Carlos Alcaraz is relieved to be facing Italian Lorenzo Musetti at the ATP Finals rather than tackling seven-times champion Novak Djokovic, the Spanish top seed said after winning his opening round-robin match.

Preview the the 2025 Nitto ATP Finals match between Lorenzo Musetti vs. Taylor Fritz, plus betting odds, insights and head-to-head-stats.

It is the Canadian who currently occupies eighth spot in the official Race To Turin rankings. He sits just 160 points ahead of ninth-placed Musetti, with 3845 points to the Italian's 3685, ahead of the final tournaments of the regular season this week in Athens and Metz.

No. 1 seed Novak Djokovic of Serbia and No. 2 seed Lorenzo Musetti of Italy will meet in Saturday's final at the Hellenic Championship in Athens, Greece. Djokovic advanced with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Germany's Yannick Hanfmann in 79 minutes in Friday's first semifinal.

Musetti's inclusion, though fully deserved after his late push to qualify, provides a different dynamic. Carlos admitted he is glad to see Lorenzo's name instead of Novak's.

Lorenzo Musetti had hoped to pull off a strong result at the Paris Masters 1000 this week and mathematically qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals, scheduled to take place in Turin from November 9-16, but his run in the French capital came to an immediate end in the Italian derby against his compatriot Lorenzo Sonego.

Novak Djokovic beat Lorenzo Musetti to win a 101st career title at the Hellenic Championship then consoled the devastated Italian.

Lorenzo Musetti takes on Novak Djokovic in a must-win match in the 2025 Hellenic Championship final. The Italian needs to defeat the Serb to reach Turin, but it won’t be easy with Djokovic eyeing his 101st tour-level title and first in his new home.