Alcaraz’s absence leaves Tsitsipas and Nadal with a chance to pip him for year-end No 1

The withdrawal of Carlos Alcaraz through injury from next week’s ATP Finals has opened up a three-way race for the year-end world No 1 ranking.

While Alcaraz, who suffered an abdominal injury in his quarter-final against eventual champion Holger Rune at the Paris Masters, remains in pole position, both Stefanos Tsitsipas and Rafael Nadal can replace him and end the year on top.

Alcaraz, who won the US Open in September to become the youngest ever world No 1, is now expected to be out of action for up to six weeks, opening the door, slightly, for Tsitsipas and Nadal.

Tsitsipas must be an undefeated champion to go No 1

For current No 3 Tsitsipas, the situation is clear. If the Greek wins all three of his group matches and goes on to win the title, with five wins out of five, he will be No 1 for the first time.

That would be a stunning achievement for Tsitsipas, who has won two more titles in 2022 and reached five other finals in what has been his most consistent year.

Should he hit top spot it would make him only the second man – Marcelo Rios was the other – to ever be world No 1 without winning a slam title.

Tsitsipas will have to do it the hard way, though, since his group in Turin includes former No 1s Novak Djokovic and Daniil Medvedev, as well as Andrey Rublev.

Nadal can be year-end No 1 for sixth time

Rafael Nadal says he is not interested in fighting for the No 1 ranking but if he has a successful ATP Finals, he could just pinch it anyway.

The 36-year-old Spaniard is 1000 points behind Alcaraz in the ATP Race and he has a chance. If Tsitsipas loses any of his group matches, then three straight wins in the group stages and a semi-final win for Nadal would make him No 1 at the end of a year for the sixth time. (He would be level on points with Alcaraz but be No1 thanks to earning more points in Grand Slams , mandatory Masters 1000s and the ATP Finals).

If Nadal wins the title, whatever Tsitsipas does, then he will go No 1. That’s even if the Spaniard wins only one group match (depending on results, it is possible for a player to reach the semis with a 1-2 record).

Nadal is in a group with Casper Ruud, whom he beat to win the French Open earlier this year, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Taylor Fritz.

Holger Rune is in Turin, too

Holger Rune probably had the Next Gen Finals on his mind as he began his indoor campaign a few weeks ago. But a win in Stockholm – his second Tour title – a runner-up finish in Basel and now the biggest victory of all – in the final of the Paris Masters against Novak Djokovic – means he has now broken into the top 10 (at No 10).

Rune decided to pull out of the Next Gen Finals and is in Turin as the first alternate, something no one would have predicted when the indoor season began, or when the year started, with him down at No 103.

You might also like this

World No 1 Alcaraz to miss ATP Finals with abdominal injury, out for six weeks

tennis majors

Alcaraz’s absence leaves Tsitsipas and Nadal with a chance to pip him for year-end No 1

tennis majors

VIDEO: The CRAZY week that took Rune to a new dimension

tennis majors