ATP Finals 2024: Carlos Alcaraz vs Andrey Rublev preview, head-to-head, prediction, odds and pick
Match Details
Fixture: (3) Carlos Alcaraz vs (8) Andrey Rublev
Date: November 13, 2024
Tournament: ATP Finals 2024
Round: Group Stage
Venue: Inalpi Arena, Turin, Italy
Category: Year-end championships
Surface: Hard (Indoor)
Prize Money: $15,250,000
Live Telecast: USA - Tennis Channel | UK - Sky Sports | Canada - TSN
Carlos Alcaraz vs Andrey Rublev preview
Third-seeded Carlos Alcaraz will play eighth-seeded Andrey Rublev in the round-robin stage at the 2024 ATP Finals on November 13. Coming to Turin Alcaraz had a 52-11 record in the season, with the Spaniard winning two Major titles at the French Open and the Wimbledon Championships, one Masters 1000 title at Indian Wells, and an ATP 500 title in Beijing.
However, in recent events, the Spaniard has suffered some early defeats in the build-up to the ATP Finals. He lost 6-7 (5), 5-7 to Tomas Machac in the quarterfinal of the Shanghai Masters and unexpectedly lost 1-6, 6-3, 5-7 to Ugo Humbert in the third round of the Paris Masters. Even at the Turin, the 21-year-old had a shaky start as he lost to Casper Ruud in the first match. The Norwegian beat the Spaniard for the first time in his career, winning 6-1, 7-5.
Andrey Rublev qualified for Turin after a decent season in 2024, which saw the Russian player win 43 of the 66 matches he played in. He won two titles in the year: the Hong Kong Open and the Masters 1000 title in Madrid, with a win over Felix-Auger Aliassime in the final.
Rublev also reached the final of the Masters 1000 event in Montreal, losing to Alexei Popyrin, and also reached the quarterfinal of the Cincinnati Open, losing to Jannik Sinner, However, since Cincinnati, the World No. 8's form has dwindled, as he has a modest 8-6 record since then and coming into Turin. At the Finals, he lost the first match to Alexander Zverev, losing 4-6, 4-6.
Carlos Alcaraz vs Andrey Rublev head-to-head
The head-to-head between the two players is tied at 1-1. The last time they played was at the quarterfinal of the 2024 Madrid Open, with the scoreline being 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 in favor of Rublev.
Carlos Alcaraz vs Andrey Rublev odds
(Odds are sourced from BetMGM)
Carlos Alcaraz vs Andrey Rublev prediction
Serving has been a problem for Alcaraz this season. Despite winning two Major titles, the Spaniard is not there within the Top 10 of the best servers for the season. However, statically the Spaniard has been the second-best returner this season, with 34.7 percent of points won on first-serve returns and 54.8 percent of points won on second-serve returns.
On the other hand, Rublev was the 10th-best server in 2024. The Russian has won 76.7 percent of his first-serve points. He has hit 8-9 aces in every match on average, winning 87 percent of his service games.
It remains to be seen if Alcaraz is fully fit as the Spaniard was seen suffering from nose blockage during the match against Ruud. If Rublev can hold his serve and put pressure on Alcaraz's first serve, then the Russian can make inroads in the match.
Pick- Rublev to win in three sets