Tennis
The 2023 ATP Finals is complete! Who will be among the favourites? Record earnings are at stake!
The annual peak of the tennis season starts in just one week. The top eight players were rounded out by points earned at the Paris Masters. Who will play at the prestigious event and who seems to be in the best shape? How big is the prize actually up for grabs?
The annual peak of the tennis season starts in just one week. The top eight players were rounded out by points earned at the Paris Masters. Who will play at the prestigious event and who seems to be in the best shape? How big is the prize actually up for grabs?
Holger Rune and Alexander Zverev are among the eight players qualified for the Masters Tournament this Friday. Along with the other tennis players, they will compete for a record $15 million endowment. That’s almost 350 million crowns.
The last players to qualify
While Rune is enjoying his first appearance at the Nitto ATP Finals, Alexander Zverev has already won the title here twice. After all, the 26-year-old German is a former world number three.
Zverev returned from a nasty injury and proved that he is still one of the world’s top players. He did not confirm his great results from the Chinese tour after his return to Europe, when he was gradually eliminated by his rivals from the elite eight, Rubljov and Tsitsipas, but he will definitely not be in the numbers in Turin.
Holger Rune has had a turbulent year. After a great start, he is happy to have picked himself up and defended his participation in the final event, thanks to his collaboration with Boris Becker. The 20-year-old Dane can only surprise here, which is not an unpleasant position.
Tsitsipas in form
Stefanos Tsitsipas knows what he is getting into. This will be his fifth consecutive appearance in the ATP Finals. And he turned his first appearance into a triumph.
He seems to have timed his form very well. The Greek tennis player has improved in recent weeks, reaching the semi-finals in the last three tournaments. In Paris this week, he came just short of reaching the final.
Moreover, here he defeated Zverev without losing a set, whom he may meet in Turin. Last year, he was one set short of advancing out of the group stage at the final event. This year, it wouldn’t be a big surprise if he reached the semifinals.
Sinner and Medvedev
The finalists from Vienna didn’t enjoy sweet Paris too much. Daniil Medvedev left the tournament early and with controversial gestures to the audience. Jannik Sinner, on the other hand, imaginatively slammed the door in Paris because of the inconvenient scheduling of his matches.
In Turin, however, at least the younger of the two can be considered the favourite to succeed. Sinner is looking forward to his home event. In recent months, he has managed to beat Medvedev, Alcaraz and Rublyov. Moreover, he has already played the Tournament of Champions as a substitute two years ago.
Medvedev’s position is difficult to predict. His season has been a roller coaster. He has a record five titles, but has repeatedly dropped out in the opening round of tournaments. But he can be expected to come well prepared, and he has also won the Tournament of Champions in the past.
Rubljov and Alcaraz
The twenty-six-year-old Russian’s chances are slightly reduced by his record with the other participants. With the exception of Rune, he has a negative record against all of them.
In this respect, the world number two is much better off. Alcaraz has a negative record only against Sinner.
The big question is the form of the Spaniard. He’s lost three of his last eight matches. Moreover, tournament after tournament, his result has been getting worse. Will he find new strength at the Turin event? You can’t bet on it.
King Novak
Six-time Tournament of Champions winner Novak Djokovic can’t help but be the main favourite. He struggled quite a bit at the Masters in Paris, but that was mainly due to health issues.
In Turin, in the case of his seventh triumph, he will stand alone in the historical tables, at the moment he shares this position with Roger Federer.
Reward for the undefeated player
The financial incentive is very tempting. The player who does not know the bitterness of defeat at the Nitto ATP Finals will receive more than 100 million crowns. A record reward in tennis history.
Source: Nitto ATP Finals, ATP