Carlos Alcaraz makes brutally honest admission after beating Taylor Fritz at ATP Finals

Carlos Alcaraz has admitted that he was "struggling more" than Taylor Fritz during their gruelling, near-three-hour contest at the ATP Finals. The No. 1 seed lost a close, 72-minute opening set but stormed back to clinch a 6-7(2) 7-5 6-3 victory, and has now won both of his group stage matches.

Alcaraz is now one win away from securing the year-end No. 1 ranking. But he wants to improve before his third and final round-robin tie, as he got brutally honest about his performance against Fritz and claimed he didn't "play well" early on.

Last year's runner-up Fritz pushed Alcaraz to the brink as they met in the group stage. But the Spanish superstar was able to force a decider and then got a crucial break in the middle of the third set, roaring in delight.

It was a high-quality match from both, and Tim Henman on Sky Sports declared it one of the "top five matches" of the year. Alcaraz finished with an impressive record of 47 winners to 37 unforced errors - but he wasn't happy with his level early on.

"It was really tight, the match. I think I was running more than him, I was struggling more than him," the 22-year-old admitted.

"You know, after the first set that I was a break up and the next game, I didn't play well. In the first set, I didn't serve well, I think he was playing really, really comfortable from the baseline with everything."

"So yeah, I was really relieved after the win because everything that I went through during the match physically.

"I didn't feel the ball as well as the first round, but really happy that I found the way to come back, to find weaknesses from him, and really happy that I got the win at the end."

Alcaraz could guarantee his spot in the semi-finals as early as Tuesday evening. If Alex de Minaur beats Lorenzo Musetti in the night session, it would send the Spaniard through to the semis, regardless of the outcome of his last round-robin match.

The six-time Grand Slam champion is also closing in on finishing the year as the world No. 1 for the second time in his young career, previously doing so in 2022.

If Alcaraz beats Musetti in his last group match, he'll be the year-end No. 1. He can also seal his fate if he loses to Musetti but still reaches the final in Turin. But Alcaraz doesn't want to focus on the ranking.

He added: "Well, I would try not to think about it, to be honest. Obviously it is going to be a really big match for me. I will try to not let the nerves play a part for me, in that match. I will try to control the emotions, to control myself.

"I will think about my goals in the match, I will try to think about feeling much better than today with the shots, with the serve, with everything. But obvously, it's going to be a big day. Right now, I'm going to enjoy this win, I'm going to try to rest as much as I can just to be ready for the next match."