ATP Finals 2020: Live BBC TV, radio and online coverage times
BBC TV, radio and online coverage times for the ATP season finale as the world’s best players battle it out at London’s O2 Arena.
BBC TV, radio and online coverage times for the ATP season finale as the world’s best players battle it out at London’s O2 Arena.
The Next Gen ATP Finals made its debut in 2017, providing a spotlight for the best 21-and-under ATP Tour stars to showcase their skills on a global stage.
The tournament, which has been held in Milan for the past three years, would have been played this week if not for the COVID-19 pandemic.
ATPTour.com looks at five things to know about the innovative event.
Embracing Innovation
One of the defining characteristics of the tournament is its forward-thinking, innovative approach to the sport. The event is unlike any other on the ATP Tour, from its unique scoring system to its use of various technologies.
To heighten the drama for fans, a shorter best-of-five set format was designed for the tournament to increase the number of pivotal moments in a match. Each set is won by the first player to reach four games, with a tie-break at 3-3 and No-Ad scoring.
The 2017 edition of the event also introduced a 25-second shot clock, player headset coaching and a shorter warm-up. Several innovations have since been added to the tournament, including the use of video review and wearable technology.
A Successful Introduction
The 2017 Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan marked a new era in the history of the ATP Tour. For the first time, players aged 21-and-under had a dedicated ATP Tour event where they could test their skills against the best talents in their age group.
After a 10-month battle in the ATP Race To Milan, Andrey Rublev, Karen Khachanov, Denis Shapovalov, Borna Coric, Jared Donaldson and Hyeon Chung and Daniil Medvedev booked their places in the field. They were joined at the Fiera Milano by Italian qualifier Gianluigi Quinzi.
Chung and Coric both made it through the round robin stage with 3-0 unbeaten records, where they were joined by Russian stars Rublev and Medvedev. In the championship match, Group A qualifiers Chung and Rublev met for the second time in the tournament. Chung, known as ‘The Professor’, finished top of the class with his second win against Rublev to end the tournament with a perfect 5-0 record.
“I’m just really, really happy… I really don’t know how I won here in Milan,” said Chung. “[It was a] really tough match tonight against Rublev. He was better than the last time [we played]. So I was just trying to play my best.”
Tsitsipas Caps Breakthrough Season With Milan Crown
The second edition of the Next Gen ATP Finals gave fans an opportunity to get to know another group of emerging ATP Tour talents: the Class of 2018. Only one player who had competed in the inaugural edition of the tournament made it back to Italy: Rublev. The 2017 runner-up was joined by Stefanos Tsitsipas, Alex de Minaur, Frances Tiafoe, Taylor Fritz, Jaume Munar, Hubert Hurkacz and Italian qualifier Liam Caruana.
The tournament’s top two seeds, Tsitsipas and De Minaur, showed why they had received top billing at the Fiera Milano. Both men were tested in five-set semi-finals, but advanced to the championship match with perfect 4-0 records.
Tsitsipas, who had captured his first ATP Tour crown just three weeks before the tournament in Stockholm, rallied from a set down to clinch the title in four sets. It capped a memorable season for the Greek star, who started 2018 at No. 91 in the FedEx ATP Rankings and finished the year at No. 15.
“I’m incredibly thankful for the opportunity to play here in Milan and be the second winner of the tournament,” Tsitsipas said. “It’s a very special moment. I think I can get some confidence out of it and play better in the future.”
An Italian Champion
In 2019, De Minaur and Tiafoe were joined by newcomers Ugo Humbert, Casper Ruud, Miomir Kecmanovic, Mikael Ymer, Alejandro Davidovich Fokina and Italian wild card Jannik Sinner.
Entering the third edition of the event, Italian players had lost all six matches they had contested at the tournament. But a new venue — the Allianz Cloud — brought a change in fortunes for the home nation. Ranked No. 95, San Candido native Sinner topped Group B with a 2-1 record and battled past Kecmanovic to reach the championship match.
In the final, he met top seed and 2018 runner-up De Minaur. Backed by a passionate home crowd, the 18-year-old dropped just five games to claim the trophy with a straight-sets victory.
“The week has been unbelievable. The crowd… You can hear them now. I’m very happy… I wouldn’t be here without the wild card, so thanks to everyone.”
Milan Is Just The Start
One of the best barometers for the success of the Next Gen ATP Finals has been the results its past participants have gone on to achieve.
Inaugural champion Chung used his Next Gen ATP Finals title run as a springboard to success in his next season. Just two months after his triumph in Milan, the South Korean defeated Novak Djokovic en route to his maiden Grand Slam semi-final at the Australian Open. Chung also reached back-to-back ATP Masters 1000 quarter-finals in Indian Wells and Miami to crack the Top 20 in the FedEx ATP Rankings at No. 19 on 2 April 2018.
Tsitsipas followed in the footsteps of Chung by reaching his first Grand Slam semi-final at the 2019 Australian Open. The Greek advanced to six tour-level championship matches last year (3-3), cracked the Top 5 and finished the season with a milestone victory. Just one year after his title run in Milan, Tsitsipas made a successful return to round robin action by winning the Nitto ATP Finals in London on his tournament debut.
Sinner, who captured an ATP Challenger Tour trophy the week after his Milan victory, also achieved a major Grand Slam milestone in his next ATP Tour season. At Roland Garros this year, the Italian became the first man since Rafael Nadal to reach the quarter-finals on his tournament debut. Sinner has claimed three Top 10 wins in 2020 and risen from No. 78 to a career-high No. 43.
Success has not been restricted to past champions of the event. Four of the eight players who competed at the event in 2017 — Rublev, Khachanov, Shapovalov and Medvedev — have since broken the Top 10 in the FedEx ATP Rankings.
Of the 21 players to have competed at the tournament, 13 have captured ATP Tour singles trophies. Past Next Gen ATP Finals participants own a combined 37 tour-level singles titles. Seven of those men own multiple ATP Tour crowns: Medvedev (8), Rublev (7), Tsitsipas (5), Khachanov (4), De Minaur (3), Coric (2) and Humbert (2).
The ATP has announced the appointment of Daniele Sano as ATP Chief Business Officer, beginning 1 December, 2020.
Sano will oversee all Commercial Partnerships, Global Sales, Marketing, PR and Business Development operations for the ATP. The 44-year-old has a wealth of experience across Media Sales, Sports Marketing and Business Development. Sano’s previous positions include senior management and advisory roles with top properties in different sports, including football club AS Roma, the Superbike World Championship and sports marketing agency WWP Group, overseeing areas such as sponsorship acquisition and activation, strategy development and implementation.
Sano said: “The ATP is one of the most exciting sports properties in the world, and one with very promising business upside. Having been involved in sport my entire career, and as a lifelong sports fan, I look forward to bringing my experience and industry knowledge into this new role.”
Massimo Calvelli, ATP CEO, said: “On behalf of the ATP, I am delighted to welcome Daniele to the team. His considerable experience from brand, rights-holder and agency perspectives, including negotiating major strategic partnerships and sponsorship deals, will be a big asset. His impressive credentials and guidance of vital functions at ATP will be instrumental in maximising the ATP’s business potential in years ahead.”
Sano will be based out of ATP’s office in London and will report to Calvelli as Chief Executive Officer.
Rafael Nadal is celebrating another achievement this week having broken Jimmy Connors’ record for the most consecutive weeks in the Top 10 of the FedEx ATP Rankings.
Five weeks on from capturing a record-equalling 20th Grand Slam championship crown with his 13th Roland Garros trophy, the Spanish superstar has now spent 790 consecutive weeks among the elite.
Most Consecutive Weeks In Top 10 Of FedEx ATP Rankings
| Player | Consecutive Weeks At No. 1 | Dates |
| 1) Rafael Nadal (ESP) | 790 | 25 April 2005-present |
| 2) Jimmy Connors (USA) | 789 | 23 August 1973-25 September 1988 |
| 3) Roger Federer (SUI) | 734 | 14 October 2002-31 October 2016 |
| 4) Ivan Lendl (CZE/USA) | 619 | 7 July 1980-10 May 1992 |
| 5) Pete Sampras (USA) | 565 | 10 September 1990-1 July 2001 |
| 6) Novak Djokovic (SRB) | 555 | 19 March 2007-29 October 2017 |
| 7) Stefan Edberg (SWE) | 493 | 9 September 1985-12 February 1995 |
| 8) Guillermo Vilas (ARG) | 484 | 12 August 1974-20 November 1983 |
| 9) Boris Becker (GER) | 436 | 8 July 1985-7 November 1993 |
| 10) Bjorn Borg (SWE) | 421 | 3 June 1974-20 June 1982 |
Nadal first broke into the Top 10 on 25 April 2005 at the age of 18, just one more prior to capturing his first Grand Slam championship crown at 2005 Roland Garros. American Connors was ever-present in the Top 10 for 789 weeks from 23 August 1973, when the FedEx ATP Rankings were first established, to 25 September 1988.
The 34-year-old Nadal overtook Roger Federer’s mark of 734 consecutive weeks on 22 May 2019 after winning a record-extending ninth Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome (d. Djokovic). Federer was among the Top 10 in successive weeks between 20 May 2002 and 31 October 2016, prior to a right knee injury ended the Swiss’ season.
Serbia’s Djokovic, who is currently in second place behind Federer for most weeks at No. 1 (292 weeks), spent 555 consecutive weeks among the Top 10 between 19 March 2007 to 29 October 2017, when he dropped out of the elite group due to a right elbow injury. He returned to the Top 10 on 16 July 2018.
Federer has spent the most weeks overall in the Top 10 of the FedEx ATP Rankings with 921 weeks, followed by Connors (816), Nadal (790), Andre Agassi (747) and Ivan Lendl (671). Djokovic is currently in sixth place on 656 weeks.
The world’s best players will compete in the Nitto ATP Finals, to be held at The O2 in London from 15-22 November. After the tournament, one lucky fan will take home the official ATP Tour net used on Centre Court during the season finale.
Four dream prize packages are up for grabs in an Ultimate Prize Draw being held to aid Cancer Research UK, the official charity partner of the Nitto ATP Finals. Priced at only £10 per entry, any fan can help support the organisation’s critical work, which has seen fundraising heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic..
Click Here To Enter
Two of the prize packages — the ‘Take The Nitto ATP Finals Home’ package and the ‘Thank You London’ package — are full of unforgettable memorabilia.
“These two packages provide fans an amazing chance to win items that they will be able to cherish for years to come. From signed memorabilia to pieces of the action, these ultimate prizes will hopefully provide plenty of memories of the season finale,” said Nitto ATP Finals Event Director Adam Hogg. “Cancer Research UK’s fundraising efforts have been severely impacted by COVID-19, and the Nitto ATP Finals is happy to do its part to support its official charity partner during these tough times.”
The tournament-used net is one of several items in the ‘Take The Nitto ATP Finals Home’ package. The fan who wins that will also receive a signed “coin toss” coin from the Nitto ATP Finals championship match, a personalised video from this year’s champion and signed official photos from previous editions of the season finale.
In the ‘Thank You London’ package, the prize draw winner will receive a 2020 Nitto ATP Finals Official photo signed by all eight singles players.
Diego Schwartzman completed the singles field during the Rolex Paris Masters. The other players set to play in London are Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Dominic Thiem, Daniil Medvedev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Alexander Zverev and Andrey Rublev.
The lucky fan will also win signed apparel from this year’s qualified players and a signed racquet from the 2020 Nitto ATP Finals champion.
For more information and to enter the prize draw please click here.
Daniil Medvedev feels the strategic magnetism of the baseline.
Medvedev defeated Alexander Zverev 5-7, 6-4, 6-1 in the final of the Rolex Paris Masters Sunday by playing with superior court position in their inevitable flurry of bruising baseline exchanges. When we watch Medvedev hit the ball, we are mesmerised by his long, wieldy strokes that look more like he is swinging a heavy axe than a tennis racquet. It’s essential to also look at where he is standing when he swings that metaphorical axe because it is often in a more advantageous place relative to the baseline than his opponent.
Rally Contact Point
Medvedev hit 27 per cent of his rally balls from inside the baseline, which was almost double that of Zverev’s 15 per cent. A vast majority of these rally balls for Medvedev were struck from a zone within two metres inside the baseline where he dined on the superior geometry of the rectangular court to extend Zverev out wide, hitting forehands and backhands loaded with directional pressure.
Players typically trade baseline blows standing in a zone two metres behind the baseline, and this match was no exception. Zverev hit 50 per cent of his baseline shots from here, while Medvedev was at 46 per cent.
The last, deep contact zone starts two metres behind the baseline and extends all the way to the back of the court. This is where players retreat to find more time to defend. The problem is that it’s almost impossible to attack from this far back, and it’s another key battleground that Medvedev exploited.
The Russian only hit 27 per cent of his groundstrokes from this area, while Zverev was at 35 per cent. Zverev hit almost a third of his shots from this deep zone, where he typically found himself running and defending and falling further and further behind in the point.
Medvedev Rally Hit Points:
Zverev Rally Hit Points:
Depth
Playing up in the court also helped Medvedev land his shots deeper in the court as a result. Medvedev landed 89 per cent of his groundstrokes past the service line, which was superior to Zverev’s 83 per cent. This gap was accentuated in the third set, in which Medvedev was at 90 per cent past the service line, while Zverev only managed 75 per cent as the finish line rushed forward in Medvedev’s favour.
Power
With Medvedev hovering more around the baseline and taking the ball earlier, he was also able to hit the ball harder as a result. Medvedev’s average groundstroke speed was 116 kph, with Zverev at 112 kph. In the third set it was 117kph for Medvedev and 110kph for Zverev. The German was standing too deep, hitting too short, and not employing enough power to make the Russian uncomfortable.
Backhands
As expected, the vast majority of points were traded through the Ad court with each player trying to break down his opponent’s backhand wing. Medvedev hit 49 per cent of all groundstokes wide to Zverev’s backhand, 14 per cent down the middle, and 37 per cent wide to the forehand.
On the surface, these backhand-to-backhand blows looked fairly even, but Medvedev constantly had an advantage because he was not getting pushed back. Overall, Medvedev made contact with his backhand inside the baseline 29 per cent of the time, which was far superior to Zverev’s 10 per cent. Medvedev was leaning on his backhand, while Zverev was leaning off his.
Medvedev Backhand Hit Points:
Zverev Backhand Hit Points:
Another key factor was that Zverev simply hit too many backhands in the match. The German hit 183 backhands for the match and 162 forehands, giving him a surplus of 21 backhands. That’s not a winning plan of attack. Medvedev hit 158 backhands and 175 forehands, giving him 17 more aggressive, penetrating forehands at his disposal.
The following breakdown from the match shows the superior speeds forehands deliver.
Average Groundstroke Speed
Forehands
• Medvedev=126kph
• Zverev=123kph
Backhands
• Medvedev=108 kph
• Zverev=105 kph
The end result is an accumulation of a lot of small battles that Medvedev won that helped pave the way to victory. Medvedev comparatively hit more forehands, hit them harder, and when he did hit backhands, he applied more pressure by standing further up the court.
How you hit the ball matters. So does where you hit it from.
– HawkEye data and visuals courtesy ATP Media
John Millman made a winning start to his Sofia Open campaign on Sunday, as he cruised past Bulgarian wild card Adrian Andreev 6-3, 6-1.
The Nur-Sultan titlist converted four of his six break points to book his place in the second round after 73 minutes. Millman, one of five first-time ATP Tour titlists in 2020, improved to 17-12 this season with his first-round win in Sofia.
[WATCH LIVE 2]Millman will face Gilles Simon or Andrej Martin for a place in the quarter-finals. The Australian lost his only previous ATP Head2Head contest against Simon in Sydney last year and is yet to meet Martin at tour-level.
Radu Albot also earned a quick first-round win on Sunday. The Moldovan won 82 per cent of his first-serve points (23/28) to beat Yuichi Sugita 6-4, 6-1 in 76 minutes.
The 2019 Delray Beach Open by VITACOST.com titlist will meet top seed Denis Shapovalov in the second round. Shapovalov, who is making his debut in Sofia, is attempting to finish an ATP Tour season inside the Top 10 in the FedEx ATP Rankings for the first time.
Daniil Medvedev plays tennis unlike anyone else at the top of the ATP Tour. The Russian’s shots aren’t smooth like Roger Federer’s or overwhelming like Rafael Nadal’s. He can’t make his body appear elastic the way Novak Djokovic does, either. But the 24-year-old finds ways to win, and part of the secret to his success is how he views his game.
“I’m really trying to make my opponent crazy,” he said.
Medvedev did that once again on Sunday to win the Rolex Paris Masters, capturing his third ATP Masters 1000 title by battling from a set down to defeat Alexander Zverev.
“I’m really happy with the final, with the win here, especially my level of game was really top-level this week. I think it’s not easy for guys to play against me when I play like this,” Medvedev said. “Today was a really tight match… after the first set I didn’t know actually what to do, because I had zero break points. I didn’t feel good returning his serve. He serves amazing. I lost my serve. Got a little bit tight. I was feeling like the match could slip [out] of my hands.”
Medvedev does not blow opponents off the court, but he continuously claws his way into matches and frustrates opponents, physically wearing them down. Perhaps most importantly, he has a good sense of the moments he needs to seize. As the Russian put it, he was “fighting like an animal” early in the third set and that proved critical in his victory.
“I have been working on my mental strength for a long time. I think I have done a lot of progress, because even if you see me still doing meltdowns, it’s nothing compared to what I was when I was a junior,” Medvedev said. “I worked a lot on it, and I’m really happy with how I’m performing with my mental strength many times.”
At last year’s Nitto ATP Finals, Medvedev led Rafael Nadal 5-1 in the third set of their round-robin match and he even earned a match point. But Medvedev let slip that match. Zverev was playing lights-out tennis early in their Rolex Paris Masters final, but this time it was the Russian who turned the tables to overcome a deficit in a big match.
“You will not all your life just be there crying about this match. [It] was almost [the] last match of the season for me,” Medvedev said. “I knew I had to leave it behind, just learn from it and learn how, ‘Okay, if you’re up 5-1 and you lose even your serve on 5-2, you should not go crazy, because you are still up.’”
This was Medvedev’s first final of the season. Last year, he led the ATP Tour by making nine championship matches. But towards the end of his victory in Bercy, the Russian appeared back at his best.
“It’s something that it’s tough to control. And I think if you succeed to control it, then you’re going to be an even better player, because many times you’re going to have days where you step on the court and you don’t feel the ball so well, can miss some shots,” Medvedev said. “Here even [in the] third set when I saved those three break points… [I just went] to the net, made volleys, all this stuff. You know that you almost cannot miss. And to beat you he needs to make a winner.
“When it’s like this, it’s really tough to play guys. That’s what top players are capable of doing. Hopefully I can do this many more times.”
Medvedev will try to maintain his momentum at the Nitto ATP Finals, where he went 0-3 last year.
“For sure [I am] coming [in] better shape than last year. Last year [I] was really exhausted, lost [my first match] in Paris. That’s when you lose your confidence. When you lose first round you always lose your confidence,” Medvedev said. “[I] just won this tournament, [I’m] going to have a few days off. [I will] come to London, practise good. Hopefully [I] can get some wins there.”
Victory is even sweeter for those who wait. Just ask Sebastian Korda.
On Sunday, the #NextGenATP American claimed his first professional title at the ATP Challenger Tour event in Eckental, Germany. Korda dominated as the week progressed, dropping just one set at the Challenge Eckental. It all culminated with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Ramkumar Ramanathan in the championship.
“I’m super happy to pull through,” said Korda after the match. “It was a tough match today and it wasn’t easy. He serves and volleys on carpet, but I’m happy with the way I stayed calm and finished it off.”
It was a long time coming for Korda, who had dropped his first eight finals as a professional. Since concluding his junior career with a victory at the Australian Open in 2018, he lost six title matches on the ITF circuit and two at the Challenger level, in Nur-Sultan and Champaign last year.
But, 2020 has proven to be a rebirth for the 20-year-old. After coming so close in the Champaign final exactly one year ago, holding a championship point against J.J. Wolf, Korda has been more determined than ever to finally flip the switch. He has been on a mission in recent months, reaching the Round of 16 as a qualifier at Roland Garros and winning 13 of 15 matches since the start of that memorable fortnight.
“In the past, I’d get frustrated in finals. Every little mistake would weigh on me, but today I was able to stay calm through the whole match. The way I finished it off made me super happy.”
Following such a big result at a Grand Slam, players often struggle to rediscover their rhythm in their return to the ATP Challenger Tour. Even as he moved from clay to carpet, Korda made the transition look seemless. He would carry the momentum to Germany, reaching the quarter-finals in Ismaning and then lifting the trophy in Eckental.
“Ever since the US Open, I’ve felt comfortable and confident, especially against the bigger guys. I’m pretty skinny and tall, so during the [COVID-19] break, I worked to get stronger and sort of grow into my body. The way I’m playing, it has helped a lot.”
American #NextGenATP Winners (since 2015)
| Year | Winners |
| 2020 | Sebastian Korda |
| 2019 | J.J. Wolf |
| 2018 | Taylor Fritz, Reilly Opelka, Michael Mmoh, Tommy Paul |
| 2017 | Frances Tiafoe, Stefan Kozlov, Noah Rubin, Mmoh |
| 2016 | Ernesto Escobedo, Tiafoe, Kozlov, Fritz |
| 2015 | Jared Donaldson, Fritz, Rubin |
At the age of 20 years and four months, Korda is the youngest winner from the United States in 2020. In fact, his victory marks the sixth straight year in which an American aged 21 & under has won a title. A year ago, Wolf achieved the feat and was preceded by 15 other #NextGenATP winners since 2015.
Korda is projected to rise 20 spots to a career-high No. 116 in the FedEx ATP Rankings. He will continue his push towards the Top 100 when he concludes his 2020 campaign at the Orlando Challenger in two weeks.
“I have a flight tomorrow morning at 6am, going back to the States, but I’ll definitely celebrate tonight.”
World number five Daniil Medvedev beats Alexander Zverev 5-7 6-4 6-1 to win the Paris Masters.
