Medvedev furious in spectator row as Djokovic beats Alcaraz at ATP Finals
Carlos Alcaraz roared into the ATP Finals semi-finals to set up a mouthwatering clash with the world No 1 Novak Djokovic after overcoming Daniil Medvedev on Friday. The Spaniard needed to win to guarantee his progress and he made light work of the Russian to put him in contention to face Djokovic.
Unlike Alcaraz, the 36-year-old’s path to the last four was far from straightforward, needing Jannik Sinner to deliver a victory over Holger Rune having already qualified. But the home favourite came through in three sets, sealing Djokovic’s place, as he now faces Medvedev for a place in the final.
It will be the second time Alcaraz and Djokovic have faced each other since the epic Wimbledon final, where the 24-time Grand Slam winner was defeated.
He got his revenge at the Cincinnati Masters and embarked on a 19-match winning run before losing to Sinner in Turin, but with the head-to-head finely poised at 2-2, it promises to be an exciting clash.
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Djokovic hails ‘best player’ Sinner
Novak Djokovic admits Jannik Sinner has been the best player at the ATP Finals so far.
Sinner has won all four of his matches at the tournament ahead of Sunday’s final, including the group match against the world No 1.
Djokovic said: “He has been the best player of the tournament so far. Won four out of four matches and played some great tennis. Obviously riding on the big wave of support of his Italian crowd here.
“Tomorrow is the finals. He’s going for his first trophy. I’m going for my seventh in the year-end World Tour Finals.
“I’ve been in these situations before. Hopefully experience can help a bit.”
Djokovic delighted with Alcaraz display
Novak Djokovic was delighted with how he performed against Carlos Alcaraz.
The world No 1 beat the Spaniard in straight sets in Turin.
Djokovic said: “It was the best match of the tournament for me without a doubt.
“It came at the right time for me after spending a lot of hours on the court in the first three matches. I didnāt know how I was going to feel tonight.”
Djokovic beats Alcaraz
Novak Djokovic has beaten Carlos Alcaraz in the second semi-final.
The world No 1 won in straight sets 6-3, 6-2 to set up a rematch with Jannik Sinner on Sunday.
Sinner beat Djokovic in the group stage on Tuesday so the Serb will be looking for revenge.
Salisbury into final
There will be British representation on Sunday in Turin!
Joe Salisbury and his American partner Rajeev Ram have made it through to the final of the men’s doubles.
The pair won 10-7 in the final set against Edouard Roger-Vasselin and Santiago Gonzalez.
They will play Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos in the final after their straight-sets win in the semi-final.
Follow Alcaraz vs Djokovic LIVE
Carlos Alcaraz is set to take on Novak Djokovic in today’s other semi-final.
The action is set to get underway in a few minutes and you can follow it all on our LIVE match blog.
Becker and Rune extend partnership
Boris Becker and Holger Rune will extend their partnership into 2024.
The pair linked up in October with the main aim of qualifying for the ATP Finals, which they achieved.
Becker admitted this week that Rune was still a long way behind world No 1 Novak Djokovic, in a comment that was seen as harsh.
But Hune’s mother is looking forward to the link-up continuing. Aneke Rune told Ekstra Bladet: “We are looking forward to continuing the good work in the pre-season and 2024 with our team, with whom we will also end the year.
“I am delighted that we have found a good set-up where Holger is happy and can develop so that we can once again set goals and aim to win Grand Slams.”
‘Alcaraz final would be nice’
Jannik Sinner says it would be “nice” to play Carlos Alcaraz in Sunday’s final.
Alcaraz plays Novak Djokovic in the second semi-final in Turin this evening.
Sinner believes it would be good for the sport if Alcaraz made it through.
He said: “I mean, if Carlos wins, would be I think nice for tennis, having two from different generations in the final. I played against him already sometimes.
“I think the matchup is really, really good. Usually, we have always some interesting points, interesting moments.
“If Carlos wins, would be nice because there are many things together in our matchup.”
Medvedev impressed with Sinner
Daniil Medvedev says Jannik Sinner is “riding a wave” with his current form.
Medvedev lost in three sets to the Italian in the semi-final at the ATP Finals today.
Asked what he thought of his opponent, Medvedev said: “Very impressed, to be honest. He’s playing very good now.
“I mean, even today he doesn’t miss much. He can run well. If you give him an easy ball, you feel like he moves you over the court. He can volley well. Serve has improved a lot.
“Right now he’s, let’s call it, riding a wave. You can see it. Let’s see how it’s going to be in the final.”
Sinner enjoying pressure
Jannik Sinner says he is enjoying the pressure he faces playing in front of his home crowd.
The Italian has reached the final and is delighted to put on a show for his supporters.
He told Amazon Prime Video: “I think it’s a privilege to have this kind of pressure. Already the week before this event I felt really good on this court.
“It’s quite fast and obviously the crowd is giving me so much energy. And for me, it’s a pleasure to play in front of the home fans and in Italy in this event. So it’s all going in a good way and obviously really happy.”
Sinner winning streak extends
Jannik Sinner’s victory over Daniil Medvedev has extended his winning run to 10 matches.
The Italian put on a show for his home crowd in Turin.
You can read all about his win in our report of the match.
Sinner storms into the final
Jannik Sinner will be in the final tomorrow to face Novak Djokovic or Carlos Alcaraz after another impressive victory over Daniil Medvedev.
The 22-year-old fought off the Russian’s comeback attempt to win 6-3, 6-7 (5), 6-1 and clinch his spot in the final.
Another huge result for the Italian in front of his home crowd.
Medvedev throws racket into advertising board in furious row
Tensions are threatening to boil over in Turin!
Daniil Medvedev threw his racket into the advertising board and pointed his finger to a spectator in the crowd, furiously gesticulating their direction.
The Russian also appeared to gesture ‘come here’ to the unidentified person, who had clearly upset Medvedev throughout the point.
He currently trails 3-1 in the third set with Sinner a break up.
Medvedev forces a decider
You just can’t keep Daniil Medvedev down!
The crowd is against him, at one point he felt the umpire was against him. But try as you might, the Russian just won’t go away.
He wins the tiebreak to force a decider in this thrilling semi-final, with some sumptuous rallies to keep the crowd entertained.
Will Sinner hold his nerve?
Kyrgios makes heartwarming gesture to help Rublev
Nick Kyrgios has offered to fly to wherever Andrey Rublev is in a bid to help the world No 5 work on his mentality after a tough week at the ATP Finals.
Rublev went 0-3 in his group stage matches and grew so frustrated that he smashed his knee with his racket several times, drawing blood.
But Kyrgios believes that the 26-year-old still has plenty to be proud of this season and wants to assist Rublev.
The former world No 13 said: āI think heās made three quarter-finals this year in the Grand Slams so I think moving into Australia heās got to be in a good mindset moving forward.
“I mean, Iāll come fly to wherever he is and try to help him out mentally. I think Iāve got that down.ā
Unbeatable Sinner sets sights on final
Jannik Sinner is one set away from sealing his place in the final at the ATP Finals after taking the first set against Danill Medvedev.
The Italian secured an early break and hasn’t looked back, clinching the first set 6-3 in just under an hour.
Remarkably, he hasn’t lost a single match since October and, in this form, doesn’t look like losing that streak today.
Alcaraz coach begins Djokovic mind games
Carlos Alcaraz’s coach Juan Carlos Ferrero has begun the mind games ahead of his ATP Finals clash with Novak Djokovic after claiming he has surpassed Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.
The former tennis player spoke of how Djokovic has mastered a ādifficultā formula that allowed him to be the best in tennis, surpassing Federer and Nadal.
Ferrero said Djokovicās superiority couldnāt be argued given his records in the sport as he shared the dedication it took for the world No 1 to be the greatest. Some may view it as an attempt to win the psychological battle ahead of their tie.
āYou may like Rafa more, you may like Federer’s style more, but in terms of numbers the best in history is Novak,” he said.
Live updates – Sinner vs Medvedev
We’re about to get underway in the first singles semi-final of the day at the ATP Finals.
Jannik Sinner is looking to become the first Italian finalist in the ATP Finals in front of his home crowd.
But 2020 champion Danill Medvedev cannot be underestimated, with the winner set to face Carlos Alcaraz or Novak Djokovic in the final.
Granollers/Zeballos cruise into doubles final
Marcelo Granollers and Horacio Zeballos have reached the doubles final at theĀ ATP Finals after a straight-sets victory over Matthew Ebden and Rohan Bopanna.
The Argentinian-Spanish pairing saw off Australian Ebden and India’s Bopanna with a 7-5, 6-4 victory earlier today to book their place.
They will face the winner of Joe Salisbury/Rajeev Ram vs Edouard Roger-Vasselin and Santiago Gonzalez, which will take place after Jannik Sinner’s clash with Daniil Medvedev.
Andy Murray withdraws from Davis Cup tie
Andy Murray has withdrawn from the Davis Cup finals after picking up a shoulder injury ahead of next week’s showdown with Serbia.
The 36-year-old was due to join the likes of Cameron Norrie and Jack Draper in facing Novak Djokovic and his compatriots but will instead be forced to watch on from the sidelines.
Murray injured his right shoulder in a practice session on Tuesday and will take no part in the Davis Cup finals as a result.
The two-time Wimbledon champion is said to have made the decision to pull out on Friday in order to focus on his recovery ahead of the Australian Open in January.
The report adds that Murray was under serious consideration to face Djokovic for the first time since 2017 prior to his withdrawal from the tournament.
His absence will leave Norrie and Draper as Great Britain’s only singles options against Serbia when the Davis Cup finals get underway next week.
Alcaraz opens up on chat with coach after ATP Finals turnaround
Carlos AlcarazĀ opened up on a deep chat he had with Juan Carlos Ferrero after losing his opener at the ATP Finals.
The Spaniard started the week on a three-match losing streak after suffering a defeat to Alexander Zverev and admitted he was suffering with mental fatigue.
But after talking to his coach, he bounced back to win his next two matches and reach the semi-final.
āI feel that I am playing the same level that I’ve been playing the first part of the year,ā the Spaniard said after beating Medvedev to book his place in the semi-final.
āI spoke with Juan Carlos after the first match about giving everything that I have in this tournament.ā
Kyrgios predicts winner of Sinner vs Medvedev clash
Nick Kyrgios has predicted Daniil Medvedev will overcome Jannik Sinner in front of his home crowd.
The Australian believes Sinner will not be as effective as Carlos Alcaraz in matching up against the Russian and backed him to reach the final.
“If heās going to incorporate some serving volley, I donāt think heās as comfortable coming forward as, say, Alcaraz is. And that showed today how successful it can be against Medvedev. Iām going to go with Medvedev,” Kyrgios told Tennis Channel.
“I think heās going to really want to get this one. This is going to be a big one against Italy, against Turin, against Sinner. Iām going to go Dr Octopus.”
Djokovic snaps back at reporter’s ‘kids’ comment
Novak Djokovic believes the new generation of Jannik Sinner and Holger Rune can no longer be considered ‘kids’ after calling out a reporter for undermining the tennis stars.
The 36-year-old took exception to one journalist describing Sinner, 22, and Rune, 20, as kids – praising the pair for rising to the ‘top’ of tennis.
āWell, I think itās not nice to call them kids because they are not kids,ā said Djokovic. āThey are above 18, so youāre officially not a kid anymore.
āThe field is strong. I mean, the generation of Alcaraz, Rune, Sinner is very strong. Itās probably the three players that will carry this sport in the future but also in the present because they are right at the top of the game, all of them.”
Kyrgios drops doubles partner Kokkinakis in it
Nick Kyrgios has been accused of dropping his doubles partner into it as he opened up on his Australian Open memories with Thanasi Kokkinakis.
The pair stormed to the 2022 title after defeating Matthew Ebden and Max Purcell 7-5, 6-4 in an all-Australian final, and now player-turned-pundit Kyrgios has shone a light on what happened off the court during their road to victory.
“He (Kokkinakis) was having a good time,” Kyrgios joked to the Tennis Channel. “I was doing ice baths in the morning, getting up at 7 a.m. doing, like, chipped returns in doubles and I’m like, ‘What am I doing here?’
āI was the only person at Melbourne Park practising and he was just rolling in from a night out. People would think it would be the reverse. People would be like, ‘Kyrgios is the one that’s going out.'”
Alcaraz dreaming of Djokovic win
Carlos Alcaraz has said he is dreaming of a maiden ATP Finals triumph after being drawn against Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals.
The Spaniard was in a bullish mood after sweeping aside Danill Medvedev in straight sets, winning 6-4, 6-4, and now wants glory in Turin after making it through.
“Well, it’s just two matches, but at the same time it’s too far away. I have Novak in the semi-final. If I win that match, I have a really tough final,” Alcaraz told reporters.
“I’m dreaming about winning this tournament. Why not? But I have to play my best first in the semi-final.”
Good morning!
Hello and welcome to Express Sport’s LIVE coverage from the ATP Finals.
It’s semi-final day and what a day of action we have in store, with Jannik Sinner facing Daniil Medvev before Carlos Alcaraz faces Novak Djokovic.
We’ll have all the build-up to those matches today, so stick with us.
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