The last week of the 2024 season is upon us, and the Nitto ATP Finals is the best way to end it. It’s one of the best tournaments in tennis and only the best players in the world get the privilege to play in it. It’s the best against the best. World no.1. Jannik Sinner and three other exceptional players are featured in this article. As always, we here at LWOT will offer our predictions for every match on the slate for day 1. But who will win?
ATP Finals Day 1 Predictions
Daniil Medvedev vs Taylor Fritz
Head-to-Head: Medvedev 1-0 Fritz
Surprisingly, these two have only met once in an official match. This match has the potential to determine who will advance to the semifinals from this group, alongside Jannik Sinner, who is the favourite to win the title this year. Daniil Medvedev hasn’t been close to his best on hard courts recently, so this would be a huge challenge for him. However, he has lots of experience at this event which should help him.
Taylor Fritz has had the best year of his career in terms of win percentage and is making his second appearance at the Nitto ATP Finals. The American has improved significantly this year which has resulted in better consistency. Fritz always had a good serve and forehand but his improvement in defense and return of serve has made him a threat to the top players. He is also a very confident player and will back himself to win this match. Medvedev’s serve is not what it used to be so Fritz has an advantage in that department. Fritz is also the more aggressive player and will punish anything short. Medvedev will have to be at his best in terms of, the length of shots and defense, to get the win.
Prediction: Fritz in 3
Jannik Sinner vs Alex de Minaur
Head-to-Head: Sinner 7-0 de Minaur
Jannik Sinner has had a remarkable year and the stats show that. His win percentage is over 90 this season and he is so close to finishing at that number. No player outside the Big 3 ( Djokovic, Nadal and Federer), has finished the season with a win percentage of 90 or above in this century. Not even Andy Murray. The Italian reached the final last year and without Novak Djokovic, he is the favourite to win this time. The fans will be rooting for him all the way, which should give him even more desire to perform at his best.
Alex de Minaur has also had the best season of his career, and it could have been even better if not for a serious injury. But he should be satisfied to qualify for his first-ever ATP Finals. He has the fifth-best win percentage this year, which says a lot about his consistency. However, despite some good performances since his comeback from injury, he certainly isn’t at his best, and when combined with a poor record against Sinner, this looks like a huge task for the Australian player.
Prediction: Sinner in 2
Main Photo Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
