Determined eight players for ATP Finals

Italy Although the Paris Masters has not ended, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Alexander Zverev and Holger Rune are certain to win the last three tickets to the 2023 ATP Finals.

Before the Paris Masters, Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev, Jannik Sinner and Andrey Rublev were all guaranteed tickets to the ATP Finals. The remaining three names were determined after Alex De Minaur lost to Andrey Rublev 6-4, 3-6, 1-6 in the quarterfinals on November 4.

From left to right: Zverev, Rune, Rublev, Medvedev, Djokovic, Alcaraz, Sinner, Tsitsipas. Photo: ATP — From left to right: Zverev, Rune, Rublev, Medvedev, Djokovic, Alcaraz, Sinner, Tsitsipas. Photo: *ATP*

De Minaur, before the match against Rublev, was the only player outside the top 8 of the Race to Turin who still had hope of reaching the ATP Finals. But with the defeat to the Russian, De Minaur no longer has a chance, as he is 720 points behind Holger Rune in eighth place.

The gap is unbridgeable, with the Tour only featuring ATP 250 tournaments next week. Zverev had been cautious in registering for the Sofia Open, fearing he would be overtaken in the Race to Turin. At the Paris Masters, Zverev lost to Tsitsipas in the third round, in a match that would have guaranteed him a place in the ATP Finals. Tsitsipas then reached the semi-finals, where he lost to Grigor Dimitrov 3-6, 7-6, 6-7.

Holger Rune, who lost to Djokovic in the quarter-finals of the Paris Masters, is the final name to secure a place in the tournament of the year's eight strongest players. He and Carlos Alcaraz form the first pair of U20 players to play in the ATP Finals since Lleyton Hewitt and Marat Safin in 2000.

Four of the eight players competing this year have won the ATP Finals. Djokovic shares the record with Roger Federer for six titles, Medvedev won in 2020, Tsitsipas won in 2019 and Alexander Zverev won in 2018 and 2021.

If he achieves a good result at the ATP Finals, Djokovic will reach two major milestones: a record eight times holding the year-end number one position and 400 weeks at the top of the world.

The third ATP Finals are being held in Turin, Italy. This year's tournament has a record prize money of $15 million. The winner, if he doesn't lose a match, will earn more than $4.8 million - the largest individual prize in tennis history. The draw will take place on November 9, three days before the tournament begins.

Vy Anh

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