ATP Finals: Novak Djokovic targets sixth title as event moves to Turin
Novak Djokovic says he feels fresher going into next week’s ATP Finals than in previous years as he chases a record-equalling sixth title.
Novak Djokovic says he feels fresher going into next week’s ATP Finals than in previous years as he chases a record-equalling sixth title.
Low on confidence, Daniil Medvedev was unsure of how he’d fare at the final two tournaments of 2020. But there is a fine line between winning and losing in professional sport and the Russian clinched the Rolex Paris Masters and Nitto ATP Finals titles to finish the year on a high.
Speaking ahead of his title defence, this time at the Pala Alpitour in Turin, Medvedev admitted, “It was very important [for 2021].
“Tennis is so much about ups and downs, gaining of confidence. Coming into Paris last year I felt completely out of shape, low on confidence and not sure what I could achieve in the last two tournaments of the year. I found my tennis and confidence to win both of them, and of course I beat Novak [Djokovic], Rafa [Nadal] and Dominic [Thiem] at the [Nitto ATP] Finals. Three really tough match ups.
“It was amazing, and that gave me confidence in Australia. After you re-watch [matches] on YouTube, your confidence is back. You think, ‘I’m still able to do it.’
“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. It was enough for all this year, knowing that I could beat the best players in the world.”
As second seed, Medvedev leads the Red Group at the Nitto ATP Finals, alongside 2018 titlist Alexander Zverev, home favourite Matteo Berrettini and first-time qualifier Hubert Hurkacz.
Medvedev has been practising with World No. 1 Novak Djokovic in recent weeks, and they have done so at the Pala Alpitour in Turin. The 25-year-old lost to Djokovic in last week’s Rolex Paris Masters final, but isn’t fazed by training with his rival.
“You have to practise with other players,” said Medvedev. “I think if you think, ‘Oh my, he’s going to see my weak side’, your life in tennis will be too tough. You’d only be able to play with your sparring partner. You also need to play with the best players in the world to improve. We were the only ones yesterday that knew we wouldn’t play each other in the group stages.
“The level of our matches will always be high, but you will try to adapt your style. I tried to re-watch the Australian Open final for the US Open final, and Novak watched the US Open match to change things [in Paris]. We both did the right things [in Paris], but he played better on the day. You know nothing will ever come easily and you need to fight throughout the match.”
Medvedev begins his Nitto ATP Finals campaign on Sunday afternoon against Hurkacz.
Juan Carlos Ferrero is in no rush with Carlos Alcaraz. In the run up to the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals, the innovative tournament in Milan that brings together the Tour’s best 21-and-under players, everything seems to be going in slow motion. The Spaniard is flying through the ranks of professional tennis with a career built on the foundations of the calm instilled in him by his coach, who is determined to build a rock-solid player.
At the players’ hotel, just 500 meters from the Allianz Cloud stadium that is hosting the competition, the former World No. 1 spoke to ATPTour.com about one of the most exciting prospects on Tour.
Do you view Milan as the reward for a great season?
Of course. He has his sights set very high and he also had an eye on the other tournament [the Nitto ATP Finals], because he was No. 20 in the [FedEx ATP] Race [To Turin]. Without a doubt, he was very excited to come here and it was one of the goals at the start of the season. We haven’t spoken much about it because you pay more attention to the normal ranking. Since he qualified, he has been looking forward to playing the tournament even though there are no points available. Because of the characteristics of the tournament: the singles court, the eight best players.
Also, the standard here is very high, there are players that are in the Top 30 like him and [Sebastian] Korda, [Holger Vitus Nodskov] Rune, who just won several Challenger events, is here, [Sebastian] Baez, who has also won quite a few tournaments, [Hugo] Gaston is also closing in on the Top 60… The standard is very high here and it’s not a minor tournament by any means. It really is a source of motivation.
Photo Credit: Peter Staples/ATP Tour
Carlos is the highest ranked player, as well as being the youngest, what have you made of his rise?
Carlos’ rise has been very fast this year. I already thought he was precocious at 15 or 16 years old. At that age he beat Albert Ramos-Vinolas in Rio de Janeiro. I told myself that when he turned 18 he could be around the Top 50.
I think it’s very positive. Of course, we’ve never been in a hurry. We’ve always tried to make him grow and invested a lot in his tennis and paid very little attention to his ranking – always focused on improving his game and as a player, and gaining more experience with how young he is. The ranking came because of the results. We really value it because it’s very difficult to do. Even more so with the situation created by COVID-19, which has meant it was even harder to climb up the rankings.
A few days ago Carlos said: “I’ve exceeded my expectations this year.” Has he exceeded yours?
Ferrero: Yes, one of the expectations we had was to be ranked around No. 50. In terms of that number, he has exceeded expectations. We could also mention that he has played against top players and been able to compete on their level – and even beat them, as was the case with [Stefanos] Tsitsipas and [Matteo] Berrettini, even [Jannik] Sinner, who is another of the most promising young players. It’s true that he has exceeded those expectations and shown that his game peaks at a very high level that we have to try and maintain so that he can play like that continuously.
Carlos will continue to climb. Right now, he’s a bit like Son Goku [from Dragonball Z], when he started to transform and then lost power. It’s a little joke I have with him. But it’s true that those peaks at such a high level are because he’s a very dynamic player who can do a lot of things on court and on any surface.
Many of his peers call him ‘mature’ for his age. What is maturity?
Ferrero: Recognising what is happening on court, knowing when you are doing things well or badly. Often players obsess over something, and don’t realise what they’re doing wrong. Carlos started to realise increasingly quickly what he was doing wrong, and what he actually has to focus on, above all on a mental level.
Since he was little, he has been an inconsistent player: he would play very well, then he would play very badly. It still happens to him on occasions, but he’s much more stable now. He has placed a lot of importance on working hard on the mental side. It’s something that I’ve always mentioned to him over these three years, that it was very important to progress little by little. He has also upped his work with his psychologist Isabel Balaguer. He knows perfectly well that it is one of the most important things, because in terms of fitness and his tennis, his progress is very fast at the moment.
I think the most important thing at the moment is to continue growing as a player on a mental level in order to keep getting stronger for situations like those he has been through or the many more he may experience.
What are you most proud of when you think about Carlos?
He’s very loyal to the people he loves. The people that work with him really recognise that, because of how he is now and not because of who he is becoming. I really value what a great kid he is. From the start I think we connected very well. I really value that it’s a simple relationship and that the daily work between us is easy. Ultimately, so much travel and so much time together requires peaceful relationships. I really value that loyalty and that trust.
Then we get to the question of whether or not he is a hard worker, if he is dedicated or not. I’m a very strict person when it comes to work and he has gradually had to incorporate things that he didn’t have and that I told him were very important. At first, he found it tough but then he understood that in the end it’s a way of life. He gradually learned these things and there is merit in that because that wasn’t the case at the beginning.
What’s the one thing you’ve tried to instill in him the most?
Humility and consistent hard work. I think it’s very important. Then there have been other details. He was a person who, when he was tired, really dropped his level of training and I’ve always been consistent in telling him that you have to work during those times. The importance of intensity on court… There are many small things, but I have highlighted humility and being a hard worker on court. That’s something that he absolutely had to have.
Even well-established players have recognised his progress, how has that influenced Alcaraz?
He absorbs it very well, without added pressure. Since everyone has started saying that he is the new player who could go right to the top, he has tried to stay in a small bubble. Above all, to try and stay on his own path. Carrying the burden of comparisons with a player like Rafa [Nadal] is difficult for such a young boy.
He is very mentally strong but he still has a lot to learn – we saw it last week [he was in tears against Hugo Gaston in the last 16 of the Rolex Paris Masters]. There are things that he is unable to control. The fact that they compare him with Rafa is difficult but we have always handled it well. Him best of all. He wants to do things his own way and so far, he really is coping very well. We haven’t noticed more or less pressure because of this.
Photo Credit: Peter Staples/ATP Tour
Does it take someone special to maintain that?
I’d say you have to be very clear about it. We talk about it, not much, but sometimes we’ve talked about it. And we’re very sure of the road he wants to follow. So they compare him with Rafa? Great, that means that people think he has a lot of potential. But he has to be very clear, and other people do too, that he has to stay on his own path. I won’t say that Rafa’s career is unrepeatable, but almost. Carlos has to have his own career and keep looking forward.
You’ve been World No. 1 in the past. Do you remember yourself at his age?
I think we’re similar in that we are both very emotive on court. That’s positive, because it means you don’t lose your identity or your style of play. If you’re truly good, you’re able to keep your head in difficult moments, tough matches, moments of tension. A player with character will always push forwards. A player who shrinks from those situations will find it difficult to win big tournaments. In that respect, he is very good.
Making comparisons is difficult. Something else about Carlos is he always wants to improve. That’s very important. I’ve spoken to him a lot about wanting to be better every day. You can’t train for the sake of it, that’s a waste of time. You have to do quality training, to know what to train, you have to know what needs improving, where your weaknesses are, which moments you need to improve in, and in which moments you need to read the game. He has been improving in all of those aspects.
At some tournaments we’ve joked around, ‘Now you have to tell me what you’re doing wrong in this match.’ To explain to me exactly what he should have done differently, doing role plays like that. It might not seem like it, but it really helps him a lot.
Is he good at those analyses?
Yes. We tend to talk about what has happened. More than about statistics, or what he should have done. I talk more about mental moments on court than tennis tactics. He is quite open to that and it’s wanting to improve constantly that’s the most important thing.
If we were to speak in one year’s time, what would Juan Carlos Ferrero be happy with?
If Carlos has managed to continue growing naturally and in the way I have in mind, I have a very clear idea of what next year could be. As he progresses, he will turn 19, he’ll be more mature, have more experience on court, and play a lot of quality matches against very good players. If everything continues as I think it may, I think next year will be… interesting.
A decade ago, it wasn’t looking too good for Roger Federer.
When he turned 30 in August, he was still without a title in 2011. Federer fell to Novak Djokovic in the Australian Open semi-finals, to Rafael Nadal in the final at Roland Garros and to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the quarter-finals of the venue that had produced his most celebrated accomplishments, Wimbledon. And it was the heartbreaking way he lost there to the Frenchman, in five sets after winning the first two.
It happened again in the US Open semi-finals, when Djokovic dropped the first two sets, then came back to hand Federer a stunning loss. For the first time since 2002, Federer had failed to win at least one major tournament. It was a disturbing trend and the whispers that he was no longer a dominant champion began in earnest.
Not to worry. Back at home in Basel, Switzerland, Federer’s championship form kicked in with a vengeance. He won 10 of 11 sets, defeating Andy Roddick, Stan Wawrinka and Kei Nishikori to take the title, his fifth in Basel. A week later, Federer was hoisting the trophy again, at the ATP Masters 1000 in Paris, winning all 10 sets – the last two, perhaps appropriately, over Tsonga.
Thus, Federer came into the Nitto ATP Finals with some late-season momentum, looking for what would be a record sixth year-end finals crown. Still, the overwhelming favourite was Djokovic, who had put together a remarkable 2011 campaign, including three major titles and four Masters 1000s. The Serbian star had accumulated twice as many ranking points as the No.4-seeded Federer and had a comfortable margin over No. 2 Nadal and No. 3 Andy Murray.
Group B featured round-robin competition between Federer, Nadal, Tsonga and Mardy Fish. Nadal, whose collective record against the other three was a robust 30-11, was the leading light, followed at a distance by Federer (20-21). Nadal’s 17- 8 head-to-head record against Federer – 3-0 in 2011 – seemed to be the telling statistic.
Digging a little deeper, however, Federer was extremely comfortable in this sparkling venue, The O2 in London. In the year-end event’s second season in Great Britain, 2010, he took home the title for a record-tying fifth time, beating Nadal in a memorable three-set match. Considered by many to be the greatest indoor player ever, Federer’s unprecedented skill set was on display; the ludicrous hand-eye coordination, hitting the ball so early that groundstrokes sometimes looked like half-volleys, drop shots so sublime it was almost surprising when they didn’t evaporate.
On the opening day of action, Federer defeated Tsonga 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 for the second consecutive Sunday. Two days later, ignoring that daunting head-to-head disadvantage, Federer mastered Nadal 6-3, 6-0. His three-set win over Mardy Fish sent him soaring into the semifinals. That’s where he met David Ferrer, who emerged from the Group A round-robin matches after beating Murray, Djokovic and Tomas Berdych. Federer dispatched Ferrer in straight sets, setting up his third encounter with Tsonga in as many Sundays.
Photo Credit: Adrian Dennis/AFP/Getty Images
The Nov. 27 championship result: Federer, 6-3, 6-7(6), 6-3. It was the Swiss maestro’s 100th ATP-level final and his 70th title. London Mayor Boris Johnson and Real Madrid soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo were among those packed into The O2.
“It feels very special, indeed,” said Federer afterward. “I’ve been trying to sort of block it out for the entire tournament, the entire time I’ve been here in London. I just tried to recuperate from Basel and Paris and hopefully get through the round- robin.”
“I was extremely relieved. I can’t wait for the beach, I’m exhausted.”
Not only did Federer become the oldest year-end champion, surpassing Ilie Nastase by a year, but he broke a three-way tie with Ivan Lendl (1981-82, 1985-87) and Pete Sampras (1991, 1994, 1996-97, 1999) to become the first six-time winner of the tournament.
Djokovic will attempt to tie that mark this year at the Pala Alpitour in Turin, Italy.
[ATP HERITAGE]Federer – who won in 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2010 and 2011 – won six in a remarkable span of nine years. His 59 year-end match wins, earned across three continents, is another ATP standard, well ahead of Djokovic in second, with 38. To date, he has qualified a record 17 times, including 14 straight, from 2002-15. The win over Tsonga elevated his ranking to No. 3, marking the ninth consecutive time he was in the year-end top three.
His 59-17 record – playing against the finest in the world – works out to a winning factor of 78 per cent, surpassed only by Lendl’s (39-10) 80 per cent, and ahead of Sampras (71 per cent), Djokovic (70 per cent) and Nadal (56 per cent).
After an uncertain beginning (by his supreme standards), Federer won his last 17 matches in 2011.
“This definitely is an amazing finish, again, to the season,” he said. “I’ve never finished so strong.
“So now it’s finally sort of reality that I’ve been able to win six World Tour Finals. It’s an amazing feeling. I know it’s one of my greatest accomplishments.”
The semi-finals at the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals on Friday feature three of the top four seeds as No. 1 seed Carlos Alcaraz. who won Group A, takes on No. 6 Sebastian Baez and Group B winner No. 2 Sebastian Korda meets No. 4 Brandon Nakashima in an all-American match-up. Both are first-time meetings.
This is the fourth straight time the top seed has advanced to the semi-finals in Milan and it’s the third straight time the Top 2 seeds have reached the semis. It’s also the second time two players from the same country have reached the semi-finals. In 2017, Russians Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev were in the semi-finals.
The winner of Korda-Nakashima will be the first American to reach the final in the tournament’s four-year history and the winner of Alcaraz-Baez will also be the first player from Spain or Argentina to reach the final in Milan.
In the opening match, Korda and Nakashima have had different paths to the semi-finals. Korda lost the first two sets in his opening Group B match against Gaston and since then he has won nine straight sets to finish 3-0 in round robin play. Nakashima won his opener, lost to Alcaraz then beat Rune to finish second in Group A.
“I have never played Brandon before,” Korda said. “I have practised with him a bunch of times. It is going to be a new experience for me and for him. Hopefully we can play some good tennis and put on a good show for everybody.”
Korda leads the tournament in service games won (29 of 31, 94%) and second serve pts. won (62%) this week while he’s No. 2 in aces (20), first serve pts. won (79%), break pts. saved (11 of 13, 85%) and return games won (10 of 31, 32%), just behind Nakashima, who leads the tournament (11 of 29, 38%). Nakashima is No. 2 in break pts. converted (11 of 24, 46%) and No. 3 in service games won (25 of 30, 83%).
In the next semi-final, Group A winner Alcaraz looks to continue his strong play (9-1 in sets in round-robin) as he faces Baez, who finished second in Group B with a 2-1 round-robin record. The Argentine opened with a four-set win over local favorite Musetti, lost to Korda, then beat Gaston to qualify for the semi-finals.
Alcaraz is trying to become the second straight 18-year-old to reach the Milan final and win the title after Jannik Sinner captured the crown two years ago.
“I am very happy to get to the semi-finals,” Alcaraz said Thursday. “It is so important and to be able to play in the semi-finals here is amazing. To play these kinds of matches and this level, I am really glad. I am playing really, really well and feel very comfortable in Milan. I want to end the year with a title.”
Baez is playing in his first ATP Tour main draw hard court tournament and the 20-year-old Argentine leads in 1st Serve Pct. (79%) and is No. 2 in 2nd serve pts. won (58%) and pts. won returning 1st serve (35%), his best statistical categories.
Sebastian Korda passed his Italian test on Thursday with flying colours, downing home favourite Lorenzo Musetti 4-2, 4-3(4), 4-2 to reach the semi-finals at the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan.
Despite winning his opening two round-robin matches, the American knew a three or four-set defeat to Musetti would see him bundled out of the tournament at the expense of the 19-year-old.
But as Korda has done throughout the season, he produced a resilient performance when it mattered, overcoming Musetti and the crowd at the Allianz Cloud to secure victory in 69 minutes.
“It was a good match,” Korda said. “I took my chances when I had them, especially on the break points, so I was really happy with how I played today. The serve was probably one of the best things tonight and I returned pretty well also. On the big points in the tie-break I played really well, so I used that momentum throughout the whole match.”
?? @SebiKorda is the last man to qualify for the @intesasanpaolo #NextGenATPFinals semi-finals ? pic.twitter.com/6PsiXwoJxd
— Next Gen ATP Finals (@nextgenfinals) November 11, 2021
The 21-year-old’s triumph means he tops Group B and will face fellow American Brandon Nakashima in the semi-finals, while runner up Sebastian Baez will play Group A winner Carlos Alcaraz on Friday.
“I have never played Brandon before,” Korda added. “I have practised with him a bunch of times. It is going to be a new experience for me and for him. Hopefully we can play some good tennis and put on a good show for everybody.”
In a high-pressure match, Korda was strong on serve against Musetti, winning 90 per cent (27/30) of points behind his first delivery. The World No. 39 coped with the Italian’s variety well and looked sharp at the net throughout to level their ATP Head2Head series at 1-1.
Korda has now earned 30 tour-level wins in a breakthrough season. The second seed won his maiden tour-level crown in Parma in May and recorded his first Top 10 victory against then-World No. 9 Diego Schwartzman en route to the quarter-finals in Miami.
Musetti edged Frenchman Hugo Gaston in five sets on Wednesday to keep his semi-final hopes alive after suffering defeat to Baez on opening night in Milan. But he had no answer for Korda’s heavy-hitting, with the American avenging his Lyon defeat.
The doubles groups for the 2021 Nitto ATP Finals are set.
The groups are:
Green Group
Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic
Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos
Ivan Dodig and Filip Polasek
Kevin Krawietz and Horia Tecau
Red Group
Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury
Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut
Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah
Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares
Five players competing have lifted the trophy before, with Herbert and Mahut the only pair to do so together (2019). Granollers was victorious with Marc Lopez in 2012, Tecau triumphed alongside Jean-Julien Rojer in 2015 and Mektic earned the crown with Wesley Koolhof last year.
Mektic and Pavic, who have claimed nine tour-level titles this season, clinched the year-end No. 1 FedEx ATP Doubles Team Ranking last week. This is their first year competing as a duo.
Tommy Paul says he “played some of my best tennis” to battle past Andy Murray for a place in the Stockholm Open semi-finals on Thursday night.
The American lost just six first-service points to beat former World No. 1 Murray 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 in two hours and 16 minutes. Paul will next meet fellow American Frances Tiafoe.
“It was a lot of fun,” said Paul, who reached the Emilia-Romagna Open semi-finals in May. “He is a legend. I played some of my best tennis today and I even looked over at my coach mid-match and thought it was fun to battle him today.
“It was the game plan to keep him running after his long match [against Jannik Sinner] yesterday. I tried to keep him running. I played tight and stuck to my game plan in the third set.”
Tiafoe beat Paul 7-5, 7-6(4) in their only ATP Head2Head meeting in February 2020 at the Delray Beach Open by VITACOST.com.
[FOLLOW ACTION]Paul played almost faultless tennis in the first set. The 24-year-old opened up a 4-1 advantage with strong serves and deep returns. Murray recovered one break, but Paul tightened up his game to secure the 46-minute opener.
The American relied too much on his second serve in the second set, with his first-serve percentage plummeting to 33 per cent. Murray broke for a 4-2 lead and later recovered from 0/30 when he served for the 50-minute set.
Murray hit a double fault to hand Paul a 4-3 advantage in the decider and the World No. 53 went on to complete his 23rd match win of the year. Murray had been hoping to reach his first semi-final since he captured the 2019 European Open title in October 2019.
Earlier in the day, Tiafoe booked his place in his second ATP Tour semi-final in three weeks. The eighth-seeded American, who reached the recent Erste Bank Open final in Vienna (l. to Zverev), struck 11 aces to knock out fourth-seeded Briton Daniel Evans 1-6, 6-1, 6-1 in one hour and 47 minutes.
Sebastian Baez stepped up and delivered on the biggest stage Thursday at the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals as he became the first South American to reach the semi-finals in the tournament’s history.
The Argentine had never played a tour-level hard-court match before this week, but he downed Hugo Gaston 4-3(2), 4-2, 4-2 in 67 minutes to advance from Group B in Milan.
“I feel great,” Baez said in his on-court interview. “It is not just for me, but my team as well. I am happy to have won this match, but we now need to think ahead to the next match. I think the key was to stay aggressive and concentrate all the time because Gaston is a dangerous player, so I am happy I did that.”
Baez held a 1-1 record going into his clash against the Frenchman, having beaten home favourite Lorenzo Musetti in his opening match, before he lost to Sebastian Korda on Wednesday.
With qualification on the line, Baez raised his level as he demonstrated great agility to chase down Gaston’s drop shots, while also opening his shoulders to hit through the World No. 67 to book his spot in the last four.
?? Sebastian Baez claims the third spot for the semis at the @intesasanpaolo #NextGenATPFinals ? pic.twitter.com/arK5kMyLi9
— Next Gen ATP Finals (@nextgenfinals) November 11, 2021
The 20-year-old hit 27 winners and broke Gaston four times en route to victory. Baez has enjoyed a standout 2021 season, capturing five ATP Challenger Tour titles, with all of his triumphs coming on clay.
The World No. 111 will learn whether he faces Group A winner Carlos Alcaraz or runner up Brandon Nakashima in the semi-finals following the conclusion of Korda’s match against Musetti later on Thursday. Musetti will qualify if he defeats Korda in straight sets or four sets, while Korda will secure his place in the last four with any other result. Recent Rolex Paris Masters quarter-finalist Gaston finishes the round-robin stage with a 0-3 record.
Groups for the 2021 Nitto ATP Finals were announced Thursday night at the tournament draw ceremony in Turin.
The groups are:
Green Group
Novak Djokovic
Stefanos Tsitsipas
Andrey Rublev
Casper Ruud
Red Group
Daniil Medvedev
Alexander Zverev
Matteo Berrettini
Hubert Hurkacz
View Doubles Groups
Held for the first time in Turin, Italy, the Nitto ATP Finals will run 14-21 November at the Pala Alpitour.
Djokovic, who last week clinched the year-end No. 1 FedEx ATP Ranking for a record-breaking seventh time, will look to match Roger Federer’s record of six Nitto ATP Finals titles.
Medvedev is the defending champion after last year claiming the title with a perfect 5-0 record, including a historic hat-trick of wins over the world’s Top 3 players (Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Dominic Thiem), a first in the 50-year history of the event.
2019 champion Stefanos Tsitsipas is pursuing his second Nitto ATP Finals title. Photo: Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour
Casper Ruud is making his debut at the season finale. Photo: Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour.
View Day 1 & Day 2 Order Of Play
Shortly after the draw, the order of play for the first two days of action — Sunday and Monday — was released.
On Sunday, home favourite Berrettini will have the primetime slot when he competes not before 9 p.m. against 2018 winner Zverev. Defending champion Medvedev will play in the first singles match of the tournament against debutant Hurkacz.
World No. 1 Djokovic will begin his Nitto ATP Finals on Monday against eighth seed Casper Ruud, not before 2 p.m. The Serbian won their only previous ATP Head2Head clash on clay last year in Rome in straight sets. The other singles match that day will pit 2019 champion Stefanos Tsitsipas against fifth seed Andrey Rublev, who is making his second consecutive appearance at the season finale.
