This Sunday marks the start of the last major tennis event of 2024, which will last for a week until Sunday, November 17. With players like Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz vying for the title ahead of the winter, there will be plenty of action as the season’s top stars go to Turin for the ATP Tour’s season-ending event.
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Before the tournament even started, there was already significant news: earlier last week, Novak Djokovic announced that he would not be attending Turin. Even so, there is still a lot on the line, as the top players in the world will get their last opportunity to compete on the grand stage in 2024.
As the athletes prepare to compete at Turin’s Inapli Arena, let’s take a look at some of the tournament’s favorites and past outcomes.
The ATP Finals are the most significant tennis event outside of the four grand slams and possibly the Olympics. Based on their results on the ATP Tour during the year, the top eight singles players and doubles teams compete in the year-end tournament.
There have been many captivating competitions over the years, and this year is expected to be no exception. Given that Novak Djokovic has won the ATP Finals seven times in his career—more than any other player, including Roger Federer, who has six—it is safe to argue that he is the tournament’s king. Djokovic’s absence is undoubtedly important, but we’ll talk about that more later.
The event was held in London from 2009 until 2020, however it was previously played all over the world, from Houston to Sydney to even Shanghai. The biggest indoor stadium in Italy, which can accommodate 12,000 people, will host the ATP Finals in Turin, where the top tennis players will compete.
The structure of the ATP Finals is different from that of previous competitions. The eight singles players compete in a round-robin format and are split into two groups of four. There will inevitably be some surprises as each player takes on the other three in their group. Each group’s top two players move on to the semi-finals, where the champions of their group play the runners-up from the other group.
With a variety of matchups guaranteed by this system, each player has the opportunity to demonstrate their abilities several times prior to the knockout stage. After that, the semi-final winners compete for the year’s last, most coveted title in the championship match. This tournament is a fan favorite because it offers an exciting week of tennis with a variety of great matchups that most people wouldn’t see at a Grand Slam.
A year ago, Novak Djokovic was in incredible form as he defeated Jannik Sinner 6-3, 6-3 in the final to win his seventh ATP Finals championship. The fact that Djokovic had lost to Sinner in the round-robin stage further enhanced his performance; yet, he was determined not to repeat that error.
In the first round, Djokovic used his serve to win more than 90% of his points, which instantly placed Sinner behind him. The Serbian forced his younger opponent to work hard throughout the final, pulling him around the court until finally breaking him down. Sinner might be upset that he won’t have the opportunity to exact revenge for his defeat in this tournament this time, but there was no doubting that Djokovic was unmatched in the 2023 ATP Finals, as his victory guaranteed him the title of uncontested world number one at the end of the year.
Eight of the top players in the world are divided into two groups for the ATP Finals. The top seed Jannik Sinner, Daniil Medvedev, Taylor Fritz, and Alex de Minaur are members of the Ilie Nastase Group, which is named after the Romanian legend who won numerous grand slams. On paper, the second group—named for five-time Australian Open champion John Newcombe—seems more difficult.
After winning the Paris Masters, the second seed—actually, German player Alexander Zverev—is ranked higher than number three seed Carlos Alcaraz. Although Alcaraz and Zverev have faced off ten times in their career, with a current 5-5 record overall, Alcaraz prevailed in their most recent encounter, which took place in the French Open final at Roland Garros earlier this year. In the Quarter Final that day, Alcaraz exacted revenge on his German opponent, who had eliminated him from the Australian Open earlier in the year.
Zverev defeated Alcaraz in the round robin stage of the ATP Finals this time last year, so if Alcaraz wants to win, he will have his hands full. Casper Ruud and Andrey Rublev, the sixth and eighth seeds, respectively, complete the John Newcombe group and are both more than capable of pulling off an upset on their day.
But if both players make it through their groups, which is obviously not a given, the matchup that the fans will be most anticipating is Carlos Alcaraz vs. Jannik Sinner. Having won every grand slam in 2024 together, the pair is regarded as the future’s biggest talents. In their brief career, they have faced off ten times, with Alcaraz currently leading 6-4 in victories. The two have not yet faced each other in a Grand Slam final, and this rivalry is still very much in its infancy. Over the course of the upcoming week in Turin, let’s hope they get to write the next chapter in their rivalry.
One of the most powerful players in the sport and a seven-time ATP Finals champion, Novak Djokovic, stated that he would not be competing in this year’s competition because of a persistent injury that has plagued him in the later stages of the season. Soon after withdrawing from the Paris Masters, which essentially put a stop to his season, he made the decision to take a step back. Djokovic has now taken some time to recuperate, which included a well-earned vacation in the Maldives and a trip to the Belgrade Open, where he interacted with spectators and celebrated tennis from the sidelines.
“It’s quite an honor to qualify for the ATP Finals in Turin,” Djokovic wrote on social media, confirming his absence even though his name was on the list of entrants for the ATP Finals until the very last minute. I was incredibly excited to be there, but I will not be participating next week because of an ongoing injury. To those who were hoping to see me, I apologize. I hope everyone has a fantastic event and I’ll see you soon. The ATP Finals will not include one of the renowned “Big Three,” Djokovic, Nadal, or Federer, for the first time in 23 years. This is a huge milestone for tennis fans, who must now realize that they are beginning the last chapter of an amazing era.
Because of Djokovic’s absence, up-and-coming players like Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz can now add a championship that he has dominated for many years to their resumes. Although Djokovic will undoubtedly be missed from the Turin action, supporters will be glad that the 24-time Grand Slam champion and Olympic champion will be back on the scene next year.
Over the course of the upcoming week in Italy, the 2024 tennis season is expected to come to a spectacular close. Will Sinner or Alcaraz put on a show that makes a statement? Or will we experience an upset, which is rather typical at this time of year when even the finest are succumbing to exhaustion? We won’t have to wait much longer, and next weekend in Turin, we will undoubtedly have a new champion.