WATCH: Carlos Alcaraz arrives in Turin for ATP Finals 2024; interacts with fans and clicks selfies ahead of second appearance
Carlos Alcaraz recently arrived in Turin, Italy, to compete in the year-end 2024 ATP Finals. Ahead of the tournament, the Spaniard interacted with fans and clicked a few selfies.
Alcaraz will mark his second-ever appearance at the ATP Finals this year. He enters the tournament after an upsetting campaign at the Paris Masters. The Spaniard suffered a third-round exit, falling to eventual finalist Ugo Humbert.
On Wednesday, November 6, Alcaraz was spotted on a street in Turin, seemingly opening his car trunk when fans approached him for selfies and signatures. He signed a soccer ball for a young kid before clicking pictures with the whole group.
Alcaraz often grabs the headlines for his heartwarming approach towards fans. The four-time Grand Slam champion drew positive reactions for going the extra mile to click pictures with a few supporters after a training session at this year's Paris Olympics. Alcaraz, wearing his bulky racquet bag, stood atop a bench so that fans outside the court could get a proper selfie with him.
At the ATP Finals, Alcaraz will be joined by Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev, Andrey Rublev, Daniil Medvedev, Taylor Fritz, Casper Ruud, and Alex de Minaur. Novak Djokovic, fifth in the ATP rankings, will miss the tournament due to injury.
The draw will take place on Thursday at 12:45 PM CET. The tournament will commence on November 10 in the indoor hardcourts of the Inalpi Arena.
Carlos Alcaraz is going to arrive at ATP Finals "at a great time", says Alex Corretja
Former Spanish tennis player Alex Corretja opined that Carlos Alcaraz is going to arrive at the ATP Finals "at a great time". He expressed high hopes for his countryman despite his struggles on indoor hardcourts.
Corretja maintained that Alcaraz's (China Open) final win over World No. 1 Jannik Sinner, held on hard courts, will boost his confidence.
"Alcaraz is going to arrive in Turin at a great time. Why? Because he has recently won some tournaments on a hard court, especially beating Sinner in the final, which always gives you a dose of confidence," Corretja told Eurosport.
The 50-year-old asserted hopes in Alcaraz improving from his past lessons and entering the tournament sprightlier than last year.
"In the ATP Finals it is true that everything is very open, that the groups are very difficult and that everyone arrives very mentally saturated, somewhat physically affected. But I believe that Carlos has learned from the past and is going to arrive a little fresher than last season." he added.
Carlos Alcaraz reached the semifinals of the ATP Finals last year, where he lost 3-6, 2-6, to eventual champion Djokovic. In the group stage, he registered wins against Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev but fell to Alexander Zverev.