Djokovic had qualified for the ATP Finals after Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, but the Serb had been reluctant to confirm his presence on Turin. He played last week at the Hellenic Championship in Athens, where he revealed that he will wait until the end of the tournament to give his decision.

On Saturday, he defeated Lorenzo Musetti in a three-set thriller in the final, winning his 101st ATP Tour title. Minutes after that, he announced the decision that he will have to skip the ATP Finals, citing a minor injury that had been troubling him in Athens as well.

"I was really looking forward to competing in Turin and giving my best, but after today's final in Athens, I'm sad to share that I need to withdraw due to an ongoing injury. I'm truly sorry to the fans who were hoping to see me play," Djokovic said on social media.

Taking his spot in the Finals is Musetti, the man he beat in Athens. Musetti will play his opener at the tournament in front of his home fans against Taylor Fritz tomorrow.

Speaking in his press conference after the 7-6(5), 6-2 win over De Minaur, Alcaraz shared his thoughts on facing Musetti instead of Djokovic, stating that he preferred the Italian. Alcaraz was all praise for Djokovic, earnestly admitting the difficulties he has had against the 24-time Grand Slam champion in the past.

"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. To be honest, I prefer Lorenzo. I'm not going to lie," he said.

Carlos Alcaraz also gave Musetti his flowers for making it into the tournament, saying:

"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. 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."

Then, the World No. 2 spoke about his chances at the ATP Finals, stating that he feels confident in the preparation he has done for the tournament.

"This year is a little different. I've done what's necessary to get here motivated. I want to play good tennis to try and win this tournament. It's one of the best we have on the calendar, and you play against the world's top eight," Alcaraz said.

Winning all three of his group matches in Turin will be enough for Alcaraz to seal the year-end World No. 1 position over Jannik Sinner.

"I'm fighting to win the title and the World No. 1 ranking" - Carlos Alcaraz

Nitto ATP Finals 2025 - Day 1 - Source: Getty

At the press conference, Carlos Alcaraz also spoke about his match against Alex de Minaur, admitting that he found it very difficult facing off against the Aussie on the fast indoor hardcourt.

At the same time, the World No. 2 maintained that he was happy with his level of play and looked forward to winning the ATP Finals for the first time, which would also seal him the year-end No. 1 spot.

"I'm fighting to win the title and the World No. 1 ranking. I'm satisfied with the way I played. It's very difficult to play against De Minaur, and I'm already looking forward to the next match," Carlos Alcaraz said.

This is the first time Alcaraz has won his opener at the ATP Finals, losing in his previous two attempts in 2023 and 2024.

Edited by Shyam Kamal