‘Need a miracle’: Musetti wary of Alcaraz threat ahead of ‘toughest match'

Carlos Alcaraz is set to face Lorenzo Musetti on Friday at the ATP Finals in Turin. Alcaraz will be eyeing an end to his group stage with three straight wins and also secure his second year-end No. 1 ranking ahead of Jannik Sinner. Musetti lost to Novak Djokovic at the ATP 250 final in Athens recently, missing his berth in Turin. However, as Djokovic withdrew, he was able to qualify for the event.

The Italian lost his opener to Tylor Fritz, but then recovered to win against Alex de Minaur, clinching a 7-5, 3-6, 7-5 victory in two hours and 48 minutes.

Speaking ahead of facing Alcaraz, he said, "The victory over Alex gives me a lot of confidence and highlights the work I'm presenting. I can still reach the semi-final, which is great, although a large part of those chances will depend on my performance against Carlos. It will be the toughest match in the group. I know him very well because we have already faced each other several times, including this season. I'm sure of one thing ahead of the match."

"I will be the crowd favorite, and I hope they can help me pull off a miracle. Carlos does not feel as comfortable on this surface as on clay. However, it's still very hard to beat him," he added.

Meanwhile, Alcaraz is one win away from ending as the year-end No. 1. "It's really difficult not to think about the No. 1 spot. But I'm trying to focus on my game and on enjoying this moment. Matches like this one are really demanding, both mentally and physically," he said.

Alcaraz is attempting to become the 11th player to achieve the year-end No. 1 ranking more than once. Sinner needs to win the tournament as undefeated. If he loses one match, he faces Alexander Zverev next, then his chance to end as the year-end No. 1 will be over.

Source: HindustanTimes
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