ATP Finals 2023: Monday's Top Storylines to Watch After Sunday's Results

Day 1 of the ATP Finals lived up to the hype and then some.

The day began with Italian and hometown favorite Jannik Sinner serenading the fans with a barrage of forehands, physicality, and incredible patience in rallies on his way to a 6-4, 6-4 win over Stefanos Tstisipas.

Then, in the afternoon, it was a familiar scene with Novak Djokovic facing Holger Rune.

The two, who were knotted up 2-2 in their all-time head-to-head and had just played a nearly three-hour match just two weeks ago, constantly outdid themselves.

While Djokovic was tested throughout the match and needed three hours and six minutes, in the end, he prevailed 7-6,(4), 6-7(1), 6-3.

With the win, Djokovic solidified his ranking as the year-end world No. 1 ATP player for a record-extending eighth time ever.

With one day down and seven to go in the ATP Finals, later today provides another batch of exciting matchups, including Carlos Alcaraz's ATP Finals debut and close friends Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev facing off.

As the day unfolds, here are some matchups and storylines to keep an eye on.

Carlos Alcaraz vs. Alexander Zverev

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PARIS, FRANCE - NOVEMBER 2: Alexander Sasha Zverev of Germany during his third round match against Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece on day 4 of the Rolex Paris Masters 2023, ATP Masters 1000 at Accor Arena, POPB Paris Bercy on November 2, 2023 in Paris, France. (Photo by Jean Catuffe/Getty Images)

A year after an injury prevented him from making his ATP Finals debut, Carlos Alcaraz is back.

On the other side of the court is Alexander Zverev, who also likely missed out on an ATP Finals appearance in 2022 due to injury.

Now, the two are set to meet for the seventh time, currently tied at 3-3 in their head-to-head.

In the two matches since Zverev's devastating ankle injury during the 2022 French Open, Alcaraz has emphatically won both in straight sets, including a 6-3,6-2,6-4, victory in the 2023 U.S. Open quarterfinals.

Alcaraz has not won an event since his 2023 Wimbledon finals defeat over Novak Djokovic and is coming off the heels of a disappointing and shocking loss to world No. 39 Roman Safiullin, in which he committed 27 unforced errors.

Though Alcaraz has had some recent struggles, there is no reason for concern given the Spaniard's ability to bounce back in the past, both physically and mentally, as evident by his Wimbledon run after fitness issues forced him to bow out early at the 2023 French Open final against Novak Djokovic.

While defeating Alcaraz is no easy task for any player, Zverev should not be counted out.

Much of this match comes down to whether the German can remain dominant with his serve and avoid coming into the net, where he has proven to be vulnerable against opponents, including Alcaraz.

Zverev is playing arguably his best tennis since his 2022 French Open injury, with two ATP titles in 2023.

However, Alcaraz has found abilities to adapt against most opponents and is likely to do the same here, even on a surface such as indoor hardcourt, which is not considered his best.

One thing to keep an eye on is how Alcaraz will adapt to Zverev's serve and just how early he is able to do so.

Daniil Medvedev vs. Andrey Rublev

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VIENNA, AUSTRIA - OCTOBER 29: Daniil Medvedev of Russia plays a forehand in his final match against Jannik Sinner of Italy during day nine of the Erste Bank Open 2023 at Wiener Stadthalle on October 29, 2023 in Vienna, Austria. (Photo by Thomas Kronsteiner/Getty Images)

Andrey Rublev and Daniil Medvedev are known on the ATP tour for their budding friendship.

Today, though, they are foes when they face each other on opposite sides of the court in Turin, Italy, just a year removed from their last encounter here, an intense three-set match won by Rublev.

Medvedev currently leads the head-to-head at 7-2 and will be looking to exercise some demons after going winless (0-3) in last year's ATP Final.

The world No. 3 enters the ATP Finals with tons of momentum riding a season with 60 overall wins, the third most on the ATP tour this year.

Medvedev excels on indoor hardcourt, as evident by his 9-2 on the surface this year.

On the other end, Rublev will also enter with momentum.

Since losing in the second round of the ATP Masters 1000 Shanghai back on September 30, Rublev has won 11 of his last 14 matches.

Last week, the world No. 5 took Novak Djokovic to the distance in the ATP Masters 1000 Paris semifinal before succumbing 7-5 in the final set.

While Medvedev certainly holds an edge in this matchup, as evident by his head-to-head record against Rublev, defeating the world No. 5 has proven to be extremely difficult for all players recently.

In the end, Medvedev should have just enough to beat Rublev, with the two likely needing three sets to decide the outcome.