The ATP Finals draw in Turin keeps Carlos Alcaraz and Rafael Jódar in separate groups, so they cannot meet before a possible semifinal, according to El País Sport.
Alcaraz, 23, is in the Ivan Lendl group with Frances Tiafoe, Daniil Medvedev and Flavio Cobolli. He opens against Tiafoe, then faces Medvedev, whom he leads 7-3 head to head, although their two meetings this season have split 1-1. Cobolli and Tiafoe have both had to manage physical setbacks in recent weeks, which makes the early schedule a useful test for everyone involved. Alcaraz arrives in form after winning Vienna and Paris and has won ten matches in a row.
Jódar, 20, draws the harder group. He is in the John McEnroe group with Alexander Zverev, the world No. 1, Ben Shelton and Arthur Fils. Shelton has been one of the sharpest players since his run to the Paris Masters final, and Jódar has not yet played him. Fils, who reached Turin only after a long fight with Djokovic, de Minaur, Fritz and Paul, completes the group.
Jódar's qualification is the historic part. El País Sport reports that he is the first player to reach the Finals in his first season as a professional. Spanish tennis has not had two singles players at the event since 2015, when Nadal and Ferrer qualified.
The practical stakes are clear. Alcaraz's group gives him room to build momentum early. Jódar needs at least one win against top-level opposition to avoid an early exit, and his group is the one where every result will be measured against his debut season.
