Alcaraz admits he is happy to face Musetti rather than Djokovic

TURIN, Italy :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.

Alcaraz had lost his first match at his two previous appearances at the season-ending championships, but put that behind him with a 7-6(5) 6-2 win over Australian Alex de Minaur, with matches against Musetti and American Taylor Fritz to come.

"I'm just really, really happy with the level that I played today. First match is never easy," Alcaraz said.

"After the match, I realised that this one was my first win in the round-robin on the first day."

Musetti was a late replacement for Djokovic after the Serbian 38-year-old withdrew through injury hours after beating the Italian in Athens on Sunday.

"Obviously someone like Novak being in the group is always tough," Alcaraz said.

"The experience he has in this tournament, the level he has on indoor court, it's quite good. I lost to him in 2023, and I played great. He killed me."

Musetti needed to beat Djokovic to make the cut for the eight-player Turin field but the defeat in Athens appeared to have put him out of the running.

However, the Serbian's withdrawal paved the way for the Italian to make his ATP Finals debut in the Jimmy Connors Group alongside six-times Grand Slam winner Alcaraz.

The 23-year-old Italian fell to Djokovic after a near three-hour match, and unlike Alcaraz, has not had the opportunity to practice at the Inalpi Arena in Turin.

"To be honest, I prefer Lorenzo. I'm not going to lie," Alcaraz said with a smile.

"If he's there, he deserves it because of the level he has put on in the matches, the tournaments he has done this year, and the level he