Part 2: Nadal, Jordan, Ronaldo; Nitto ATP Finals stars pick their champions

From Michael Jordan and Cristiano Ronaldo to Rafael Nadal and Avicii, Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz, Casper Ruud and Andrey Rublev weighed in on the champions who have inspired them during Thursday’s media day at the Nitto ATP Finals.

Zverev, Alcaraz, Ruud and Rublev will all try to become the ultimate champion at the prestigious year-end event in Turin, where they compete in the John Newcombe Group. Ahead of their opening matches, the quartet took time to discuss their idols, sharing their favourite memories.

“Firstly, I would choose Rafael Nadal,” said Alcaraz, who grew up watching his countryman. “In my family, at home, we always watch tennis. My father was a player when he was young, and there was only tennis on the TV. Rafa was Spanish and the way he played, the way he behaved, inspired me a lot. That is why he is my idol.”

Alcaraz has enjoyed several memorable moments with Nadal, most notably at the Paris Olympics in July, when the team paired in doubles. The 21-year-old has demonstrated his champion qualities throughout his early historic career, becoming the youngest player to win majors on all three surfaces (Roland Garros, Wimbledon, US Open).

Away from tennis, the Spaniard was quick to identify Cristiano Ronaldo and Michael Jordan as idols.

“I love Cristiano Ronaldo. The confidence he has is unbelievable,” Alcaraz said. “He always believes in himself. When I hear he is the first player to go to training and the last one to go home, that shows the hard worker he is and that inspires me a lot.

“And then Michael Jordan as well. I watched many videos from him. I watched the Netflix series from him. His mentality is one of the best mentalities we have in sport.”

Zverev, a 23-time tour-level titlist, also praised Jordan, highlighting the winning mindset of the legend.

“Outside of tennis, I would go with Michael Jordan and Usain Bolt,” Zverev said. “For me, I look at the mindset. I picked Michael Jordan because of his mindset. He did everything he could in his life and dedicated his life to be the best he could. Same thing with Usain Bolt. He dedicated his life to becoming the fastest man to ever run."

Photo Credit: Getty Images
When it came to tennis, Zverev praised 24-time major champion Novak Djokovic. The Serbian leads Zverev 8-4 in the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series.

“Novak Djokovic is one because I now understand the level it took for him to maintain his level. The professionalism he has outside the court to be who he is on court.”

Casper Ruud has maximised his career with relentless hard work. The 12-time tour-level titlist honed in on the ‘Big Three’ when asked which champions have inspired him.

“I am going to stick with tennis players because they are the ones I know the most and I will say Rafa,” Ruud said. “I grew up idolising him. He motivated me to become a professional tennis player and on court he was always the biggest inspiration and the guy I looked up to the most.

“I am going to also say Roger. He is always a gentleman and I think dresses so well outside the court. I think he always looks stylish, in shape and always fun to see around. I would also bring in Novak so we have the full Big Three. Novak’s discipline, day in, day out work and trying to improve and get better. He never kind of goes off his vision, motivation and goals. He lives a hectic life but finds an incredible balance with mental health and nutrition. It is inspiring to see and I try to take a little bit off this in my life.”

While Ruud focused on court, Rublev highlighted two music stars who helped him develop when he was younger.

“Avicii is one because I was following him a lot and let's go with Ronnie James Dio, some old-school rock,” said Rublev, who chose Marat Safin as his on-court champion. “Avicii and Ronnie have had an influence on my life and how to grow and without knowing them, they have made a huge difference on me.”

To read who Jannik Sinner, Daniil Medvedev, Taylor Fritz, and Alex de Minaur picked, click here.

[NEWSLETTER FORM]