The 2025 ATP Finals press conference turned into an unexpected moment of comic relief when Ben Shelton and Alexander Zverev couldn’t stop laughing after being asked about their group preferences ahead of the prestigious year-end showdown in Turin. Both players, who are competing in the Björn Borg Group, shared an amusing exchange that lightened the atmosphere just before the season’s most elite tennis event kicked off.
All Eyes on Turin as the World’s Top Eight Prepare for the ATP Finals
The 2025 Nitto ATP Finals will be held at the Inalpi Arena in Turin, Italy, from Nov. 9 to 16. The tournament brings together the world’s top eight singles players and doubles teams for a week of high-stakes action on indoor hard courts. This year’s singles field includes an exceptional lineup of Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic, Zverev, Taylor Fritz, Shelton, and Alex de Minaur.
The final qualifying spot remains up for grabs between Felix Auger-Aliassime and Lorenzo Musetti. The players have been divided into two groups: the Jimmy Connors Group featuring Alcaraz, Djokovic, Fritz, and De Minaur, and the Björn Borg Group, which includes Sinner, Zverev, Shelton, and either Auger-Aliassime or Musetti.
What Sparked Laughter Between Alexander Zverev and Ben Shelton During the Press Conference?
During a press conference with the Björn Borg Group, a reporter posed a question that triggered laughter across the table. “I understand it’s difficult to give an honest answer to that, but when the draw wasn’t made yet, were you hoping you both to be in the same group of Alcaraz or in the same group of Sinner, and why would you have preferred to be in one instead of another?”
The moment the question ended, both Shelton and Zverev burst into laughter. Once the laughter subsided, Shelton composed himself to respond.
“I think that my first time playing in this event here in Italy,” he began. “I’m somebody who likes big crowds and feeling the energy from the crowd, whether it’s with me or against me.”
“So I hoped that I was in the group with whichever Italians were in the tournament to be able to feel that and experience that. I thought it would be very cool. I don’t know if that’s the exact answer you were looking for or where I hoped, but I thought it would be a cool experience to play an Italian here in Turin.”
Zverev, grinning, followed up with a single word, “Carlos,” which sent both players into laughter again. Once the room settled, the German elaborated on his take. “It doesn’t matter, to be honest. They are both the best players in the world for sure,” Zverev said.
“But for me, on this particular surface and indoors on a faster hard court, I feel like this court is much faster than Paris. I think Jannik is the best player in the world. And I think if you ask Carlos, he would probably agree. Of course, anybody can beat anybody, and Carlos can beat Jannik and the other way around. But also, the last two years I was with Carlos in one group, and I was able to win both of those matches.”
ovviamente questa domanda solo ubaldo la poteva fare💀 pic.twitter.com/QBc8gGiQWq
— ☾ sab🇦🇹 (@signofhsa) November 8, 2025
Zverev concluded that there wasn’t much separating Alcaraz and Sinner, calling both great players, and joked that he wished they were in the same group so others could avoid facing them early.
