Le Journal

Alexander Zverev’s disappointing run at the ATP Finals has come to an end, wrapping up a season that fell well short of expectations. The only event left on his schedule is the Davis Cup Finals, but after a long year filled with setbacks, he’ll likely be looking forward to some time away from the court. Zverev spent much of the season ranked third in the world, and there were hopes he could challenge Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner’s hold on men’s tennis. But instead of closing the gap, he seemed to fall further behind. He has also dropped to seventh in the world rankings this year and is now below Alex de Minaur – something few would have predicted at the start of 2025. After his loss to Felix Auger-Aliassime, Zverev looked ahead to his final event of 2025 and mentioned an issue he had been dealing with during this week’s ATP Finals. Why Alexander Zverev says his volleys struggled at the ATP Finals In his press conference, the first question put to him was about why his volleying had struggled in the loss. But before answering that, Zverev revisited an ongoing frustration he has with the current Davis Cup format. Zverev said: “The true Davis Cup is the home-and-away ties. For me, if you’re in the final of Davis Cup, I’m more than happy to play one more week after the World Tour Finals. But to play quarter-finals, semi-finals, finals, I’m not too happy about because it can be a waste of time. If you lose in the semi-finals if you lose in quarter-finals, for me it’s a waste of time. Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images “In a way, yeah, the real Davis Cup is the atmosphere. To play against Italy in Italy would be a completely different atmosphere than playing Italy in Spain. I played against Nadal in a bullfighting arena. That’s for me the real Davis Cup. “I always keep my opinion. I always said my opinion over the last couple years. I don’t think this Davis Cup is the real Davis Cup. It’s an exhibition tournament in a way that is called Davis Cup.” Zverev ended by pointing out what he felt was behind his performance issues: “The volley – it’s very tough to serve and volley because the lights are coming from above. Every time the ball is going up, I had problems.” Alexander Zverev points finger at ATP Finals organisers after disappointing finish Alexander Zverev didn’t hide his frustration after losing to Felix Auger-Aliassime in his final group match, a result that capped off a frustrating tournament for the German. Despite being mathematically alive heading into the final round, his campaign had lacked any real momentum or spark. He struggled to find rhythm, and by the end of the group stage, he was already looking ahead to the Davis Cup Finals as one last obligation before he could finally take a break from an exhausting year. The moment @felixtennis claimed his 50th win of the season and booked his FIRST #NittoATPFinals semi-final! 👏 pic.twitter.com/NOIylnL5HP— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) November 14, 2025 Sitting at his press conference, Zverev addressed a question about his volleying struggles during the loss. But before that, he revisited his long-standing criticism of the current Davis Cup format. He said: “The true Davis Cup is the home-and-away ties. For me, if you’re in the final of Davis Cup, I’m more than happy to play one more week after the World Tour Finals. But to play quarter-finals, semi-finals, finals, I’m not too happy about because it can be a waste of time. If you lose in the semi-finals, if you lose in quarter-finals, for me it’s a waste of time. “In a way, yeah, the real Davis Cup is the atmosphere. To play against Italy in Italy, it would be a completely different atmosphere than playing Italy in Spain. I played against Nadal in a bullfighting arena. That’s for me the real Davis Cup. Zverev finished by offering his crucial complaint that he felt affected his play during this tournament noting: “The volleying here… it’s very tough to serve and volley because [the] lights are coming from above [the court]. Every…

Jannik Sinner made light work of the ATP Finals group stage, advancing to the knockout rounds with a perfect record on home soil. Sinner cruised past Alexander Zverev, Ben Shelton, and Felix Auger-Aliassime to top his group and set up a semi-final clash with Alex de Minaur. He’s aiming to become only the second player ever to win back-to-back titles at this event. The world number two has also made ATP Finals history following yet another victory over Shelton this season. Sinner’s record-setting streak continues at ATP Finals Jannik Sinner’s last loss at the ATP Finals came in the 2023 final against Novak Djokovic, where he fell in straight sets. Since then, he hasn’t looked back. For the second consecutive year, Sinner has gone through the group stage without dropping a set. Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images In doing so, he became the first player in ATP Finals history to win six straight round-robin matches without losing a set, a record that dates back to the tournament’s start in 1970. Aside from Djokovic, only Daniil Medvedev has managed to beat Sinner at this event. That came during Sinner’s debut year in 2021. Sinner entered that tournament as an alternate, stepping in for Matteo Berrettini during the group stage. 1 – Since the event’s inauguration in 1970, Jannik Sinner is the first player to win all three Round Robin matches without conceding a set in consecutive years at the ATP Finals. Dominate. #NittoATPFinals | @atptour @ATPMediaInfo pic.twitter.com/WnuxfMDRaN— OptaAce (@OptaAce) November 14, 2025 He picked up a win over Hubert Hurkacz before falling to Medvedev, gaining valuable experience even if he didn’t advance further that year. Sinner’s record of wins at the ATP Finals Across his three appearances at the ATP Finals, Sinner has now beaten 10 different players. The Italian has already picked up 12 wins at the tournament, bolstered by his 2024 victory and 2023 final appearance. Players Jannik Sinner has beaten at the ATP FinalsYearBen Shelton2025Felix Auger-Aliassime2025Alexander Zverev2025Daniil Medvedev2024 and 2023Taylor Fritz2024 (twice)Alex de Minaur2024Casper Ruud2024Novak Djokovic2023Hubert Hurkacz2023 and 2021Holger Rune2023 Sinner is well-suited to the indoor hard court format, and with both Djokovic and Medvedev absent from this year’s draw, he’s in a strong position to add another title. Carlos Alcaraz could be his biggest obstacle. The Italian remains unbeaten this year in Turin and looks like the favourite to retain his crown. Another final between Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz seems entirely possible as the 2025 season heads into its final stages. READ MORE: Laura Robson admits what she wished to see as Carlos Alcaraz saw off Lorenzo Musetti

Laurent Mekies and Christian Horner couldn’t be more different in how they approach their jobs. Mekies is rooted in engineering, while Horner’s path to team leadership began behind the wheel. Mekies also prefers to stay out of the spotlight, unlike Horner, who embraced the ‘pantomime villain’ label during his time at Red Bull. That attitude didn’t help his standing with ownership once their dominance under the ground-effect regulations started to wane. Over 20 years with Red Bull, Horner guided the team to 14 world championships – eight drivers’ titles and six constructors’ crowns – making him one of the most successful team bosses in Formula 1 history. When could Laurent Mekies get his first F1 title as a team principal? Mekies won’t have a realistic shot at a championship until at least 2026, especially with Max Verstappen’s chances slipping away this season. Many within Red Bull still hold respect for what Horner accomplished, though some quietly admit there were issues towards the end of his tenure. According to ESPN’s Nate Saunders on the Nailing the Apex podcast, Horner’s approach shifted as he began to insert himself into more areas of the team, reportedly as a way to strengthen his grip on power. One of his earlier strengths had been his ability to trust others and delegate. Photo by Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images Saunders noted that Horner started getting involved in technical matters where he didn’t have a strong background. In contrast, Mekies has received praise for refining Red Bull’s engineering structure and processes. Adrian Newey joined soon after Horner and led car design until leaving in spring 2024. That might have influenced some of the changes within the team. “The big rap on Horner at the end was that he was maybe overreaching his power a little bit,” said Saunders. “He was trying to grab a bit [more]. “From what I’ve heard from people at the team, the negative [impact] that had on the team was that Christian Horner did not have a technical background. “As good as he was as a team manager and a leader of that team for so long, one of the things he did so well was delegate to people that knew better than him. “In the end, he was interjecting a bit too much in areas where his experience wasn’t that great.” Christian Horner reportedly set for Alpine move in 2027 It’s worth noting that Horner approved the Monza floor upgrade, which turned Verstappen’s season around. The Dutchman went on to win three out of four races and put himself back in the championship fight. But while Horner wanted to pause development after that, Mekies pushed for continued upgrades, believing it wouldn’t hurt the team in the following year. And so far, that approach appears to be paying off. Horner was let go from his role at Red Bull but secured a settlement that allows him to return to Formula 1 next spring. There are now rumours linking him with Alpine, not as a team principal but as an investor. That move isn’t expected to happen before 2027. READ MORE: F1 paddock rumour suggests Lewis Hamilton’s time at Ferrari could be cut short

The Golden State Warriors picked up another win over the San Antonio Spurs, this time with Stephen Curry leading the way. The Golden State Warriors faced off against the San Antonio Spurs for a second straight game, this time in an important NBA Cup fixture. While Jimmy Butler and Stephen Curry played key roles in their last meeting, it was once again more of the same story for the Spurs, who couldn’t manage to turn things around. Steve Kerr’s team managed to bounce back from what’s been a rocky start to the 2024-25 season This is good news for a Warriors squad that has already lost three games to open up their season, all of them coming at home. With pressure building early on, Steph Curry found his rhythm and started putting together solid performances over these two games against San Antonio. Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images What has Steph Curry said about winning games without Jimmy Butler? Following this recent run of wins against the Spurs, Curry shared his thoughts on how they’ve managed without Butler. STEPH CURRY IS GOING OFF 🤯HE'S UP TO 45 POINTS AND 9 TRIPLES.IT'S A 1-POINT GAME WITH UNDER 4 TO GO.🏆 GSW-SAS • West Group C📺 @emirates NBA Cup on Prime: https://t.co/HK08a5eK92 pic.twitter.com/xzO4n8zPpK— NBA (@NBA) November 15, 2025 “We are trying to figure out who we are. It’s been a tough start. I know you guys have talked about this road trip as being really significant for us.” “No Draymond tonight. We will see how long he is out. So we just gotta figure it out.” Stephen Curry continued his strong run against the San Antonio Spurs, putting up 49 points in the NBA Cup match. After dropping 46 points in their previous game, few expected a similar effort this time around. By doing so, Curry matched Michael Jordan for the most 40+ point games after turning 30. His performance was a reminder that no matter how inconsistent the Warriors have been, they’re always capable of turning it on with Curry leading the way. Warriors dominate offensive glass despite Wembanyama presence Golden State came away with 39 rebounds on the night, and what really stood out was their 15 offensive boards. Even though the Spurs clearly had the size edge, Golden State played with more aggression and managed to win the battle on the boards. The game also saw a bit of friction between Draymond Green and Victor Wembanyama, with both players managing to get under each other’s skin as things heated up. The Spurs eventually sent Golden State to the line, where Stephen Curry knocked down two clutch free throws to give his team the lead. This pair of games will be another lesson for San Antonio on why you can’t afford to give Curry or Golden State any room late in close contests. READ MORE: The Shai Gilgeous-Alexander stat that strengthens his claim as the NBA’s best player