Monday's ATP Tour Finals predictions, odds and tennis betting tips: Alcaraz and Zverev to make winning starts

Where to watch the ATP Finals in the UK

Live on Sky Sports Tennis, from 1pm Monday

Best bets for Monday's ATP Finals matches

Carlos Alcaraz -4.5 games vs Casper Ruud
1pt Evs bet365

Alexander Zverev to win 2-0 vs Andrey Rublev
1pt Evs bet365

Monday's ATP Finals predictions

Attention switches to the John Newcombe Group at the ATP Finals on Monday afternoon when second and third-ranked Alexander Zverev and Carlos Alcaraz are heavy favourites to make winning starts at Turin's Inalpi Arena.

Alexander Zverev vs Andrey Rublev predictions

Paris Masters champion Zverev won the 2021 ATP Finals in Turin but he failed to qualify for the semi-finals last season despite beating both Alcaraz and Monday's opening opponent Andrey Rublev.

The German, who was a brilliant winner at the Bercy Arena last time out, will want to make amends and he should come out all guns blazing against Rublev, who he has beaten in six of their nine previous meetings.

Rublev snuck into the ATP Finals thanks to Novak Djokovic's withdrawal but he hasn't been at his best in the autumn, failing to go beyond the quarter-finals of any tournament since he lost to Alexei Popyrin in the Montreal final in August.

Zverev looks capable of repeating last season's straight-sets triumph over the Muscovite.

Carlos Alcaraz vs Casper Ruud predictions

Since losing out to Novak Djokovic in the Olympic final at the start of August, French Open and Wimbledon champion Alcaraz has won 14 matches and has suffered four defeats at odds of 1-11, 1-50, 1-10 and 1-5.

The Spaniard has slipped to shock losses to Gael Monfils, Botic van de Zandschulp, Tomas Machac and Ugo Humbert, and now he's a 1-8 chance to begin his ATP Finals campaign with a win against Casper Ruud.

However, while Alcaraz's inconsistency is alarming in the wider context of the tournament, it is hard to see him struggling too much against Ruud, who has been awful since the US Open, losing eight of his last ten matches.

Alcaraz was superb in claiming the China Open last month and has won all four previous meetings with the Norwegian. He can cover a 4.5-game handicap. 

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