The tour's top eight players are about to rumble at the ATP Finals 2024, which will get underway on Sunday, November 10. Defending champion Novak Djokovic pulled out of the event in a recent announcement, and attributed his absence to an ongoing injury.
Jannik Sinner leads the fray as the top seed, followed by Alexander Zverev. Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev, Taylor Fritz, Casper Ruud, Alex de Minaur, and Andrey Rublev round up this year's field.
This is the youngest line-up at the ATP Finals in years, and only two players, Zverev and Medvedev, have won the tournament from this bunch. While they will be keen to triumph yet again, others will aim to emerge victorious at their expense.
On that note, here's everything to know about this year's edition of the ATP Finals:
What is the ATP Finals?
It is an annual tournament that is held towards the end of the season and is open only to the top eight performing players of that year. With the field consisting of the best of the best, it is one of the toughest tournaments to win, especially considering how worn out players are towards the end of the season.
Novak Djokovic holds the record for most titles with seven, followed by Roger Federer with six. Pete Sampras and Ivan Lendl are tied with five titles each. Andy Murray, Andre Agassi, and Jimmy Connors are some of the other legends of the sport to have won the tournament in the past.
Venue
The ATP Finals will be held at the Inalpi Arena, or the Palasport Olimpico, in Turin, Italy.
Draw and Players
Players are divided into two groups of four at the ATP Finals, and the top two players from each group advance to the semifinals. Jannik Sinner, Daniil Medvedev, Taylor Fritz, and Alex de Minaur are drawn in the Ilie Nastase Group.
The Italian will be the favorite to top the group given his impressive 65-6 record this year. Fritz, de Minaur, and Medvedev will fight to be the second player to join Sinner in the last four from the group.
Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz, Casper Ruud, and Andrey Rublev make up the John Newcombe Group. The German and the Spaniard will be the favorites to make the semifinals from this group given their results this year.
For doubles, Mate Pavic and Marcelo Arevalo, Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori, Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden, and Tim Putz and Kevin Krawietz are in the Bob Bryan Group. Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos, Wesley Koolhof and Nikola Metkic, Max Purcell and Jordan Thompson, and Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten are in the Mike Bryan Group.
Schedule
The ATP Finals will begin on Sunday, November 10, with each group playing their matches on alternate days. Four matches will be played each day, with a singles and a doubles tie scheduled for the day and evening sessions. The round-robin phase will conclude on Friday, November 15.
The semifinals will be contested on Saturday, November 16. The championship round will be held on Sunday, November 17. The doubles final will be played at 3:00 p.m. local time, followed by the singles final at 6:00 p.m.
Prize Money and Ranking Points
Players are awarded 200 points for every win during the group stage, and they add 400 points to that tally after winning their semifinal match. A win in the final adds another 500 points to their total. An undefeated champion can secure a maximum of 1,500 ranking points.
Players earn $396,500 per round-robin win and get richer by $1,123,400 after a semifinal victory. Winning the final nets them $2,237,200, and an undefeated champion will receive a cheque worth $4,881,100 for his efforts. Here's a breakdown of the prize money and ranking points:
Where to Watch
Viewers from the following countries can tune into the respective channels and sites to watch their favorite players in action at the ATP Finals:
USA - Tennis Channel
UK - Sky Sports
Canada - TSN
Australia - beIN Sports
India - Sony Sports
For more information regarding the broadcast of matches, click here.