Hyeon Chung made history on Sunday in Milan, becoming the first champion of the Next Gen ATP Finals. The 21-year-old Korean defeated Andrey Rublev 3-4(5), 4-3(2), 4-2, 4-2 to earn his maiden ATP World Tour title. He completed an undefeated 5-0 campaign in the Italian city, streaking past Denis Shapovalov, Daniil Medvedev, Gianluigi Quinzi and top seed Rublev twice to lift the trophy.

How momentous was Chung’s victory? We dive into the five things to know about the #NextGenATP’s triumph…

(1) Korea’s Newest Champion
Chung became the first player from South Korea to hoist an ATP World Tour singles trophy since Hyung-Taik Lee captured the 2003 Sydney title (d. Ferrero). It was also his first final appearance, with his previous best result (SF) coming in Munich earlier this year. With teenagers Soon Woo Kwon and Duckhee Lee also positioned inside the Top 200 of the Emirates ATP Rankings, the future is bright for the Asian nation.

(2) First Timer’s Club
In his final tournament of the season, Chung added his name to the list of first-time ATP World Tour winners in 2017. He became the eighth to win a maiden title this year and third among the #NextGenATP contingent, joining Marrakech champion Borna Coric and Rublev, who prevailed in Umag. Last year, nine players notched their first crowns.

(3) Comeback Kid
Chung had his back against the wall throughout his stay at the Fiera Milano, but he stepped up in the clutch on all occasions. Three times the Korean found himself in an early deficit after dropping the first set. And three times he muscled his way to victory, including in Sunday’s championship. What makes Chung’s escape acts even more remarkable is that he had rallied from a one-set deficit just twice all year, entering Milan. One of those victories came against Rublev at the Winston-Salem Open in August.

(4) From Maui to Milan
Chung became the sixth player to win on both the ATP World Tour and ATP Challenger Tour this year, joining Ryan Harrison, Yuichi Sugita, Victor Estrella Burgos, Damir Dzumhur and Peter Gojowczyk. In January, he lifted the trophy on the hard courts of Maui, U.S.A., in what was his lone Challenger appearance of the season. It was his eighth victory on the circuit in total.

(5) Overcoming Obstacles
Despite enduring a catalogue of injuries and ailments throughout the year, Chung was the last #NextGenATP standing on Saturday. After withdrawing from Indian Wells with a heel injury, he missed the entire grass-court season due to a left ankle issue and recently pulled out of both Shenzhen and Tokyo with an abdominal ailment. Behind a pair of five-set victories, the 21-year-old was a physical force throughout the week in Milan. Just 10 spots off his career-high of No. 44 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, no ceiling is too high for the Korean.

Quick to distance himself from the resurgent success Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer have enjoyed this season, Alexander Zverev is content to be the chaser on debut at this year’s Nitto ATP Finals, the leader of the baying pack behind the Top 2 in the Emirates ATP Rankings. At just 20 years old, the German is arguably the most hyped of the chasers in 2017.

On Sunday night, he will gain his first taste of competition under the lights of the O2 arena. His opponent, No.5 seed Marin Cilic, has been here twice before, although he will carry nerves of his own having claimed just one of his six matches at the season finale.

View FedEx ATP Head2Head matchup for the Group Boris Becker matches to be played Sunday at the Nitto ATP Finals and vote for who you think will win!
Federer vs. Sock | Zverev vs. Cilic

Of the two rangy 6’6″ frames, it is the German, with his ’70s-style mop of surfie locks, who possesses the better movement of the two. Both employ a similarly aggressive baseline game. While Cilic’s forehand has more pop than his younger opponent’s, it is Zverev’s flat, penetrating backhand which is his money shot. It is a weapon he attributes to his mother Irena’s tuition. 

Both utilise their height effectively on serve and on the O2 Arena’s slick surface, expect it to deliver plenty of free points for both. With the pair comfortable on the fast indoors, much will boil down to which of the two controls emotions better. For Zverev, still searching for a maiden quarter-final appearance in a major, the glare of expectation on such a big stage could spark a few nerves. 

Zverev has raised five trophies this season, including ATP World Tour Masters 1000 titles in Rome and Montreal. Since claiming the Coupe Rogers in August, however, he has won just eight of his 15 matches – a lone semi-final showing from seven events through the Asian and European indoor swings. He will need to find something in reserve to lift for his final event of the season.

Despite a shaky start to the season Cilic crossed off another goal in October when he cracked the Top 4 for the first time. With his fluid serve and impressive net game ideally suited to the slicker surfaces, the Croat carried grass-court form to the All England Club, where he reached his first Wimbledon final. 

On his season-ending return to London, Cilic has reached semi-finals in Tokyo, Shanghai and Basel leading in. While he brings stronger indoor momentum to the clash, he has beaten Zverev just once in four FedEx ATP Head2Head encounters. 

If the German is looking for a psychological boost he may want to draw on an omen. Cilic has lost to the eventual champion in his opening round-robin match in his two prior Nitto ATP Finals appearances – to Djokovic in 2014 and to Murray last year.

“The Professor” is now at the top of the #NextGenATP class.

South Korea’s Hyeon Chung won the inaugural Next Gen ATP Finals championship on Saturday night, beating top seed Andrey Rublev of Russia 3-4(5), 4-3(2), 4-2, 4-2 to celebrate his maiden ATP World Tour crown in Milan.

“I’m just really, really happy, because, I don’t know, I really don’t know how I won here in Milan,” Chung said. “[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.” 

The 21-year-old Chung became the first South Korean to hoist an ATP World Tour singles trophy since Hyung-Taik Lee captured the 2003 Sydney title (d. Ferrero), and he did it by racing through the #NextGenATP field.

Chung won all three matches in group play, including an earlier straight-sets win against Rublev, and the Korean dismissed Russian Daniil Medvedev in the semi-finals to reach his first tour-level final.

In Chung’s third FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting against Rublev, he was as steady as ever to finish the tournament a perfect 5-0.

The sixth-seeded Chung had reached only a tour-level semi-final before Saturday, while Rublev had already hoisted an ATP World Tour trophy, having won in Umag in July. But despite Rublev having the experience edge in finals, Chung was the calmer of the two, especially when under pressure inside a packed Fiera Milano.

All week, Chung, who earned “The Professor” nickname because of his glasses, had scraped himself out of holes on his serve. Heading into the inaugural final, the South Korean had saved 77 per cent of his break points (27/35), best among all eight #NextGenATP finalists.

And the 21-year-old dug himself out of more holes in the early going, saving all five break points in the first set. But Rublev eventually overpowered Chung in an even set, taking the tie-break with a service winner.

Perhaps the Russian eyed the finish line, though, a bit too soon in the second set. He tightened up and grew frustrated, and his play suffered. The Russian landed only 27 per cent of his first serves and hit 15 unforced errors as Chung evened the match.

“I was playing much better than him. I was dictating the match, and then just because I let my emotion go out and everything changed, because Chung, he was always there. He was always focused. He was always in the match. No matter if something went wrong, he was still fighting,” Rublev said.

The pivotal third set saw a too-solid Chung withstand a barrage of forehands from Rublev, who grew more and more frustrated with Chung’s relentless defence. The pattern continued in the fourth set as well, as Chung tracked down ball after ball from feet behind the baseline, and Rublev couldn’t find a Plan B.

The tournament featured a number of innovations, including a shorter format – best of five sets, first to four games sets and no-ad scoring. Fittingly enough, Chung won the title on a deciding deuce point. After dropping his first two championship points, Chung served at 40/40, 3-2 in the fourth set.

His first serve set up a sitting forehand, and Chung crushed a winner to win his first title on the final day of his season. He leaves Milan with a cheque for $390,000 in prize money; Rublev will receive $235,000.

David Goffin started 2017 with every indication of reaching the Nitto ATP Finals.

As of 15 May, the nimble Belgian was fourth in the Emirates ATP Race to London as a result of an early-season run of form. Reaching the quarter-finals at the Australian Open, finals in Sofia and Rotterdam and further strong results on clay in Monte-Carlo and Madrid, Goffin seemed en route to qualifying for the season-ending championships for the first time, having played one match as an alternate last year (l. to Djokovic.)

But at Roland Garros, his season – and his ankle – took a turn. 

After an unfortunate slip on the backcourt rain tarps in his third-round encounter with Horacio Zeballos, Goffin’s season stalled, forcing him to miss Wimbledon before making a comeback on North American hard courts later in the summer. Following the US Open, it was difficult to tell if the 26 year old would be able to reclaim his early-season form.

“It was not easy to come back from my injury, that’s why I decided to play a lot of tournaments, a lot of weeks, “ said Goffin.

In Asia, Goffin put himself back in contention for a spot in London by winning his first two titles since 2014 at the Shenzhen Open and the Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships, ultimately compiling a 54-22 win-loss record to reach a career-high ranking of No.8 in the Emirates ATP Rankings.

“I didn’t expect to be here at this tournament but as soon as I won two titles … I decided to continue to try to be in the tournament and that’s the case,” said the Belgian. “That was the challenge: to be part of this tournament – and I made it, so I’m happy to be here. The season is not over yet and I’m going to try to play one more week and try to do my best.”

Goffin’s focus now shifts to his opening match against Rafael Nadal, twice his conqueror in 2017.

“It’s the toughest opponent to start this campaign here at the ATP Finals,” said Goffin of Nadal. “It’s not going to be easy. It’s our first meeting on hard courts indoors; we played some good matches on clay, in Madrid for example … I’m sure I can play some good tennis against him.”

Despite only going two sets, their Madrid encounter was of the highest quality, which included several memorable highlight-reel points in the second set. Goffin remarked that playing Nadal on hard courts compared to clay courts is a completely different challenge.

“First of all, it’s faster on hard courts and the [bounce] is lower indoors. Rafa, he cannot slide on this surface. He’s more comfortable on clay and can play higher, he can play deeper; it’s really heavy when he’s hitting the ball on clay so it’s not easy to take the ball really early. 

“Here there is no bad bounce – you can take the ball early, earlier than on other surfaces,” added Goffin. “You can do a lot more winners, so that’s what I’m going to try against him in my first match. But it’s not easy, he’s such a great fighter, such a great defender and as soon as you give him a short ball it’s a winner for him. It’s never easy to play against him.”

Goffin is set to play Nadal at the Nitto ATP Finals in Monday’s evening singles.

Fans attending the Nitto ATP Finals on Sunday will be treated with a historic moment as the day session gets underway. The season finale in London is set to open with a clash between second seed Roger Federer and debutante Jack Sock, marking a record 15th tournament appearance for the Swiss.

Federer saw his streak of 14 consecutive appearances snapped last year due to injury, but the six-time champion will be eager to make an emphatic statement to conclude a dominant 2017 campaign. Looking to neutralise Sock’s power game, Federer will take confidence from a 3-0 FedEx ATP Head2Head mark against the American. He did not drop a set in those three encounters, most recently prevailing 6-1, 7-6(4) in this year’s BNP Paribas Open semi-finals.

“I don’t look at the other 12 matches I won against these guys [in Group Boris Becker], my focus is solely on Jack Sock,” said Federer. “He had a wonderful week in Paris. He was almost out in the first round against Kyle Edmund and then ends up winning the whole thing. He’s confident and likes the big stage. I know that from the good match we had in Indian Wells. I can expect a tough one.”

Focused Federer Ready For London

In total, Federer has a 12-3 head-to-head record against the other three players in his group and he is 11-3 in opening matches at the Nitto ATP Finals, with losses coming in 2007 to Fernando Gonzalez, 2008 to Gilles Simon and 2013 to Novak Djokovic. The 36-year-old, who has secured the year-end No. 2 position in the Emirates ATP Rankings, will be bolstered by a 49-4 win-loss mark this year, including an 11-1 record against fellow Top 10 opponents.

While Federer looks to reach 50 match wins for the 14th time in his illustrious career, Sock will be bidding to match a personal best with his 37th victory of the season. The Swiss and the American are the only players to enter the tournament on the heels of clinching titles. Federer is streaking into Sunday’s showdown after lifting trophies at the Shanghai Rolex Masters and Swiss Indoors Basel, while Sock has won five matches in a row after claiming his maiden ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title in Paris.

Sock Flying The Flag For America In London

The Nebraska native is the first American in the season finale since Mardy Fish in 2011, and is looking to become the first to win a group stage match since Andy Roddick in 2007. Also the champion at the ATP World Tour 250 events in Auckland and Delray Beach, Sock joins Grigor Dimitrov, David Goffin and Alexander Zverev as Nitto ATP Finals debutantes this week.

“I’ve never played a format like this, but it’s nice having the guaranteed matches,” said Sock. “If the first one doesn’t go well, you have your next two to make the semis. It’s nice for sure. I think I have a fairly entertaining game, so I’m definitely looking forward to showcasing it and getting out there this weekend and into next week.”

Sunday’s evening session will feature Zverev against Marin Cilic, as Day 1 in Group Boris Becker comes to a close under the lights at The O2.

View FedEx ATP Head2Head matchup for the Group Boris Becker matches to be played Sunday at the Nitto ATP Finals and vote for who you think will win!
Federer vs. Sock | Zverev vs. Cilic

Take a look around The O2 this week and you’d be hard-pressed to find a player more exuberant and wide-eyed than Grigor Dimitrov.

Can you blame him?

After 10 seasons competing as a pro and pursuing his dreams on the ATP World Tour, Dimitrov has compiled his best campaign in 2017. The 26-year-old was rewarded with his first trip to the Nitto ATP Finals in London. In a season filled with new experiences, he admits he is relishing his debut appearance at the season finale.

“I can’t hide my smile,” Dimitrov told the assembled media ahead of the tournament. “I’m pretty pleased to be out here. For sure it’s a dream come true for me. In the past I’ve missed qualifying by one spot. It’s always been a goal of mine to come out here and perform. The arena is pretty special and they take such good care of you here. It’s a great reward. I’m so happy and super humbled.”

It’s the philosophy that every successful player on the ATP World Tour attributes to achieving their goals: hard work and dedication pay off. With the addition of Dani Vallverdu as coach, Dimitrov discovered a change in mentality and discipline both on and off the court. Up to a career-high No. 6 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, this personal growth and maturation has seen the Bulgarian soar in his quest to realise his full potential.

A dominant January and February, which saw Dimitrov post a 16-1 record en route to the Australian Open semi-finals and ATP World Tour 250 crowns in Brisbane and Sofia, was just the start. He would claim his biggest title in August at the Western & Southern Open, lifting his first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 trophy. The triumph in Cincinnati would see him return to the Top 10 for the first time in more than two years, and he would proceed to reach his 13th ATP World Tour final last month in Stockholm (l. to Del Potro).

It’s this enhanced focus and determination that Dimitrov credits for his success, as he looks forward to London and beyond.

“My overall performance the whole year has been pretty good. I have been more consistent, which is the key for me. Also, winning Cincinnati propelled me to do even better and I was fighting throughout every tournament I played. I had good discipline the whole year and ultimately I reached this goal. But I didn’t change anything major. Not too much.

“It’s mid-November and I’m already excited for next year and looking forward to the work during the offseason. It’s a good sign… With the right attitude, the good work ethic, just staying healthy, being as close as possible to your team and following your goals, everything can only get better. One of my most important goals is be better than I was yesterday whenever I get out on the court. Age doesn’t mean anything to me anymore.

Paired with top seed Rafael Nadal, Dominic Thiem and fellow debutant David Goffin in Group Pete Sampras, Dimitrov will look to build on a 44-19 record in 2017.

He opens against Thiem in Monday’s day session, in what will be their third FedEx ATP Head2Head encounter of the year. Dimitrov kicked off the season with a three-set victory over the Austrian in Brisbane, but Thiem reciprocated with a win in a deciding tie-break at the Mutua Madrid Open in May.

“I’ve played a few times against Dominic. He’s one of the best players. To be here, you’ve obviously done something right. I’m looking forward to the match. It’s cool to be here at the end of the year and play your last matches against the top players. I already had my first hit on the court and I think it’s going to be a great match.”