Carlos Alcaraz vs Alexander Zverev Prediction – ATP Finals Picks 11-13-2023

World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz will face two-time ATP Finals champion Alexander Zverev in the first round-robin match in the red group. The match will be played on Monday, November 13, 2023.

Alcaraz vs Zverev Preview

Carlos Alcaraz will make his debut at the ATP Finals on Monday and he doesn’t have an easy opening match. Ostensibly, there are no cushy matches at the year-end championships since the cream of the crop is playing here. Alcaraz qualified last year but had to forfeit his place due to injury. He has allayed such fears this time, declaring himself 100% fit for the tournament. But he has lost his last two matches in a row for the first time this season, which suggests there is more than what meets the eye. Could Alexander Zverev pounce?

Alexander Zverev is a two-time champion of the Nitto ATP Finals, famously winning his first title back in 2018 with a stunning win over Novak Djokovic at the O2 Arena in London. It’s a minor miracle that Zverev has even qualified for this year’s showpiece considering the horrific injury he picked up last year. There were no expectations for him to reach his pre-injury level so quickly into the 2023 season. But he’s done a commendable job, winning two titles in the second half of the season. 

Alcaraz vs Zverev Prediction

This has been a very competitive matchup, tied at 3-3 in the head-to-head. But they’ve played twice in 2023 and Carlos Alcaraz won both matches pretty convincingly. In Madrid, you could argue that Zverev was still finding his feet and at the US Open, the German was hampered physically. But that doesn’t take the gloss away from Alcaraz’s performances. I wouldn’t read too much into Alcaraz’s last two losses. Maybe the pressure of fighting for the No. 1 ranking was playing on his mind all that time. Now that is out of reach, we should have the Spaniard stamp his authority in this match. Back Alcaraz to win this match outright.