Chinese player Peng Shuai deserves “to be heard, not censored” after publicly accusing the country’s former vice-premier of sexual assault, says the Women’s Tennis Association.
Defending champion Daniil Medvedev believes that the conditions at the Pala Alpitour in Turin are among the fastest on the ATP Tour, leaving no clear favourite for the Nitto ATP Finals.
“I think I prefer fast conditions, but this is probably the fastest I’ve ever faced on the ATP Tour,” said Medvedev, who beat Hubert Hurkacz 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-4 in their first Green Group match on Sunday.
“I don’t think it’s the surface itself, because it’s probably the same as in London. But I think it’s a combination of the air, which is drier here. The ball goes very fast through the air. The balls are fast and… in the match, I was barely under pressure on my serve against a great returner.”
The Russian beat Dominic Thiem in last year’s title match at The O2 in London, but feels that he may have his work cut out this week to retain The Brad Drewett Trophy.
“I know I won in London last year, it was still the Nitto ATP Finals, but everything is different [in Turin], the venue and hotel,” said Medvedev. “I feel that there may be a new winner in Turin.”
With a three-set victory over Hurkacz in just over two hours, Medvedev insists he now wants to watch the matches to see how his rivals cope with the court speed.
“It was super-fast,” said Medvedev, who warmed up for the match with Swiss Jerome Kym. “I want to watch the other three matches to see how they cope with the speed. For Hubi and I, it was a case of who makes one good shot in the point. I wonder if it’s the same for the other guys.”
[FOLLOW FINALS]At 6’6”, Medvedev moves very well, but the World No. 2 admitted that he wouldn’t win a 100-metre sprint between fellow ATP Tour players.
“When I did tests with the [Russian] Federation, when I was younger, I never did well,” said Medvedev. “I didn’t have good coordination to have a fast start and follow my pace in 100 metres, as it’s so different to what we’re doing on a court.
“I’d want to put [Alex] de Minaur there as he is super-fast, and Gael Monfils is impossible to hit winners against, as he is so explosive. I’m not sure if Novak would be good at 100 metres, but I may be mistaken!”
Medvedev has compiled a 55-12 record with four tour-level titles this season, including the US Open crown (d. Djokovic).
Hubert Hurkacz was determined to take the positives from his debut match at the Nitto ATP Finals despite defeat at the hands of Daniil Medvedev.
From the round-robin format to the small but elite field, the season-ending finale can be an overwhelming experience for a first-time competitor. But Hurkacz did not appear overawed by the occasion, taking the first set before Medvedev, the defending champion, turned things around to win 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-4.
“Definitely I played on a decent level. I can do even better than this,” Hurkacz said.
“I still have a chance to qualify from the group, it’s great. I’ll just keep fighting and then keep believing in myself.”
Both players had deep runs at the Rolex Paris Masters – Hurkacz reaching the semi-finals, Medvedev finishing runner-up – and had clearly brought their form and confidence to the Nitto ATP Finals’ new home in Turin. The first singles match of the tournament was heavily dominated by serve, with Hurkacz unable to create a break point on Medvedev’s serve while the second and third sets were decided by a single early break for the Russian.
Medvedev commented on the speed of the court at the Pala Alpitour in his post-match interview, and Hurkacz was quick to agree. “Here is way faster [than Paris],” he said.
“I mean the surface could be close but the balls make a huge difference, so it’s quite fast here. Daniil was serving great, I was serving decent apart from two games, it’s quite quick here.”
He added: “I think it’s just getting used to the surface, plus we both have decent serves, so maybe we both didn’t return as well as we hoped – me, for sure. When there’s a rally we can play some really good rallies, that’s what Daniil likes to do.”
Hurkacz dropped just five points behind his first serve in the first two sets, but his first-serve percentage dropped noticeably after winning the first-set tie-break. The disappointed Pole paid tribute to Medvedev’s greater consistency across the three sets after the Russian improved to 2-1 in their head-to-head.
“Daniil is an amazing player, he plays great tennis throughout the whole match. He doesn’t have dips in his game, that makes him such a tough opponent.”
[FOLLOW FINALS]Miami Open champion Hurkacz has already amply demonstrated his resilience in 2021, bouncing back from a six-match losing streak in the midst of the season to reach the Wimbledon semi-finals and ultimately qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals for the first time.
“I’ll just try to stay positive,” Hurkacz vowed. “OK, I lost this match, but I’ll think about the positives and what I can do better and prepare for the next one.”
Hurkacz can take comfort from the fact that Medvedev himself went 0-3 on his debut at the Nitto ATP Finals before winning his next six matches at the season-ending championships. But the Pole will aim to turn things around a little faster. He will face Alexander Zverev or Matteo Berrettini in his next match on Tuesday in what could be another big-serving duel.
Daniil Medvedev made a successful start to his Nitto ATP Finals title defence on Sunday afternoon with a 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-4 victory against Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz, moving to 1-0 in Red Group action.
The Russian, who earned his fourth ATP Masters 1000 title in Toronto and his maiden major at the US Open, showed his confidence by staying calm after losing the first set. The World No. 2 battled back behind impressive serving and steady baseline play to triumph after two hours and one minute.
“I had zero break points to save, so in a way I was never under pressure,” Medvedev said in his on-court interview. “I had only two games on Hubert’s serve where I had break points. Super happy to make this work and [that I] managed to get both breaks.”
Medvedev has won 23 of his past 26 matches, with 19 of his triumphs during that stretch coming in straight sets. After going 0-3 on his debut at the season finale two years ago, he has now claimed six consecutive victories at the Nitto ATP Finals.
Tournament debutant Hurkacz competed well in his first match at the event, showing great hands at net and no fear of moving into the forecourt. But he never found a way to challenge his opponent’s serve, and that proved costly.
Hurkacz played a tremendous tie-break to move ahead, and there was no doubt this year’s Miami Open presented by Itau champion could handle the moment, having beaten Medvedev at Wimbledon earlier this year. But Medvedev buckled down in longer rallies and consistently made the extra ball.
After winning the second set and hitting a smash to break early in the third set, Medvedev won perhaps the point of the match and waved his arms to get the Turin crowd involved. On the 29th shot of the rally — in which he played dogged defence — Medvedev hit a stunning backhand passing shot.
“I remember this point because that’s the only point in the match where I could actually interact with the crowd a little bit,” Medvedev said. “Other than that, it was aces, winners and unforced errors.”
Medvedev did not face a break point in the match and won 83 per cent of his first-serve points. The World No. 2 hit 15 aces and in his service games rarely gave Hurkacz an opportunity to step into the court.
The other two players in the Red Group are Alexander Zverev and Matteo Berrettini, who will play not before 9 p.m. in Italy on Sunday evening.
Did You Know?
Medvedev (55-12) is now tied for the most tour-level wins this season, joining Stefanos Tsitsipas (55-18) and Zverev (55-14).
After an impressive opening win on Sunday at the Nitto ATP Finals on Sunday, Croatians Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic were presented with the year-end No. 1 FedEx ATP Doubles Team Ranking trophy.
“Obviously we are extremely happy with this,” Pavic told the crowd inside the Pala Alpitour. “It’s the first time for Nikola, third time for me and the first time that two Croatians lifted this trophy at the end of the year. I just wanted to say thank you to all the team over there, the coaches, girlfriends, everybody. Thanks a lot, and I hope you’re going to enjoy some tennis this week.”
A message from your year-end No. 1 in the @FedEx ATP Doubles Team Rankings @NMektic & Mate Pavić ??#ATPRankings pic.twitter.com/j3P1VcoqTW
— ATP Tour (@atptour) November 14, 2021
In their debut season as a team, Mektic and Pavic have won nine tour-level titles, highlighted by victories at Wimbledon, the Tokyo Olympics and three ATP Masters 1000 events.
The Croatians are the top seeds this week and are now 1-0 in Green Group action following their triumph against Kevin Krawietz and Horia Tecau. Australian Open champions Ivan Dodig/Filip Polasek and fourth seeds Marcel Granollers/Horacio Zeballos are also in their group.
Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic started their Green Group campaign at the Nitto ATP Finals with their 60th match win of the season on Sunday.
The Croatians, who have already finished at year-end No. 1 in the FedEx ATP Doubles Team Rankings, defeated eighth seeds Kevin Krawietz and Horia Tecau 6-4, 6-4 in 77 minutes at the Pala Alpitour.
In an outstanding season, 34-year-old Mektic and 28-year-old Pavic have captured nine tour-level trophies, including at Wimbledon (d. Granollers/Zeballos), the Tokyo Olympics gold medal (d. Cilic/Dodig) and three ATP Masters 1000s: the Miami Open presented by Itau and Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters (d. Evans/N. Skupski both times), and the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome (d. Ram/Salisbury).
Following their win on Sunday, Mektic and Pavic were presented the year-end No. 1 doubles trophy by ATP Chairman Andrea Gaudenzi in an on-court ceremony.
[FOLLOW ACTION]Tecau came under pressure immediately, losing his serve when he missed a half volley at the net in the first game, but the Romanian recovered from 15/40 with four straight points at 1-3. Pavic calmly closed out the 35-minute opener with a hold to love in a serve-dominated performance, with the Croatians striking four aces and winning 90 per cent of their first-service points overall.
The second set turned in favour of Mektic and Pavic when Krawietz hit a second double fault on the deciding point at 2-2. It proved to be decisive, as Mektic later closed out the match with an ace.
Krawietz and Tecau are now 28-14 on the season. Six years ago, Tecau did not drop a set en route to 2015 Nitto ATP Finals trophy with Jean-Julien Rojer to the season as the World No. 1 team.
Fourth seeds Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos, and sixth seeds Ivan Dodig and Filip Polasek also feature in the Green Group at the Pala Alpitour in Turin.
The eight singles players and 16 doubles competitors at the Nitto ATP Finals will get to know Turin plenty well this week during the event’s first edition in the city. But nobody on the ATP Tour knows Turin better than Lorenzo Sonego, who still lives there today.
The Italian is proud of his hometown, from its restaurants and scenery to museums and galleries.
“The centre is nice. The Piazza Vittorio is a big place for the young people and for all the people. Piazza Vittorio and Piazza Castello are two unbelievable places,” Sonego told ATPTour.com. “In Turin there is the Po River — the big river in Italy — and small buildings. It’s the Po River, the big river in Italy.
“It’s really nice if you want to walk on the river and there are many restaurants there that are really nice.”
You cannot go anywhere in Turin without seeing some sort of signage promoting the Nitto ATP Finals. There is a fan village in Piazza San Carlo with a tennis court and various booths. There is also a giant billboard of Matteo Berrettini looking over the twin churches of Santa Cristina and San Carlo Borromeo — featuring Baroque-style architecture — in the historic city square.
“The atmosphere is really cool,” Sonego said. “You can find everything in Turin.”
There are stores and restaurants that line both sides of the cobblestone streets, and people are constantly milling about throughout the day. But one thing sticks out to Sonego.
“There are so many museums. It’s good for the heart in general,” Sonego said. “There is the Museo Egizio, the Egyptian Museum, which is really nice. I was there a few months ago, it was really cool and really nice.
“They have different parts of Egyptian history. I don’t like museums, but I like this museum because it’s the most important in Turin and in Italy.”
According to the 26-year-old, Turin is “a big city, but not too big”. And of course, he loves the food.
“In Italy, all the food is really good,” Sonego said. “In the south there is pizza, in the north there is ham and salami. The cheese is really good, the pasta is good. All the food in Turin is amazing.”
Above all, Sonego is thrilled that the Nitto ATP Finals is now in the city, showcasing it to the world. This year’s Cagliari champion is a huge Torino F.C. fan and fittingly, the club’s stadium, Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino, is right next to the Pala Alpitour, which is the home of the season finale.
The venue is home to various events throughout the entertainment industry, from basketball and ice hockey to music concerts, which Sonego calls “really cool”.
“Now it has the [Nitto] ATP Finals and that is the best thing. It is for sure good motivation. It’s really important for me, because it’s the best tournament in the world and now it is in my city,” Sonego said. “For me, it’s really emotional. That is my goal for the rest of my life: playing in Turin with my people, with my fans and enjoying this tournament because it’s the best in the world.”
World No. 2 Daniil Medvedev has every reason to feel like the big man on campus this week at the Nitto ATP Finals following his unbeaten run to last year’s title at The O2, which brought to an end the tournament’s 12-year stay in London.
So expect the lanky Russian – who has been likened to an on-court octopus with arms and legs flailing far and wide as part of his imposing defense – to be high on confidence when he takes on Polish debutant Hubert Hurkacz in the Day 1 day session Sunday at the Pala Alpitour.
The venue and city may be different – Turin, Italy, which becomes the 15th host city of the season finale – but the fundamentals of the Russian’s prowess on indoor hard court remain the same. Last year Medvedev became the first player to beat the world’s Top 3-ranked players (Djokovic, Nadal, Thiem) en route to the title, which followed his run to the Rolex Paris Masters crown.
Medvedev, who was denied a successful title defense by Djokovic in last Sunday’s Bercy final, is looking to become the first back-to-back Nitto ATP Finals champion since the Serb won four straight between 2012-15.
This year’s US Open champion came into the final weeks of last season low on confidence but his victories in Paris and London rejuvenated him heading into 2021, a year in which he has made the World No. 2 spot his own.
“We had the pandemic when we didn’t play for a long time [in 2020 and] I had some problems with my body. So coming back was not easy, but these two tournaments last year brought back my confidence,” Medvedev said. “It was enough for all this year, knowing that I could beat the best players in the world.”
Hurkacz, who last week pushed Djokovic to a third-set tie-break in the semi-finals, may have learned something from the World No. 1’s winning tactics in the Paris final against the deep-court-returning Russian.
[FOLLOW FINALS] <!–How To Watch
–>
Throwing out his losing playbook from the US Open final, Djokovic attempted 39 serve/volley plays against Medvedev in the Rolex Paris Masters final in a tactical masterclass. He won 19 of 22 serve/volley points. (He served a fault on the other 17 would-be serve/volley attempts.)
Despite the data, Hurkacz tells ATPTour.com that he doesn’t think serve and volley is a panacea when trying to blunt Medvedev’s return game, but also doesn’t rule out coming in behind his thundering serve. “Daniil’s an amazing player who stands back on the return to take full cuts and he really places the ball in tricky spots. So sometimes maybe you can serve and volley, but as well he can navigate that ball and try to pass you up there off the first shot.”
The players’ two career ATP Head2Head meetings came this year and both have gone the distance. Hurkacz beat Medvedev in five sets in the Wimbledon fourth round before the Russian got his revenge in Toronto with a third-set tie-break victory.
In the evening match, Italian Matteo Berrettini will ride raucous support from passionate home fans into battle with 2018 finale champion Alexander Zverev, who in making his fifth consecutive appearance, has the most experience at the tournament of any player other than Novak Djokovic.
“I feel the pressure, but it’s a good pressure. It’s so nice to be here,” Berrettini said. “I know that the crowd is going to be on my side, and I really cannot wait to step on the court.”
Zverev leads their ATP Head2Head series 3-1, including their lone hard-court meeting (Shanghai 2019) and their lone 2021 meeting (in the three-set Madrid final). The German World No. 3 has enjoyed another strong season and brings an equal-tour-leading 55 match wins into the tournament.
“I have played good tennis this year,” said Zverev. “I’ve won five titles and I’m the only player who has won multiple [ATP] Masters [1000 titles] this year. It comes with good tennis, also, at the Olympics, I won a gold medal. I am looking forward to this tournament. I didn’t come here just as a participant, but I want to win matches and do well here.”
In 2021, the 24-year-old won the Tokyo Olympics gold medal (d. Khachanov), two ATP Masters 1000 titles at the Mutua Madrid Open (d. Berrettini) and Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati (d. Rublev), plus two ATP 500 crowns: the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC in Acapulco (d. Tsitsipas) and the Erste Bank Open in Vienna (d. Tiafoe).
“Matteo is a superstar here, everyone likes him,” Zverev said. “I look forward to the match, we are among the best players in the world so there are no easy matches. I definitely look forward to that match and the energy on Sunday.”
Matteo & Ajla in the house ?
What a week coming up for the Italian ?? #NittoATPFinals pic.twitter.com/xX132OZbmy
— ATP Tour (@atptour) November 13, 2021
Mektic/Pavic Begin Quest For Perfect End To Season
Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic fittingly have the honour of kicking off the 2021 Nitto ATP Finals when they confront Kevin Krawietz and Horia Tecau in the first match of the tournament. They Croatians, who have already clinched year-end No. 1 after winning nine titles, are looking to round out their explosive first season together with their 10th title of the year. They lead Krawietz and Tecau 2-0 in meetings this year.
In the evening session, Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos (24-11, 2 titles in 2021) will look to repeat their first-round win over Ivan Dodig and Filip Polasek (20-11, 1 title) in Montreal during the summer.
Scrubbing up well ?
The #NittoATPFinals doubles teams are READY.
Who will take the title in Turin? pic.twitter.com/ank5pDc4tL
— ATP Tour (@atptour) November 13, 2021
ORDER OF PLAY – SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2021
CENTRE COURT start 11:30 am
[1] N. Mektic (CRO) / M. Pavic (CRO) vs [8] K. Krawietz (GER) / H. Tecau (ROU)
Not Before 2:00 pm
[2] D. Medvedev (RUS) vs [7] H. Hurkacz (POL)
Not Before 6:30 pm
[4] M. Granollers (ESP) / H. Zeballos (ARG) vs [6] I. Dodig (CRO) / F. Polasek (SVK)
Not Before 9:00 pm
[3] A. Zverev (GER) vs [6] M. Berrettini (ITA)
After clinching the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals title on Saturday, Carlos Alcaraz was in a reflective mood as he looked back on his successful 2021 season with a smile on his face.
The 18-year-old overcame Sebastian Korda in the final at the 21-and-under event in Milan to round off a year that has seen him rise from No. 141 in the FedEx ATP Rankings to a current career-high No. 32.
“I feeling amazing,” Alcaraz said after triumphing 4-3(5), 4-2, 4-2 in the championship match. “It feels good to end the year in the best way possible. Playing great matches against great players. It is the best way to finish the year.”
Under the guidance of coach and former World No. 1 Juan Carlos Ferrero, Alcaraz has made headlines in 2021. The Spaniard captured his first tour-level title in Umag in July and enjoyed a run to the quarter-finals at the US Open.
While Alcaraz, who was the top seed in Milan, views those moments as high points, he believes other experiences he has had on Tour this season provided the crucial building blocks for his success.
“It has been a really good season for me,” Alcaraz said. “I am really happy about the moments I have experienced. Beating Stefanos [Tsitsipas] at the US Open, reaching the quarter-finals at a Grand Slam and winning my first ATP [Tour title].
“But I think this would not have been possible without the experience I gained in Madrid, playing against Rafa [Nadal]. In Acapulco, playing against [Alexander] Zverev. There are a lot of tournament matches that gave me a lot of experience to make me more mature so soon.”
Alcaraz dropped just one set en route to the title in Milan as he played aggressively in the big points to defeat stiff opposition at the Allianz Cloud. The 18-year-old admitted that it is an area of his game he has been focused on and will look to continue to develop.
“It is something I am working on,” Alcaraz said. “Juan Carlos told me that in the tough moments you have to play aggressively and you have to go for it and that is what I do. I am working on that to be calm in the tough moments, that is the key to winning the tough points. You have to go for it.”
Did You Know?
Alcaraz is the youngest player to earn 32 tour-level victories in a year since Andrei Medvedev, 18, went 32-11 in 1992.
The season’s top eight singles players and doubles combinations are all set for the first Nitto ATP Finals to be held in Turin. Top seed Novak Djokovic chases another slice of history while second seed Daniil Medvedev looks to defend the trophy he won in London last year.
ATPTour.com looks at what you should watch for this week.
GROUP DRAWS: SINGLES & DOUBLES
1) Djokovic Eyes Federer’s Mark: Djokovic has already secured a record-breaking seventh year-end No. 1 finish in the FedEx ATP Rankings en route to his fifth title of the season at the Rolex Paris Masters, where he avenged his US Open final defeat to Medvedev. The 34-year-old surpassed Roger Federer’s record 311 weeks at World No. 1 in March, and notched a record-equalling 20th major with his third Grand Slam triumph of the season at Wimbledon (d. Berrettini).
Now the Serbian has his sights set on levelling Federer’s record six Nitto ATP Finals titles. Five times the Serbian has clinched the season finale – in 2008 in Shanghai and 2012-2015 in London. He holds a 38-16 record at the event.
Photo Credit: Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour
2) Medvedev Bids To Defend Crown: After an inauspicious debut at The O2 in 2019, in which he went 0-3 in the group stage, Medvedev went on a tear last year as he defeated five straight Top 10 opponents for the Nitto ATP Finals trophy. Victories over No. 1 Djokovic, No. 2 Rafael Nadal and No. 3 Dominic Thiem made the Russian the first man to defeat the world’s top three players in the tournament’s history.
The 25-year-old, who rose to a career-high No. 2 in the FedEx ATP Rankings with victory in Marseille (d. Herbert) in March, won the ATP Cup with Russia, and added further titles in Mallorca and Toronto before he lifted his maiden major trophy at the US Open (d. Djokovic). He holds a 5-3 record at the event.
3) Zverev Looks To Cap Golden Year: Alexander Zverev boasts more match wins than any of his peers since Wimbledon (28-2), picking up the Tokyo Olympics gold medal, as well as a Masters 1000 trophy in Cincinnati (d. Rublev) and an ATP 500 in Vienna (d. Tiafoe) to add to his pair of trophies from earlier in the season in Madrid (d. Berrettini) and Acapulco (d. Tsitsipas).
Three years ago in London, the German became the youngest Nitto ATP Finals champion since Djokovic a decade earlier, defeating Federer and the Serbian back-to-back for the trophy. Zverev is the only player to own wins against each of the ‘Big Three’ at the season finale, where he holds an 8-7 record.
4) Tsitsipas Ready To Rebound: Stefanos Tsitsipas secured his maiden ATP Masters 1000 trophy at Monte Carlo, added another title on clay in Lyon and reached his first Grand Slam final at Roland Garros (l. to Djokovic) in June. But after back-to-back Masters 1000 semi-finals in Toronto and Cincinnati in August, the Greek has endured somewhat of a lean spell and is focussed on a return to form at an event he has triumphed at before.
The World No. 4, who owns a 5-3 record at the Nitto ATP Finals, captured the trophy on debut two years ago with victory over Thiem in the final. He went 1-2 in the group stage last year.
Photo Credit: Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour
5) Rublev Looks For Strong Finish: Making his second appearance at the Nitto ATP Finals, Andrey Rublev looks to reach the knockout stage for the first time. The Russian went 1-2 in group play last year before he started this season on song as went unbeaten in singles in Russia’s ATP Cup triumph in Melbourne.
The 24-year-old picked up his eighth career title in Rotterdam in March and finished runner-up in two ATP Masters 1000 final in Monte Carlo and Cincinnati this year, as well as on grass in Halle. Unbeaten in singles and doubles in Europe’s Laver Cup victory, he will look to rediscover his best in Turin after going 1-3 indoors leading in.
6) Home Hopes High For Berrettini: The Italian has qualified for the season finale once before, in 2019, when he finished 1-2 in the group stage in London. With the shift to Turin on the back of his best season, Matteo Berrettini is bidding to finish 2021 on a high before a home crowd at the Pala Alpitour.
The 25-year-old made his first Grand Slam final at Wimbledon (l. to Djokovic) and collected two titles in Belgrade (d. Karatsev) and at the Queen’s Club (d. Norrie) this season. In addition to their Wimbledon showdown, Djokovic defeated Berrettini in four sets in the last three majors of the season (Roland Garros quarter-finals and US Open quarter-finals).
Photo Credit: Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour
7) Hurkacz Flies Flag For Poland: The last man to stamp his ticket to Turin, Hubert Hurkacz did so with a run to the semi-finals of the Rolex Paris Masters. He is the second debutant in the field for this year’s Nitto ATP Finals and becomes the second Polish player to qualify after 1976 runner-up Wojtek Fibak.
The 24-year-old has enjoyed a breakout season, in which he claimed his first Masters 1000 trophy in Miami (d. Sinner) and reached his first major semi-final at Wimbledon with wins over second seed Medvedev and eight-time champion Federer. He also owns titles from Delray Beach and Metz this season.
8) Ruud On A Roll: One of two debutants in the field, Casper Ruud became the first Norwegian to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals with his run to the quarter-finals at the Rolex Paris Masters. The 22-year-old cracked the Top 10 in the FedEx ATP Rankings in August following three straight titles in as many weeks on clay in Bastad (d. Coria), Gstaad (d. Gaston) and Kitzbuhel (d. Martinez).
Further trophies in Geneva (d. Shapovalov) and San Diego (d. Norrie) make him one of only three players – alongside Djokovic and Zverev – with five titles to their name this season. Ruud reached the fourth round at a major for the first time at the Australian Open.
9) Mektic/Pavic Set The Benchmark: Croatian duo Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic have already wrapped up the year-end No. 1 FedEx ATP Doubles Team Ranking after a standout season and will be the team to beat in Turin. The top seeds captured nine-tour level titles in 2021, including Wimbledon (d. Granollers/Zeballos), a Tokyo Olympics gold medal (d. Cilic/Dodig) and Masters 1000 events in Miami, Monte Carlo (d. Evans/N. Skupski in both), and Rome (d. Ram/Salisbury).
Pavic finished No. 1 alongside Bruno Soares last year (as well as in 2018 with Oliver Marach), while Mektic won the season finale with Dutchman Wesley Koolhof in 2020.
Photo Credit: Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour
10) Former Champs Back In Doubles Fray: Other than Mektic, four other players from the field in Turin have triumphed at the Nitto ATP Finals before. Third-seeded Frenchmen Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut prevailed in London two years ago (d. Klaasen/Venus) after finishing runner-up the year before. Romanian Horia Tecau — who is competing this edition with German Kevin Krawietz — was victorious in 2015 with Dutchman Jean-Julien Rojer (d. Bopanna/Mergea), and Spain’s Marcel Granollers – seeded fourth with Argentine Horacio Zeballos this year – won nine years ago alongside countryman Marc Lopez (d. Bhupathi/Bopanna).
Herbert and Mahut – who won their second Roland Garros title before their third Queen’s Club title in June – have qualified for the sixth straight year. Krawietz and Tecau joined forces this year when Krawietz’s normal partner, Andreas Mies, got hurt. Granollers and Zeballos join the field as a team for the second straight year, after winning two Masters 1000 titles in Madrid and Cincinnati. Last year, they reached the semi-finals in London.
