ATP Tour

Zverev chases Nitto ATP Finals hat-trick; Alcaraz seeks first title in Turin

The 2026 ATP Tour season reaches its climax at the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin, where eight of the world’s top stars will do battle at the prestigious finale.

The No. 1 player in the PIF ATP Rankings, Alexander Zverev headlines the field at Inalpi Arena. The German is chasing his third Nitto ATP Finals crown following his triumphs in 2018 and 2021. Meanwhile second seed Carlos Alcaraz, who reached his first Nitto ATP Finals championship match in 2025, enters this year’s tournament on a nine-match winning streak.

With the field also including another former champion, Daniil Medvedev, recent Rolex Paris Masters finalist Ben Shelton, and four Nitto ATP Finals debutants in Flavio Cobolli, Arthur Fils, Frances Tiafoe and Rafael Jodar, the scene is set for an intriguing week of indoor hard-court tennis in northern Italy. ATPTour.com looks at the key storylines to follow.

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1) World No. 1 Zverev Eyes Third Title: Zverev won the Nitto ATP Finals in London in 2018 and in Turin in 2021, and this year attempts to add a third title to his collection. If he does so, he would be just the second reigning World No. 1 (after Jannik Sinner in 2024) to triumph at the season finale in the past decade.

The 29-year-old Zverev, who has already secured ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF honours, will kick-start the event’s singles action on Sunday afternoon in Turin: He takes on debutant Jodar in the first match of John McEnroe Group, which also features Fils and Jodar.

2) Can Alcaraz Go One Step Further?: The 23-year-old Alcaraz will look to build on his Turin championship-match appearance in 2025, when he lost out to his great Lexus ATP Head2Head rival Jannik Sinner. This year, Alcaraz arrives in Italy on a nine-match winning streak following his title runs in Vienna and at the Rolex Paris Masters.

Currently 42-5 for the season, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, Alcaraz is chasing his sixth title of 2026. He will open his campaign on Monday afternoon against Tiafoe in Ivan Lendl Group, which also contains Cobolli and Tiafoe.

3) Medvedev, Shelton Eye Showstopping End To 2026: The third and fourth seeds, respectively, in Turin, Medvedev and Shelton each arrive with plenty of recent hard-court success in the bank. The big-serving American lefty Shelton reached the Rolex Paris Masters final earlier this month, when he was edged out by Alcaraz. He is chasing his first Nitto ATP Finals match win after going 0-3 on event debut in 2025.

Medvedev won an indoor ATP 250 crown in Almaty in late October before reaching the Vienna semi-finals, where he also fell to Alcaraz. Other than Zverev, the 30-year-old is the only former titlist in this year’s field, having won the 2020 Nitto ATP Finals in London.

4) Debutants Cobolli, Tiafoe Seek Strong Start: With 2024 and 2025 champion Sinner not competing due to a knee injury, the home charge this year in Turin will be lead by the 24-year-old Cobolli. The Roland Garros finalist will make his Nitto ATP Finals debut against Medvedev on Monday night.

That will follow another Ivan Lendl Group clash between Alcaraz and Tiafoe. The 28-year-old Tiafoe has not faced Alcaraz since 2024, and will hope he can bring his explosive best to Inalpi Arena in order to spring an upset in his first Nitto ATP Finals match.

5) Fils Ends 10-Year Wait For France: Fils is the first Frenchman since Gael Monfils in 2016 to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals. The 22-year-old, who is currently at a career-high No. 7 in the PIF ATP Rankings, will take on Shelton in the first night-session showdown of the event on Sunday.

6) Can Fast-rising Jodar Make Big Impact?: Just lining up in the Nitto ATP Finals represents a huge milestone for the 20-year-old Jodar, who only made his tour-level debut as recently as January’s Australian Open. The Spaniard, who competed at the Next Gen ATP Finals in Jeddah a year ago, has the chance to lay down a stunning early statement to his Turin rivals when he takes on World No. 1 Zverev in the opening singles match.

7) Top Doubles Teams Tussle In Turin: Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten enter Turin having already secured Year-End ATP Doubles No. 1 presented by PIF honours for 2026. The Finnish-British pair is bidding to become the fourth team since 2000 to successfully defend the Nitto ATP Finals crown. Heliovaara and Patten line up in Todd Woodbridge Group, alongside Marcelo Arevalo/Mate Pavic, Theo Arribage/Albano Olivetti and Orlando Luz/Rafael Matos.

Second seeds Christian Harris and Neal Skupski headline Mark Woodforde Group. The Australian Open and US Open-winning duo has been drawn alongside 2024 Nitto ATP Finals-winners Kevin Krawietz/Tim Puetz, 2023 finalists Marcel Granollers/Horacio Zeballos and home favourites Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori.