3 predictions for tennis this week: Elena Rybakina to delay her comeback and withdraw from WTA Finals; Novak Djokovic to fail to qualify for ATP Finals
The season's final Masters tournament, the Paris Masters, is already underway, though defending champion Novak Djokovic is missing in action. He announced his withdrawal from the tournament a few days ago, which has put his chances of qualifying for the ATP Finals in jeopardy.
On the women's side, this year's eight best players either on their way, or already gathered in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, for the WTA Finals. The year-end championships will be held from November 2-9. The biggest story of the tournament is the looming battle between Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek for the year-end No. 1 ranking.
Swiatek is aiming to end the season atop the summit for the third year in a row, while Sabalenka is gunning to do the same for the first time in her career. With another action-packed week on the cards, here are some predictions on how things could unfold this week in the world of tennis:
Elena Rybakina pulls out of the WTA Finals at the last minute
Elena Rybakina has already arrived in Riyadh for the WTA Finals 2024, though her participation isn't a done deal just yet. Given her track record with injuries and illnesses this season, she could either withdraw altogether, or after playing a match or two.
Rybakina pulled out of the Indian Wells Open, the Italian Open, and the Eastbourne International after the draw was made. She withdrew from the US Open and the Dubai Tennis Championships prior to her quarterfinal and second-round matches respectively.
Additionally, the Kazakh also retired halfway from her match against Victoria Azarenka in Berlin. She hasn't played since she pulled out of the US Open, and after being away for a couple of months, one wonders how her body will hold up, especially with her track record of poor health. Thus, it wouldn't be surprising to see Rybakina's WTA Finals campaign coming to an abrupt end, though a triumph would be rewarding for her given her tumultuous year.
Novak Djokovic misses out on an ATP Finals berth
Having opted to give the Paris Masters a miss, Novak Djokovic's fate is out of his own hands when it comes to the ATP Finals. He's the defending champion at the year-end championships, and is currently sixth in the Race to Turin with 3,910 points. He has a slim lead over Casper Ruud at the moment, who could surpass him by winning his second-round match at the Paris Masters.
Djokovic has a 190 point lead over Andrey Rublev, and the latter could leapfrog the former with a semifinal finish in the French capital. The Serb has a 355 point lead over Alex de Minaur, who could also sneak ahead of him with a semifinal appearance here.
Thus, Djokovic's chances of qualifying for the ATP Finals depend on how the rest of the field performs. He could still make the cut if Ruud, Rublev, and de Minaur fail to do what's needed to move ahead of him. The 24-time Major champion did mention that he's only focused on the Majors and representing Serbia at this stage of his career, so he could also skip the ATP Finals even if he qualifies.
Carlos Alcaraz to win the Paris Masters
Aside from Djokovic, all the big names are set to participate in the Paris Masters. Carlos Alcaraz is on the hunt for his second Masters title of the season, following his triumph at the Indian Wells Masters back in March. He will begin his campaign against Nicolas Jarry on Tuesday (October 29).
Alcaraz won the China Open last month, and made the quarterfinals of the Shanghai Masters, which was won by Jannik Sinner by beating Djokovic in the final. He has recovered nicely after a disappointing second-round exit from the US Open. While he hasn't made it past the quarterfinals of the Paris Masters thus far, it could all change this time.
Furthermore, Alcaraz has proven that he is the only one who can consistently challenge the top-ranked Sinner. The Italian has lost only six times this season, though half of those losses have come at the hands of the Spaniard. He has a decent draw to the final, and even if he meets the tour's best player this year in the summit clash, he will be favored to come out on top.