What Carlos Alcaraz said about Jannik Sinner, hostile Turin crowd & concerning hamstring injury after ATP Finals heartbreak

On Sunday, November 17, Carlos Alcaraz went down against Jannik Sinner in the summit clash of the ATP Finals. After the defeat, the Spaniard spoke at length about his rival's game, the hostile Turin crowd and his concerning hamstring injury.

Alcaraz enjoyed a solid start to his campaign at the ATP Finals. The 22-year-old went undefeated in his group stage matches, disposing of Alex de Minaur, Taylor Fritz, and Lorenzo Musetti with ease. The World No.1 then outdid Felix Auger-Aliassime in the semifinals. However, in the finals, Alcaraz was denied his maiden title at the event by Sinner, as the Italian clinched a thumping 7-6(4), 7-5 win.

After the match, Carlos Alcaraz reflected on the improvements in Jannik Sinner's game since their clash at the US Open, saying,

“Obviously I felt the improvements of Jannik. I said many times, I think a player like him, he always comes back stronger from the losses. He always learns from the losses. Once again, he has shown everybody that he did it. Especially in the serves, putting so much pressure on you. It's really difficult to play against him obviously.”

The Spaniard then went on to address the hostile Turin audience. He stated that while the crowd might not have been cheering for him, he wasn't particularly affected and that there were times when he enjoyed the ‘energy’.

“First of all, they didn't affect me at all. There were sometimes that I really even like it, feeling this energy, even though I'm not going to say 'against me'. It wasn't against me, it was more cheering for him. I like to feel this kind of energy, this environment, even though if it wasn't cheering for me. I think he deserved that energy from the crowd,” Alcaraz said.

While Carlos Alcaraz put up a strong fight throughout his ATP Finals summit clash, the Spaniard was forced to take a medical timeout near the end of the first set. Speaking about the issue at his press conference, the six-time Grand Slam champion brushed aside concerns that the injury might have affected his game, saying,

“Don't get me wrong, because I'm not going to say I could play better or I could do something better if my hamstring were well. I could play a really good tennis with it. The loss is because he deserved it.”

Despite his loss in the finals, this campaign marks Carlos Alcaraz's best performance at the ATP Finals. With his largely successful campaign in Turin, the Murcia-native will be ending the year ranked No.1 in the world.

After dealing with hostile Turin audience, Carlos Alcaraz reveals the ‘most difficult’ crowd he's ever faced

Alcaraz at the 2025 Paris Masters (Image Source: Getty)

While the crowd at the Inalpi Arena was cheering for Jannik Sinner at every opportunity, Carlos Alcaraz made it clear that the audience rooting for their home player didn't affect his match. However, in his press conference after the finals, the Spaniard did reveal the ‘most difficult' crowd he's ever faced.

Alcaraz stated that his clash at the 2021 Paris Masters against French tennis star Hugo Gaston was a particularly challenging environment, saying,

“I would say, I haven't talked too much about it, but the most difficult match that I have ever played in my career with the crowd was in Paris Bercy 2021. I will not forget it in my whole life because it was a turning point. I grew up a lot from that match. But that match was the most difficult match that I have ever played with the crowd.”

Having wrapped up his campaign at the ATP Finals, Carlos Alcaraz is now scheduled to head to Bologna for the 2025 Davis Cup Finals. The World No.1 will be in action for the Spanish team on November 20 as they take on Czechia for their quarterfinals tie.