Alcaraz s new weapon at ATP Finals

Alcaraz is famous for his ability to change the direction of the ball, open angles or create unstoppable balls with his forehand - his most powerful "weapon". But against De Minaur, the Spaniard's left shot was even more impressive. Alcaraz had 11 winners with his backhand, both cross-court and down the line, with an average speed of 108 km/h.

"We put a lot of emphasis on the left shot during practice, it's a very important shot ", Alcaraz told Movistar Plus after the opening match in Turin on November 9. "In Paris, I also tried to use those changing left shots but failed. There is no better feeling than when the plan goes as expected. "

At the Paris Masters earlier this month, Alcaraz was eliminated early when he lost to Cameron Norrie 6-4, 3-6, 4-6 in the second round, in the match he had 33 winners but made 54 unforced errors. That match, Alcaraz only had 6 winners from the left in three sets. But in the match with De Minaur at the ATP Finals, he had nearly double the number mentioned above, after only two sets with a score of 7-6, 6-2.

Most of Alcaraz's winning points from his left shot came at important points, helping him take advantage of break points or escapes. Against an opponent who hits hard and moves well like De Minaur, his unexpected left shots help Alcaraz "finish" the opponent in persistent series of balls.

    Alcaraz's new weapon at ATP Finals

In the match against Norrie in Paris, Alcaraz won only 38% of his points from the back of the field, but against De Minaur, that percentage increased to 57.14%. The correlation between winners and unforced errors of the Spanish player (32-28) is also more balanced than in the Paris Masters (33-54).

His two coaches, Juan Carlos Ferrero and Samuel Lopez, were present in Turin to witness the almost perfect game in the opening match of the ATP Finals - where Alcaraz usually does not have a good record. Both have also sat on the coaching chair for the world number two player at the Barcelona Open, Roland Garros and Wimbledon. In these three tournaments, Alcaraz reached the final, in which he won Roland Garros. This year, the 22-year-old is leading the ATP Tour with 69 wins and 8 titles.

The victory in the opening match helped Alcaraz strengthen his chances of winning the year-end number one cup for the first time since 2022. He currently only needs 250 more points in Turin to surpass rival Jannik Sinner, while each ATP Finals group stage victory is worth 200. points.

Alcaraz will aim for its next win at 8pm today, against Taylor Fritz. Fritz beat Lorenzo Musetti 6-3, 6-4 in the first round of the Jimmy Connors group.