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Sport Thursday, 17 September 2026 · AI-generated content, without human review

Alcaraz joins Sinner and Zverev in qualifying for the ATP Finals

The Spaniard secured mathematical qualification for the Turin tournament despite months of absence from the circuit due to a wrist injury.

Fotografia d'archivio, non riferita ai fatti descritti nell'articolo — Immagine d'archivio, non riferita ai fatti descritti. Foto di cottonbro studio su Pexels

Carlos Alcaraz is mathematically qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals, scheduled from 15 to 22 November at the Inalpi Arena in Turin. The Spanish tennis player thus joins Alexander Zverev and Jannik Sinner among the players who have already secured a place in the tournament that closes the season, reserved for the top eight in the world rankings.

The most significant detail concerns the path that led to this result. Alcaraz achieved qualification despite an absence from the circuit of about four and a half months, due to a wrist injury. Such a long break could have compromised any player’s ranking position, but the Spaniard still accumulated enough points to return among the certain qualifiers well ahead of the end of the season.

At the moment three players are mathematically qualified: Zverev, Sinner and Alcaraz. Five spots therefore remain to be assigned, to be decided in the weeks preceding the tournament through the results of the remaining tournaments on the ATP calendar. The ranking that determines access to the Finals, the ATP Race, takes into account the points accumulated over the course of the entire current season.

Alcaraz’s presence in Turin confirms the Spaniard’s centrality in the men’s circuit even in a season marked by physical problems. The ATP Finals traditionally bring together the eight tennis players who have achieved the best results during the season, in a round-robin format followed by semifinals and a knockout final. For Turin, which hosts the tournament at the Inalpi Arena, this is one of the most anticipated stages of the tennis season, with the Italian public able to closely follow the confrontation between the first three names already certain of participation.

It remains to be seen which names will complete the draw. The race for the last five spots will be decided in the coming weeks, with the end-of-season tournaments set to establish the final ranking before the start of the Finals on 15 November.

Ronaldo hints at retirement, Messi and Yamal among Ballon d'Or contenders

The Portuguese forward speaks of a "last year of football"; in the same week the list of candidates for the men's 2026 Ballon d'Or is released, featuring Lionel Messi and world champion Lamine Yamal.

Cristiano Ronaldo has hinted that the current season could be the last of his career as a professional footballer. The statement currently comes from a single source, CNN Sport; no independent confirmations are available, nor further details on the context in which it was made.

“Last year of football” (transl. from English) — Cristiano Ronaldo, footballer

If confirmed by future developments, the statement would mark the approaching end of one of the longest careers in contemporary football, but at present it remains an allusion, not a formal retirement announcement. According to reports, Ronaldo has not provided further clarification on the timing or manner of a possible departure from the pitch.

In the same time frame, the list of candidates for the men’s 2026 Ballon d’Or was published. Among those nominated are Lionel Messi and Lamine Yamal, the latter fresh from his World Cup victory. This information also comes from the same single source, CNN Sport, and is not accompanied by a complete list of candidates nor by details on the voting procedure or the selection criteria adopted by the award’s organization.

The two pieces of news, while not directly connected, outline the same moment of generational transition in world football: on one hand, the possibility of an imminent retirement for one of the sport’s longest-serving players, on the other, the presence among the candidates for the most prestigious individual award of an established player like Messi alongside a World Cup winner like Yamal. The coexistence of the two names on the same list, years apart in their respective careers, reflects a phase of transition that international football is going through on multiple fronts.

It is not yet clear when the complete list of candidates will be made fully public, nor on what date the award ceremony is expected to take place. It also remains to be verified, through further sources, both the exact wording of Ronaldo’s statement and the names of the other candidates not yet disclosed.

More sport today

Barcelona thrash Racing 7-2, hat-trick for Raphinha

In La Liga, Barcelona defeated Racing Santander 7-2 with a hat-trick from Raphinha, who has now scored nine goals in the championship; Cancelo, Gabriel Jesus and Lamine Yamal also scored for the Catalans. Goalkeeper Joan García was substituted at the 45th minute due to injury, replaced by Wojciech Szczesny. (Mundo Deportivo)

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