Australia's Alex de Minaur has been placed in a punishing group as he prepares to compete in his first-ever Nitto ATP Finals in Turin, Italy.
The tournament comprises the top-eight players in singles and eight of the best pairings in doubles who have accumulated the most tour ranking points throughout the year.
Reaching as high as No.6 in the world earlier this year, de Minaur will become the first Aussie to compete at the prestigious event in singles since Lleyton Hewitt in 2004.
The 25-year-old confirmed his spot in the ATP Finals after the withdrawal of seven-time winner Novak Djokovic on Tuesday.
As a result, de Minaur decided to remove himself from the Belgrade Open yesterday where he will be the ATP Finals’ seventh seed.
Late last night, the official draw was announced for the two groups of four.
Ilie Nastase Group:
[1] Jannik Sinner
[4] Daniil Medvedev
[5] Taylor Fritz
[7] Alex de Minaur
John Newcombe Group:
[2] Alexander Zverev
[3] Carlos Alcaraz
[6] Casper Ruud
[8] Andrey Rublev
There is no straight-forward path in this particular competition, but can de Minaur cause an upset and reach the semi-finals with a top-two berth?
Jannik Sinner:
Head-to-head: Sinner leads 7-0
Previous meeting: 2024 Rotterdam final; Sinner won 7-5 6-4
The brutal reality is that this contest is a mismatch for de Minaur in almost every aspect, claiming just one set in seven meetings.
Sinner, the year-ending world No.1 and two-time major winner, will have the electric home atmosphere on his side as his power off both wings and near-flawless service game will pile the pressure on de Minaur.
Daniil Medvedev:
Head-to-head: Medvedev leads 6-3
Previous meeting: French Open fourth-round; de Minaur won 4-6 6-2 6-1 6-3
Perhaps not as scary of a proposition compared to a couple seasons ago, the tide is swiftly turning with de Minaur claiming victories in three of the past five outings against the 2021 US Open champion.
Medvedev’s lapses in concentration (evident at Roland Garros earlier this year) will provide the Aussie with windows of opportunities that he will need to capitalise on.
Taylor Fritz:
Head-to-head: De Minaur leads 5-3
Previous meeting: United Cup Round Robin; de Minaur won 6-4 6-2
De Minaur’s impressive win against Fritz in Perth during January’s United Cup should provide him with the belief that on hard courts, he can neutralise the power of Fritz and get himself stuck into rallies.
However, as this tournament will be played indoors, that will surely benefit all three of de Minaur’s opponents who will see the ball fly off his opponents’ strings.
Doubles Draw:
Bob Bryan Group:
[1] Marcelo Arevalo/Mate Pavić
[4] Simone Bolelli/Andrea Vavassori
[6] Rohan Bopanna/Matt Ebden
[8] Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz
Mike Bryan Group:
[2] Marcel Granollers/Horacio Zeballos
[3] Wesley Koolhof/Nikola Mektić
[5] Max Purcell/Jordan Thompson
[7] Harri Heliovaara/Henry Patten
Three Australians headline the doubles action in Turin, with one being 36-year-old Matt Ebden.
The Olympic gold medalist has experienced great success with Indian partner Rohan Bopanna, winning the Australian Open doubles crown as well as claiming the No.1 ranking in the same month.
In the final at Melbourne Park, the pair took down Italy’s Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori who will meet again in the group phase.
Max Purcell and Jordan Thompson have also endured a stellar 2024 on the doubles circuit, lifting the US Open trophy while within one point from Wimbledon glory.
The pair held three championship points at the All England Club against Heliovaara and Patten, one of their opponents in the ATP Finals.
The group’s highest-ranked pair, Granollers and Zeballos, suffered defeats to Purcell and Thompson at the US Open quarter-finals and Wimbledon semi-finals.
The ATP Finals will run from November 11-18.
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