The star-studded field of eight champions has been trimmed to two at the Nitto ATP Finals, with Novak Djokovic and Casper Ruud still standing to contest Sunday’s title match. In addition to the Turin trophy, both men are playing for a major milestone in their respective careers.

Djokovic is seeking his sixth Nitto ATP Finals crown, a mark which would match Roger Federer for the tournament record. The 35-year-old can also become the oldest champion at the season finale, after the then-30-year-old Federer’s London triumph in 2011. By claiming the title as an undefeated champion, Djokovic would walk away with a record payday of more than $4.7 million, as well as 1,500 Pepperstone ATP Rankings points.

Ruud — a nine-time ATP Tour champion — is hunting his first ‘Big Title’ after falling just short in the finals at Miami, Roland Garros and the US Open this year. Already up one place to World No. 3 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings this week, the 23-year-old could return to No. 2 and move within 500 points of Carlos Alcaraz at the pinnacle of the men’s game with another victory.

A victory would set either man up with a strong chance at passing the Spaniard early in the 2023 season, with neither Djokovic nor Ruud defending points at the Australian Open. 

Despite his lofty ranking, Ruud still feels like the underdog against Djokovic, who has moved up three places himself to No. 5 this week in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings. The Norwegian has yet to win a set in three previous meetings with the former World No. 1, including a 7-6(4), 6-2 defeat last year in the Turin group stage. But Ruud has high hopes of breaking that trend on Sunday against the reigning Wimbledon champion.

“He’s a player that doesn’t have many weaknesses at all,” he said of his final opponent. “But he is human. He lost two weeks ago to Rune in the [Rolex Paris Masters] final. It’s not like he plays these finals every day of his career, in his life. I’m sure he will also feel a little bit of pressure. There’s a lot on the line.”

Having watched Djokovic win his five previous year-end titles on TV, Ruud is now in position to stop him from gaining No. 6. He will be hoping that fitness becomes a factor, with Djokovic entering his third match in as many days after gruelling contests against Daniil Medvedev and Taylor Fritz.

“He’s played a little bit more tennis than I have,” Ruud said after a dominant 6-2, 6-4 semi-final win against Andrey Rublev. “I don’t know if he will feel tired — probably not. But this is the perfect way for me to go into the final. I hope I can save some of this great tennis for tomorrow and see what happens.”

As he did against Rublev, Ruud will seek to use his high-RPM forehand to dictate the rallies against Djokovic. The Norwegian’s tactics for his semi-final win centred on attacking the Rublev backhand. On Sunday, Djokovic may employ the same game plan against Ruud.

According to the finalists’ INSIGHTS Shot Quality scores — which factor in a variety of metrics to grade strokes on a 10-point scale — the backhand is where Djokovic holds the biggest edge in this matchup. With both men characterised as ‘Solid Baseliners’ by the analysis, the title match will be won by the player who executes that style better on the day.

Specific to this week in Turin, the statistics are even more encouraging for Djokovic, with his forehand rated a field-leading 8.91 at the Pala Alpitour. The Serbian also leads the eight Turin qualifiers in Steal Score and Return Quality this week, with Ruud graded second on the forehand and third in Steal rate. 

In addition to stealing 37.1 per cent of points from defence this week, Djokovic has played nearly 25 per cent of his shots In Attack at the 2022 Nitto ATP Finals, and he has converted 73.6 per cent of points in which he has gained an offensive advantage.

All of that has translated to a seventh tour-level final of the season for Djokovic.

“I was looking forward to being in this position,” the seventh seed said after his 7-6(5), 7-6(6) win against Fritz on Saturday. “I’m very happy to be able to compete for another big trophy, one of the biggest ones that we have in our sport.”

While he admitted to feeling “heavy legs” and a “lack of reactivity” against the American, Djokovic took care of business without his very best tennis. He knows nothing short of excellence will be enough against Ruud in the final.

“I would love to, of course, win the trophy, but I’m not going to be the only player who is going to want that on the court,” Djokovic said in his post-match press conference. “Hopefully I’ll be able to play at the level that I’ve played most of the matches this week and get a trophy.”

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It would come as no surprise to see Djokovic ending his season with the title after his strong lead-in to Turin. The Serbian posted a 13-1 record in his past three ATP Tour events, winning trophies in Tel Aviv and Astana before reaching the Rolex Paris Masters Final. His four titles this season also include triumphs at Wimbledon and in Rome.

Ruud’s progress in Turin was less predictable — similar to his breakout season, which the Norwegian has admitted surprised even him. After his run to the US Open final, Ruud slumped to a 2-4 record in four ATP Tour tournaments before rediscovering his form in Turin.

“I think when the draw was made here, I guess I was the least favourite to reach the final; I think I can say for sure, compared to all the other great players who I consider are maybe better hard-court indoor players than myself,” Ruud said after reaching the title match. “There are small margins in this sport. I’ve been able to come through, fight through, be in the final, so I’m very happy about it.”

Andrey Rublev suffered a devastating defeat Saturday evening against Casper Ruud in the semi-finals of the Nitto ATP Finals. However, the three-time season finale qualifier leaves Turin with a positive attitude.

“Of course, there [are] a lot of positive things to take. I can be grateful for the week. I [made the] semi-final. I was here. We’re the best eight players. All the players are dreaming to play here, and I was part of it,” Rublev said. “The rest of the players, they’re not here, so obviously it’s better to be here and to lose every match than not to be here at all. I did semis for the first time, I’m happy.”

Rublev entered the clash with a 4-1 ATP Head2Head advantage against Ruud. His only previous defeat to the Norwegian came in a final-set tie-break last year at the Pala Alpitour.

On this occasion, it did not go the 25-year-old’s way. Ruud converted all four of his break points to triumph after 69 minutes.

“I hope I can take a great lesson out of this match. We’ll see. We’ll see. Now I have great time to improve, so we’ll see how it’s going to be for Australia,” Rublev said. “I’m really excited for the next season. I’m motivated, especially now finishing this week being more stable than usual, winning some matches that normally I would not win before.”

Rublev defeated two former Nitto ATP Finals champions — Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas — to claim his first semi-final berth at the year-end championships. In his first two appearances, Rublev went 1-2 in round-robin play. Ruud was simply too good in the knockout stages.

“I think I started quite well, and then, I don’t know, Casper was just too good. He played really well, really solid. Since the beginning he [played at a] high level. That’s it,” Rublev said. “When I lost my serve, I started to rush a bit. I was trying to play aggressive, rushing. I started to miss more and more.

“It’s tough when he [had], I don’t know, almost 80 per cent first-serve serving 215. It’s tough to do something. Then when the match was almost done, when I managed to relax a bit and I was keep playing aggressive, but I was not rushing, I managed to start to play better. It was too late. But he was too good. Nothing to say.”

SF Highlights: Ruud vs Rublev

The No. 7 player in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings, Rublev won 50 tour-level matches for the second consecutive year (51-20) and lifted four trophies in a season for the second time, triumphing in Marseille, Dubai, Belgrade and Gijon. Despite the quiet end to his campaign, Rublev is excited to work towards an even bigger 2023.

“I’m positive,” Rublev said. “And I’m really excited and motivated for the next season.”

Fans have been treated to dramatic three-set matches at the Nitto ATP Finals this week, with Novak Djokovic and Casper Ruud among those producing their best in Turin.

However, the players are not the only ones who have been putting on a show at the Pala Alpitour. Krystal Kuartet, an electric string group from Bologna, have lit up the Pala Alpitour with their pitch-perfect performances before each singles match.

For violinists Ilaria Coratti and Altea Saraceni, the experience of playing in front of more than 10,000 fans each session has been memorable.

“I had a range of feelings before playing,” Coratti said. “We were nervous. But then we were really excited when [we] started [playing], with all the crowds screaming at us. It is a performance for us. It is a joy for us.”

“It is really amazing because you enter the arena and all the people are watching you and it is very impressive,” Saraceni added.

_{^{Photo Credit: Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour}}

 Nitto ATP Finals Tournament Director Adam Hogg said: “I think the key for us is that the event has built a reputation for innovation, technology, moving forward, market-leading in terms of how we present the sport. But it is also [about] blending that with the location where we are, and that’s the crux of what we’re trying to do.

“You see Italian influence, whether it be through the contrast between different elements of Italian culture and the professionalism required to be an elite athlete in terms of performance, dedication, skill and time spent at your craft and the like. [It is about] combining that element of Italianism and culture, but also with elite modern sport.”

Coratti and Saraceni revealed the group, which also includes violinists Greta Rondelli and Viviana Marzolo, practises for five hours a day to ensure they deliver their best when they step on court to perform. The pair has enjoyed being part of the prestigious year-end event and have loved watching the tennis, rewarding themselves for their incredible performances by cheering on the players.

“We have seen some matches and we love it so much,” said Saraceni, who used to play tennis before turning her focus to music. “It is a really important event and Turin is really grateful to have this competition in this city.”

“It is different as we usually play for private events [such as] birthday parties and weddings,” Coratti said. “Sometimes we play at sporting events. We went to play at an MMA event in Bahrain as well. But this is bigger.”

Casper Ruud delivered a ruthless semi-final display on Saturday night at the Nitto ATP Finals, where the third-seeded Norwegian dispatched Andrey Rublev 6-2, 6-4 in Turin to set a championship match clash against Novak Djokovic.

Ruud struck the ball with consistency and power and was clinical at key moments as he converted four of four break points to cruise to a comfortable victory at the Pala Alpitour. The only blip for the Buenos Aires, Geneva and Gstaad champion came at 5-2 in the second set, when he dropped his serve when serving for the match, but he held firm to seal his win in just 69 minutes.

“It’s tough sometimes because things are obviously going great, but sometimes they can go almost too well,” said Ruud after his triumph. “So you feel like you can do anything with the ball and you can get a little bit ahead of yourself.

“I don’t think I did when I was serving for it [the first time]. Andrey hit some great returns, aggressive with the forehand. Of course, you tend to hesitate a little bit. Luckily for me, I go out there at 5-4 and serve with new balls, so that helps a lot. I knew that I had the backup break. I wasn’t stressing too much. Everything sort of was going my way today.”

Rublev had expertly maintained his focus to rally to a crucial three-set round-robin victory against Stefanos Tsitsipas on Friday night, but the sixth seed was unable to deliver a repeat performance against the rock-solid Norwegian as Ruud raced into the final on just his second Nitto ATP Finals appearance.

In a meeting between two of the biggest forehands in the game, it was Ruud who shone brightest off that wing. The Norwegian’s INSIGHTS Forehand Quality score for the match was 8.5 out of 10, a tally 1.3 higher than the ATP Tour average.

_{^{Casper Ruud: INSIGHTS Forehand Quality Vs. Andrey Rublev}}

Ruud and Rublev had appeared set for a hard-fought contest after some hard-hitting rallies in the early stages at the Pala Alpitour, but Rublev made a series of errors from 40/15 to hand Ruud a break in the fifth game. The Norwegian then took firm control, reeling off seven more games in a row to move within two of a milestone victory.

A late surge from Rublev, during which he recovered from 1-5 to 4-5, proved too little, too late, with his 23 unforced errors the defining statistic of his loss. In contrast, Ruud made just eight, while the Norwegian also hitting 20 winners en route to his 51st tour-level victory of the season.

It was only Ruud’s second victory against Rublev in five ATP Head2Head meetings. His sole previous win also came in Turin, a three-set triumph in the round-robin stage in 2021.

“I got a couple of good beatings from Andrey, so it was nice to sort of get revenge from that,” said Ruud. “And we haven’t played since here last year. I’m not going to get ahead of myself, but I guess I have a good thing going against him in Turin.”

Ruud will be the first Scandinavian to contest a Nitto ATP Finals championship match since Sweden’s Stefan Edberg in 1990. Should he defeat Djokovic and clinch the title, the 23-year-old will pass Rafael Nadal to end the year as No. 2 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. Yet he is aware of the task that lies ahead.

“He’s a player that doesn’t have many weaknesses at all,” said Ruud of Djokovic. “But he’s human. He’s had a great year… But he is human. He lost two weeks ago to Rune in the [Rolex Paris Masters] final.

“It’s not like he plays these finals every day of his career, in his life. I’m sure he will also feel a little bit of pressure. There’s a lot on the line. [In the Pepperstone ATP Rankings], I may be ahead of him, but I feel like the underdog. He has won this tournament five times and I’ve seen them all on TV, how great he has played.”

Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard is a tennis junkie. Not only is the 19-year-old finding early success on the ATP Challenger Tour, he also manages to watch his close friends, such as Arthur Fils, on Challenger TV.

Amidst all his matches, practices, work outs, travelling, and the minute details that go into a professional tennis player’s life, the Frenchman is a true supporter of his friends.

This week at the Helsinki Challenger, he didn’t have to go online to watch Fils. He was across the net for a first-round qualifying match.

“I try to watch every single match of Arthur’s on Challenger TV,” Mpetshi Perricard told ATPTour.com.

In 2021, ‘Gio’ made his first breakthrough as he partnered with Fils to win the Roland Garros boys’ doubles title. That same week, Fils got the better of him in the boys’ singles semi-final en route to a runner-up finish (l. Van Assche). In Finland, the roles were reversed as Mpetshi Perricard qualified for the Helsinki Challenger main draw. The #NextGenATP Frenchmen are hoping to be among the next generation of top professionals in their country.

“It was nice to win the boys’ doubles title at home with my friend,” Mpetshi Perricard said. “Now when I see the results of Arthur and guys like Gabriel Debru, we push each other in a good way. When we are back training at the [French Tennis] Federation, there is a good atmosphere together.”

The Lyon native, who has competed in just eight Challenger events in his career, is already learning valuable lessons through the highs and lows of the professional circuit. One important learning curve came after a tough loss in May.

“At the Bordeaux Challenger, I lost in qualifying to Salvatore Caruso after having two match points,” Mpetshi Perricard said. “After the match I told myself, ‘Giovanni, you had two match points against a very good player, so you can go higher!’

“The beginning of the season was very complicated for me. I had a shoulder injury and I was sick. Now I’m really happy to be playing at 100 percent.”

This summer, ‘Gio’ advanced through qualifying en route to reaching his first Challenger semi-final at the Liberec Challenger, where he lost to eventual champion Jiri Lehecka. The Frenchman continued to play well on the clay-courts, including the Lima-2 Challenger, where he was a quarter-finalist (l. Coria).

The youngster stands tall at 6’7” and carries an aggressive game style. Boasting a heavy delivery, solid forehand, and a one-handed backhand, ‘Gio’ pounces on any opportunity to close the net.

Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard in action at the 2022 Lima-2 Challenger. Credit: @igmachallengers

Coached by Emmanuel Planque, who has previously worked with former Top-25 players Michael Llodra, Lucas Pouille, and Fabrice Santoro, the World No. 382 has his eyes set on following in the footsteps of his French tennis idols Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Gael Monfils to achieve a childhood dream.

“Growing up you see Roland Garros on TV, and I told myself, ‘I want to be there!’” Mpetshi Perricard said.

The Frenchman isn’t the only tennis player in his family with a bright future. His 13-year-old sister Daphnee won the J3 Saint Cyprien ITF event this past month. Giovanni cracked a laugh as he shared that he will never allow her to beat him.

Whether he’s watching his friends on Challenger TV, finding success of his own, or enjoying a sibling rivalry against his younger sister, ‘Gio’ has the sport of tennis flowing through his veins.

Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic moved to within one with of capturing their biggest title of the season Saturday when they clawed past Lloyd Glasspool and Harri Heliovaara 6-4, 6-7(4), 10-6 to reach the championship match at the Nitto ATP Finals.

The Croatians dropped just one set during the round-robin stage and played with confidence throughout the dramatic semi-final clash, crunching returns and dispatching volleys at the crucial moments to earn their 51st tour-level win of season as a team after one hour and 39 minutes.

“During the match there were some tough games on our serve but we survived it,” Mektic said. “We were focused and we really wanted this win and I am so happy we gave ourselves a chance tomorrow.”

The fourth seeds fell to Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury in the semi-finals in Turin last year. They will have the chance to gain revenge in Sunday’s final, though, after the American-British tandem downed top seeds Wesley Koolhof and Neal Skupski earlier.

“I remember in the semis we lost a tough match,” Pavic said when looking ahead to the final against Ram and Salisbury. “We didn’t drop our serve, they won in a Match Tie-break, and I am expecting the same thing. They like the court and the conditions. I am looking forward to it. That is why you play, to go on the big stage.”

Mektic and Pavic are seeking their sixth tour-level title of the year this week in northern Italy. They triumphed together at an ATP Masters 1000 event in Rome, while they also lifted trophies in Geneva, at The Queen’s Club in London, in Eastbourne and Astana.

In a hard-fought clash, Mektic and Pavic were strong on serve, winning 82 per cent (42/51) of points behind their first delivery as they fended off attacking onslaughts from the sixth seeds. They also held their nerve, saving all five break points they faced, before pulling clear in the Match Tie-break to improve to 4-0 in their ATP Head2Head series against Glasspool and Heliovaara.

Mektic is aiming to win his second Nitto ATP Finals crown, having triumphed with Wesley Koolhof in 2020.

Glasspool and Heliovaara were making their debut this week in Turin. They have enjoyed a consistent year on Tour, highlighted by winning their maiden ATP 500 title in Hamburg in July. The British-Finnish pair finishes the season holding a 47-27 record.

As Novak Djokovic walked from his locker room towards centre court at the Pala Alpitour on Saturday, the Serbian closed his eyes for a moment. The five-time Nitto ATP Finals winner was in the zone. Call it the champion’s zone.

The 35-year-old found that area of focus when he needed it most in the Turin semi-finals against Taylor Fritz, whom he defeated in two tie-breaks to advance to the championship match at the season finale.

“I was looking forward to being in this position. I’m very happy to be able to compete for another big trophy, one of the biggest ones that we have in our sport,” Djokovic said. “So far a great week for me. Four out of four wins. Of course, the last match of the season, I’m going to give it all. I’m going to obviously try my best.”

Watch Djokovic vs Fritz SF Highlights:

More often than not, Djokovic has discovered his best tennis on the world’s biggest stages under the most pressure. It is a champion’s intangible that the Serbian has relied on in the toughest of moments.

It is not always easy for the former World No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. On Friday, Djokovic needed more than three hours to claw past Daniil Medvedev while under physical distress. He put that behind him to battle past Fritz in a tense semi-final.

“I like the fact that I was able to win against Medvedev after a very long battle, then come back the next day after not too much time for recovery, be able to win another tight match against Fritz in two sets,” Djokovic said. “That’s something that has in a way defined my career over the years. I’ve had similar situations where I was able to bounce back and really make some big wins.

“I would love to, of course, win the trophy, but I’m not going to be the only player who is going to want that on the court. Hopefully I’ll be able to play at the level that I’ve played most of the matches this week and get a trophy.”

This is a position Djokovic is plenty familiar with. The Serbian first triumphed at the Nitto ATP Finals — then the Tennis Masters Cup — in 2008. If he lifts the trophy Sunday, it will make 14 years between his first and most recent title at the year-end championships. The current record belongs to Pete Sampras and Roger Federer, who claimed their first and last season finale crowns eight years apart.

Separately, Djokovic can tie Federer’s record of six Nitto ATP Finals titles. He has positioned himself for this opportunity through consistent evolution.

“I would like to believe that I’m evolving, as anybody else, hopefully in a positive way. I’m experiencing changes on my body and of course with my mentality, my mind, my character. We all are evolving and moving along. Every single year we are different people,” Djokovic said. “Of course, with the different circumstances in life, you adapt to them and you try to be [a] better version [than] you have been the year before, not just in terms of athleticism or results or tennis, but just in general.

“There is more experience. I like to maybe believe there is more wisdom, as well, in terms of how I see things related to my sport and my life. Of course, I’m seeing tennis different and the life around tennis today than I’ve seen it 15 years ago. I’ve always been very thorough with my approach and analysis on and off the court.”

Djokovic developed this mindset under the tutelage of Jelena Gencic, his first tennis coach. According to the 21-time major winner, she “was very professional and had that holistic approach to everything”.

“Of course, as I was getting older, each year was passing, more things, more lessons learned, more things added, some maybe put away,” Djokovic said. “It creates a formula of success that is obviously working for you, but maybe not for somebody else.”

Djokovic has successfully used that formula countless time during his career. He will hope to do so once more on Sunday, when the champion of champions will be crowned.

Did You Know?
Djokovic is one victory from becoming an undefeated Nitto ATP Finals champion for the fourth time. If he lifts the trophy, it will come with the biggest payday in tennis history: a record $4,740,300 in prize money.

It has been a year of firsts for Taylor Fritz. The American lifted his maiden ATP Masters 1000 title in Indian Wells in March and cracked the Top 10 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings in October, before making his debut at the Nitto ATP Finals this week.

Despite suffering semi-final heartbreak against Novak Djokovic in Turin on Saturday, the 25-year-old revealed that he was proud of his season as he reflected on his newfound status in the sport.

“I absolutely feel like I belong,” said World No. 9 Fritz in his post-match press conference. “I think that I’ve proved that I belong in the Top 10 and I belong here. I just need to keep working hard.

“Fortunately for me, I think there’s a lot of positives to take out of this year where I finished. I finished where I did and I missed pretty much the whole clay-court season, didn’t have any training going into the beginning of the hard-court season. I was dealing with injuries and I still was able to produce a really solid year. I’m just excited to get back to work and keep improving. Next year [I will] look to cement my spot even more.”

Fritz earned round-robin victories against Rafael Nadal and Felix Auger-Aliassime at the prestigious year-end event, before falling to Djokovic 7-6(5), 7-6(6).

The American finished ninth in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin and therefore looked set to miss out on competing in Turin. However, Carlos Alcaraz’s internal oblique muscle tear forced the Spaniard to withdraw a week before the event, opening the door for Fritz.

The World No. 9 admitted that despite his semi-final disappointment, he was pleased with how he grabbed his chance in northern Italy.

“I’m sure in two weeks from now I’ll look back and I’ll say, ‘It was a really great week,’” Fritz said. “Not only did I get the chance to play the [Nitto ATP] Finals, I made it out of the group. I had two good wins.

“I could have ended my year with a second-round loss in Paris and that would have been it. I would have gone into the off-season with that being the last match. Now I’m going to feel a lot better about my tennis, about my game being done for the season off of this performance. So it’s great.”

Fritz, who was making his debut at the year-end event this week, also feels the experience of competing in Turin will benefit him moving forward.

“I think the event’s amazing,” Fritz said. “I like that you can lose a match and still have the opportunity to come back and improve. It’s a whole different thing. I’ve never lost a match and then immediately had to lock in straight back to it. To do everything after the match the same as I would if I had won because I have to get ready to play again.

“I think it’s a good lesson to learn, staying locked in all the time. On Tour the top players are consistent every week. That’s one thing you can take out of it. Even after you lose, you just kind of stay on it.”