theathleticuk
The 2026 ATP Finals kick off in Turin with World No. 1 Alexander Zverev taking on Rafael Jodar, a 20-year-old Spaniard who is making his first appearance at the season-ending championships. Zverev enters as the top seed, while Jodar has already made history as the first player to qualify for the ATP Finals in the same year he made his full ATP tour-level debut.
Match Details
- Start time: Not before 2 p.m. CET (1 p.m. GMT, 8 a.m. ET)
- TV coverage: Tennis Channel (U.S.), Sky Sports Tennis (UK), TSN (Canada), beIN Sports (Australia)
- Streaming: Available via Fubo (U.S. and Canada, free trial)
Second Career Meeting
Jodar's debut season on the ATP Tour has limited his exposure to the tour's top players. He has faced Zverev only once before, suffering a straight-sets loss in the quarterfinals of the French Open. Jodar pushed the opening set to a tiebreak but was then dominated in the next two sets (7-6, 6-1, 6-3). Zverev went on to defeat Jakub Menk in four sets in the semifinals and Flavio Cobolli in a fifth-set decider in the final.
Zverev's Quest for Third Title
Zverev, who has capitalized on the post-Federer/Nadal/Djokovic era to claim the No. 1 ranking, is making his ninth appearance at the ATP Finals. He will be confident of securing his third trophy, having won 18 of his 30 matches at the event, reaching the semifinals four times, and winning both finals he has contested. He defeated Novak Djokovic (6-4, 6-3) in the 2018 final and Daniil Medvedev (6-4, 6-4) in 2021.
How to Follow
Live coverage is available via The Athletic's live blog, with updates throughout the match. Fans can also tune in via the broadcasters listed above.
Originally reported by theathleticuk.