The countdown is on to see who will become the world No. 1:  Jannik Sinner or Carlos Alcaraz? But before the matches began, the top players had a fun challenge: a “trophy heist.” Yes, a video was recently posted on social media showing the finalists trying to “unlock” the ATP Finals trophy. The idea was simple: the trophy was locked up in chains, and the players had to successfully complete a scavenger hunt to find the keys that would unlock it. But as you can imagine, none of that went as planned, at least for Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton.

For Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton, the challenge was full of laughter. They were the last team to finish, scrambling through clues and laughing at their own missteps. After losing, Fritz jokingly tagged Shelton on Instagram, writing, “We were sabotaged.” So, the players featured included Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev, Taylor Fritz, Ben Shelton, and Alex de Minaur.

The teams were Sinner with Alcaraz, Shelton with Fritz and Zverev with de Minaur. They had to unlock puzzles and hunt for envelopes hidden around the venue, each one holding keys to the trophy. Confusion, wild guesses, and lots of laughs followed. One memorable clue was, “Which player has won a record seven Nitto ATP Finals?” And that’s where the real chaos took off.

Zverev and Alcaraz immediately answered Novak Djokovic, and Shelton guessed Roger Federer, but Fritz corrected him. Finally, keys were gathered, pandemonium broke loose, and at one point, Shelton inquired of Fritz which key was first, his query sparking laughter all around. The back-and-forth showcased the fun side of these elite athletes. In the end, Zverev teamed up with de Minaur to win first place, Alcaraz and Sinner came second, with Shelton with Fritz coming third.

The page that posted the video even revealed that the biggest factor behind Fritz and Shelton’s loss was, “Ben Shelton starting with the ‘Federer’ comment was your biggest hindrance tbh…“ Still, their playful antics and humor won over fans, making them stars of the challenge despite finishing last. While Fritz was clearly enjoying himself off the court, on court, he seems frustrated right now.

Taylor Fritz’s costly error lets Alcaraz steal the win

On November 11, 2025, in Turin, Italy, Taylor Fritz faced Carlos Alcaraz in the round-robin stage of the Jimmy Connors Group at the Nitto ATP Finals. Fritz started strong, winning the first set in a tiebreak, but Alcaraz battled back to take the next two sets 7‑5, 6‑3. The match lasted nearly three hours. With this win, Alcaraz moved to 2‑0 in the group, positioning himself well for a semifinal spot and the chance to compete for the year-end No. 1 ranking. Despite his valiant effort, Fritz admitted he made critical errors that cost him the match.

“I mean, I really believe if I hit my forehand just a little bit better on some shots, I’m up a break in the second and I’m putting myself in a position to serve out the match,” he said. He recounted specific moments: “There was one game 15‑30, I missed a forehand that I should have at least put away… I did the same thing on a 30‑All, on one of the break points. I let the overhead bounce. I probably should have sent it out of the air and accepted it if I missed it. That was a good opportunity to win the point.”

Fritz added, “Most of the opportunities that come to my mind were all on me, actually having the ball that I want to really attack on, just not hitting it well enough.” In short, Fritz’s mistakes were unforced errors at pivotal points, especially forehands and overheads, plus not converting key opportunities. Alcaraz took advantage of these, turning a first-set win for Fritz into a three-set victory. Despite the loss, Fritz’s honesty in his own game showed his determination to learn from each match.