{"id":641612,"date":"2025-11-10T15:38:18","date_gmt":"2025-11-10T14:38:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/?p=641612"},"modified":"2025-11-10T15:38:23","modified_gmt":"2025-11-10T14:38:23","slug":"carlos-alcaraz-embraces-musetti-clash-novak-withdraws-admitting-djokovic-indoor-dominance-haunts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theplayoffs.news\/en\/carlos-alcaraz-embraces-musetti-clash-novak-withdraws-admitting-djokovic-indoor-dominance-haunts\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cI Prefer Lorenzo Over Djokovic\u201d \u2013 Carlos Alcaraz Embraces Musetti Clash After Novak Withdraws, Admitting Djokovic\u2019s Indoor Dominance Still Haunts Him"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Carlos Alcaraz&rsquo;s ATP Finals campaign took a welcome turn after Novak Djokovic&rsquo;s late withdrawal opened the door for Lorenzo Musetti to enter the Jimmy Connors group, creating exactly the scenario the Spaniard prefers. Fresh off a confident 7-6(5), 6-2 win over Alex de Minaur in his opener, Alcaraz is now set to play Musetti and Taylor Fritz in his remaining round-robin matches, and he didn&rsquo;t hesitate to admit the change makes his path less daunting.&nbsp;<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">&#127466;&#127480; Carlos Alcaraz says he would rather be in the same group as Musetti than Djokovic:<br><br>&ldquo;I'm not going to lie, I prefer Lorenzo over Djokovic in my group. <br><br>&ldquo;It is always difficult to face Novak here because of the experience he has and his level on these courts. <br><br>&ldquo;I lost to him&hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/QOUlgOfjrS\" class=\"trk-cta-link\" data-cta-trk='{\"ctaType\":\"Link\",\"ctaSubType\":\"main\"}'>pic.twitter.com\/QOUlgOfjrS<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Olly Tennis &#127934;&#127468;&#127463; (@Olly_Tennis_) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Olly_Tennis_\/status\/1987560997347897619?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" class=\"trk-cta-link\" data-cta-trk='{\"ctaType\":\"Link\",\"ctaSubType\":\"main\"}'>November 9, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure><h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Alcaraz Explains Why He Prefers Musetti Over Djokovic<\/h2><p>Djokovic&rsquo;s exit, caused by lingering shoulder trouble that flared during his Athens Open title run, instantly reshuffled the group dynamics. The world No. 2 made it clear that facing the 38-year-old legend on indoor courts remains one of the toughest tasks in men&rsquo;s tennis.<\/p><p><em>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m not going to lie, I prefer Lorenzo over Djokovic in my group,&rdquo; <\/em>Alcaraz said candidly. <em>&ldquo;It is always difficult to face Novak here because of the experience he has and his level on these courts. I lost to him in the 2023 semifinals and he killed me.&rdquo;<\/em><\/p><p>Alcaraz&rsquo;s honesty reflected both respect and realism. Djokovic has long treated the ATP Finals as his territory, and even in his late 30s, his indoor level can spike into untouchable territory. Musetti, by contrast, poses a different kind of challenge, being dangerous and talented but still adapting to the unique demands of Turin.<\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been really proud of the way I&rsquo;ve been doing the things to come here with motivation&rdquo;<br><br>Carlos Alcaraz reflects on his journey to the ATP Finals following his victory today &#128170; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/F93l49bkjt\" class=\"trk-cta-link\" data-cta-trk='{\"ctaType\":\"Link\",\"ctaSubType\":\"main\"}'>pic.twitter.com\/F93l49bkjt<\/a><\/p>&mdash; TNT Sports (@tntsports) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/tntsports\/status\/1987603291333632066?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" class=\"trk-cta-link\" data-cta-trk='{\"ctaType\":\"Link\",\"ctaSubType\":\"main\"}'>November 9, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure><p>Still, Alcaraz didn&rsquo;t downplay the Italian&rsquo;s legitimacy.<em> &ldquo;It is clear that if Musetti is in Turin, it is because he deserves it,&rdquo;<\/em> he said. <em>&ldquo;Let&rsquo;s see how he adapts because he comes from playing in Athens and he hasn&rsquo;t been able to feel the court.&rdquo;<\/em><\/p><p>Musetti&rsquo;s last-minute entry came after finishing runner-up to Djokovic in Athens, a result that initially kept him out as Felix Auger-Aliassime secured the final qualification spot. But with Djokovic unable to recover from the shoulder strain that required visible strapping all week, Musetti was quickly confirmed as his replacement. He enters the Finals on the back of the best season of his career, highlighted by a breakthrough Masters 1000 final in Monte Carlo.<\/p><p>The Italian saw nothing unusual in the timing of Djokovic&rsquo;s withdrawal, saying:<em> &ldquo;I think Novak, he was completely in the rules&hellip; The strange situation was that he was playing literally the week before the Masters. When he told me at the net after the match that he was not coming, honestly, we had a laugh about it.&rdquo;<\/em><\/p><figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Lorenzo Musetti said he and Novak Djokovic \"had a laugh\" about the events that got him to Turin after all.<br><br>\"I think Novak, he was completely in the rules of the ATP, of the tournament itself,\" he said of Djokovic's late withdrawal.<a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/RmS9JmLb6K\" class=\"trk-cta-link\" data-cta-trk='{\"ctaType\":\"Link\",\"ctaSubType\":\"main\"}'>https:\/\/t.co\/RmS9JmLb6K<\/a><\/p>&mdash; TENNIS (@Tennis) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Tennis\/status\/1987686650558783873?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" class=\"trk-cta-link\" data-cta-trk='{\"ctaType\":\"Link\",\"ctaSubType\":\"main\"}'>November 10, 2025<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure><p>As Turin adjusts to this late twist, the storyline now rests squarely on Alcaraz, his confidence, and whether the draw he prefers becomes the one he dominates.<\/p><p><em>Mandatory Image Credit: Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"mm-layout mm-layout-type-post mm-layout-slot4\">\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Alcaraz breaks down why facing Musetti feels far safer than Djokovic indoors.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":40,"featured_media":641613,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_mux_skip_reasons":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[4770],"tags":[10504,4948,5053,4949],"class_list":["post-641612","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tennis","tag-atp-finals-2025","tag-carlos-alcaraz","tag-lorenzo-musetti","tag-novak-djokovic"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.8 - 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