ATP Finals 2023: Tuesday's Top Storylines to Watch After Monday's Results
Day 2 of the ATP Finals was not only special but also a tale of redemption for both Alexander Zverev and Daniil Medvedev.
For the former, it was the culmination of all the hard work he's put in since his devastating 2022 ankle injury.
The German was rewarded with a three-set victory over Carlos Alcaraz, arguably his best of the year.
The win was backed by a strong display of his serve, reminiscent of his early days on tour, and incredible consistency, with just five unforced errors.
With the loss yesterday, Alcaraz has now lost three consecutive matches for the first time since March 2021, when he was outside the ATP top 100, and has looked like a shell of the player that just months ago was on top of the ATP world.
In the afternoon, it was an incredible display from Daniil Medvedev, who defeated Andrey Rublev 6-4, 6-2 to earn his 40th top-10 win, joining Alexander Zverev as the only other player to do so born after 1990.
The win was particularly special for Medvedev, who finished winless (0-3) in the 2022 ATP Finals.
Like yesterday, today offers another exciting duo of matchups, beginning with Holger Rune against Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Then, in the afternoon, Novak Djokovic takes on Jannik Sinner in what could be the best matchup of the ATP Finals thus far.
From storylines to matchup expectations, here's what you can expect today.
Novak Djokovic vs. Jannik Sinner
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After Sunday's win against Holger Rune, Novak Djokovic solidified his ranking as the year-end world No. 1 for a record-extending eighth year.
The Serbian has a 58-5 overall record this year and has won 19 straight matches.
Djokovic is a combined 42-1 on the hard-court surfaces this year.
Defeating the world No. 1 has proven to be among the most difficult tasks in the sport of tennis and has not been done since a gut-wrenching five-set defeat courtesy of Carlos Alcaraz in the 2023 Wimbledon final.
But might Djokovic's next opponent have the best chance of all suitors to end the Serbian's impressive win streak?
Yes, in fact, this may be Jannik Sinners' best chance to grab his first win in his head-to-head against Djokovic (0-3), and that's saying something considering the Italian once led two sets to love against Djokovic at the 2022 Wimbledon quarterfinal.
But we all know how that turned out for the youngster.
This match should be different; indeed, that version of Sinner has morphed into an entirely different player—one who is capable of beating just about anyone and has now developed a serve that is nearly unbreakable.
With his explosiveness off the bounce when it comes to his forehand and much improved discipline in extended rallies, Sinner has been every opponent's worst nightmare as of late.
Since falling to Alexander Zverev in a five-set thriller in the fourth round of the 2023 U.S. Open, the Italian world No. 4 has been nearly flawless, winning 14 of his 15 matches, nine of them in straight sets, and his sole defeat to Ben Shelton being exacted upon two weeks later in straight sets.
If Sinner can stay disciplined with his rallies and continue with his consistent forehand, this match is for his taking in front of his home crowd.
Holger Rune vs. Stefanos Tsitsipas
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Holger Rune has let two matches slip away from him in the last two weeks to Novak Djokovic.
The good news is that he looks to be back in impressive form after months of discouraging results.
If it weren't for Djokovic ramping up his play in the final set as he usually does, Rune might have ended up victorious.
Though he's cooled down in the latter half of 2023, Rune is still playing capable tennis and poses a threat to his opponent, as evident by the previous two weeks.
Still, Rune's struggles with physical endurance have continued to cost him, especially late in matches.
On the other end, Stefanos Tsitsipas will look to turn a corner after admitting that he simply had no answer to Jannik Sinner's firepower on Sunday.
Tsitsipas has struggled against top-10 players this year, posting a 1-7 record.
The Greek, who won only ten points on Sinner's serve, will look to avoid a similar outcome when on return against Rune.
Like his opponent, the 2019 ATP Finals champion has also upped his play in recent weeks, winning six of his last nine matches.
While Rune leads the head-to-head 2-0, both players are in similar positions, trying to get back on the winning end.
If Rune plays anything like he did Sunday, this match is for his taking, but there's no reason to suggest a repeat performance considering his recent fluctuating results.
Even still, this match should go three sets, with Rune doing just enough to edge out his opponent.
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