Carlos Alcaraz risks being shown up at ATP Finals after Novak Djokovic comments

Carlos Alcaraz could be made to swallow his words after sharing his honest thoughts on Novak Djokovic's ATP Finals withdrawal. The No. 1 seed was drawn in the Jimmy Connors Group at the season-ending championships along with Djokovic, Taylor Fritz and Alex de Minaur.

There was a late change to the group when seven-time former champion Djokovic pulled out of the tournament and was replaced by first-timer Lorenzo Musetti - and Alcaraz was admittedly pleased, given his record against Djokovic in Turin.

The Serbian superstar has a 5-4 lifetime head-to-head against Alcaraz and handily beat him 6-3 6-2 when they met in the semi-finals in Turin just two years ago, and that defeat still haunts the six-time Major winner.

Asked whether he'd rather have Djokovic or Musetti in his round-robin group, the 22-year-old jokingly replied: "Well, obviously, someone like Novak being in the group is always tough. The experience he has in this tournament, the level he has on indoor court, it's quite good.

"I lost to him in 2023, and I played great. He killed me. To be honest, I prefer Lorenzo. I'm not going to lie."

It's been a season full of firsts for Musetti. The Italian made his top-10 debut earlier this year, and will now compete at the ATP Finals for the first time in his career.

The 23-year-old also reached a Masters 1000 final in Monte Carlo and advanced to his second Major semi-final at the French Open. He lost to Alcaraz on both occasions, retiring due to injury at Roland Garros.

Although he'd still rather face Musetti, whom he has a 6-1 record against, Alcaraz is well aware that the world No. 9 is still a dangerous opponent. However, Musetti could also be tired after his run to the final in Athens over the last week.

He added: "If he's there, he deserves it because of the level he has put on the matches, the tournaments he has done this year, and the level he showed this year. It was really, really high.

"Let's see how he's going to be, how he's going to adapt. He's coming from Athens, and he couldn't feel the court at all. But I'm sure he's going to do great and let's see how is going to be."

Alcaraz has already won one round-robin match in Turin, beating De Minaur 7-6(5) 6-2 on Sunday. Musetti will get his own campaign underway against Fritz on Monday, and they'll face each other later in the week.

The top seed is happy to have Musetti in his way as opposed to Djokovic, but the Italian will be spurred on by a home crowd in Turin this coming week, and Alcaraz could be made to eat his words if Musetti wins their group-stage match.