From Sunday 15th November, the O2 Arena is host for the Nitto ATP Finals. The highest ranked eight players in the world will battle it out for the prestigious title at the season-ending championship.
It has been a disrupted season of tennis due to Covid-19. Many tournaments haven’t gone ahead, most notably Wimbledon, however the ATP Finals will still be played. This time behind closed doors and with players living in a “bubble environment for the week” leading up to the final on Sunday 22nd November.
It will be the last time the event is held in London as it moves to Turin, Italy from next year.
The draw takes place on Thursday 12th November; as usual the eight players will be drawn into two groups of four. Each player will play against the three rivals in their group with the top two from each group progressing to the semi final.
The Line Up
Novak Djokovic
The 17-time Grand Slam winner will again finish this year’s season as world number one no matter what happens in London. Djokovic hasn’t won this tournament since 2015 and will be searching for a sixth tour finals career victory. He won this year’s Australian Open, but it’s been a challenging year for him. He was blamed by some for causing a Covid-19 outbreak at an exhibition tournament he held during the pandemic and was disqualified from the US Open for hitting a ball at a line judge.
Dominic Thiem
The Austrian recently won his first Grand Slam title at the US Open in September after losing his three previous Grand Slam finals. He also lost the final of this event last year. There have been question marks over his fitness due to a foot injury but he has said on his website “I have recovered”.
Andrey Rublev
He is currently at his highest-ever career ranking of eighth in the world and will make his ATP Finals debut this year. Despite much of the tennis season postponed due to coronavirus, Rublev has still managed to win five titles this year and reached the Quarter Finals of two Grand Slams.
Rafael Nadal
Despite never winning a Tour Finals in his career, the joint all-time Grand Slam record holder (with 20 won, the same as Roger Federer) arrives in London in good form having won a record 13th French Open title in October. Along with a lack of success at this competition, he’s missed the season finale through injury twice in the last four years.
Daniil Medvedev
The Russian comes to London in great form. He won the Paris Masters, the last significant event before the ATP Finals. In the 2019 he reached six straight finals including narrowly losing to Nadal in the US Open Final. At 6ft 6in tall he has a unique playing style for someone of his height. Predominantly a baseliner he plays flat and deep ground-strokes tiring his opponents and making him difficult to attack against.
Stefanos Tsitsipas
He’s biggest moment in tennis so far came in this event last year. At just 21 years old he shocked everyone to win the title, it was also his tournament debut. The defending champion will be hoping to successfully defend his title and become the first to win back-to-back since Djokovic in 2015.
Alexander Zverev
Since the return to tennis after lockdown he has been in great form despite controversies for Zverev off the court. Ex girlfriend, Olga Sharypova, has made allegations of abuse against the German. However, he has been playing well, narrowly losing the US Open Final to Thiem in a deciding set, winning two tournaments and reaching the Paris Masters Final.
Diego Schwartzman
It has been a fantastic year for the 28-year-old Argentine who will also be making his debut at this event. He has broke the world’s top-10 for the first time, had his best result at the Australian Open making the Quarter Final stage, then after lockdown, he reached his first Grand Slam semi final at the French Open losing to eventual winner Nadal.
Doubles
The seven qualified pairs are, John Peers and Michael Venus, Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury, Mate Pavic and Bruno Soares, Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies, Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos, Wesley Koolhof and Nikola Mektic, Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo. Either Jurgen Melzer and Edouard Roger-Vasselin or Jamie Murray and Neal Skupski will fill the final position.
