The race to the 2022 ATP Finals – final places are up for grabs

The race to Turin is hotting up on the ATP Tour, with the ​last few places in the ATP Finals set to be decided over the next couple of weeks. The top eight tennis players in the world will compete in the end-of-season tournament that offers an all-time record $4,740,300 in prize money to any player […]

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The race to Turin is hotting up on the ATP Tour, with the ​last few places in the ATP Finals set to be decided over the next couple of weeks.

The top eight tennis players in the world will compete in the end-of-season tournament that offers an all-time record $4,740,300 in prize money to any player who can move through the event undefeated.

There are also 1500 ATP ranking points up for grabs for any player or doubles team that wins all matches in the event, as well as the honour of being the winner of an event that is considered to be the most prestigious on the ATP Tour.

The All Court Tennis Club is hosting its annual, exclusive Play & Watch event for our members in Turin. Full details of how to book can be found here:

Watch the Turin ATP finals front-row and play alongside the pros. 

In this latest blog, we look at who will be on court for the matches that will round off a remarkable tennis year in spectacular fashion. 

The ATP Finals 

This will be the 53rd edition of the tournament (48th in doubles) and the second time Turin will host the ATP Tour year-end championships after a lengthy run of the tournament at London’s 02 Arena. 

The ATP Finals has a group stage format, with eight players/teams divided into two groups of four and each player/team playing the other three in the group.

The eight seeds were determined by the ATP rankings and ATP Doubles Team Rankings on Monday after the last ATP Tour tournament of the calendar year.  

All singles matches, including the final, were best of three sets with tie-breaks in each set, including the third.  

It can get a little complicated deciding the final groups, with four players/teams coming through the group stages to contest the semi-finals and finals. 

H2: Who has already qualified for the ATP Finals in Turin? 

These players have already qualified for the 2022 ATP Finals in Turin: 

  • Rafael Nadal 
  • Novak Djokovic 
  • Carlos Alcaraz 
  • Stefanos Tsitsipas 
  • Casper Ruud 

Rafael Nadal was the first player to qualify for the ATP Finals after a year that has seen the Spaniard win two Grand Slam titles and cement his status as one of the game’s all-time greats. 

However, there are doubts over Nadal’s fitness heading into the final month of the season, but this is nothing new as the Spaniard often struggles with his fitness issues at this stage of the year and has never won the ATP Finals.  

Nadal will be joined in Turin by Novak Djokovic, who qualified for the ATP Finals despite missing a large chunk of the tennis year due to his decision not to accept a Covid-19 vaccine.  

Djokovic has won the ATP Finals on five occasions, but he faced a battle to qualify for the year’s event after he was denied the chance to play in the Australian Open, US Open and four ATP Masters series events in North America due to his Covid vaccine status. That meant he could not compete for 8,000 ranking points, but he still secured his place in Turin.  

World No.1 Carlos Alcaraz will also be in Turin after a breakthrough year that saw him win his first Grand Slam title at the US Open. However, there are also doubts over his form and fitness, as Alcaraz has struggled to make his mark since his big win in New York in September. 

Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas will also be in the mix in Turin after a season of consistent results, with the 2019 ATP Finals winner aiming for more glory.  

The fifth player to seal his place is Casper Ruud, with the Norwegian finishing as runner-up in both the French Open and US Open this year. 

On course to join them in the Turin line-up 

Russian Daniil Medvedev is in a strong position to seal his place, despite injuries and other issues affecting his year. 

Medvedev was among the Russian players denied the chance to play at Wimbledon due to the ban imposed by the All England Club, but it looks like Medvedev should still make the ATP Finals. 

His compatriot Andrey Rublev is also pushing for a place in the Turin line-up; eager to make it over the finishing line, he picked up more ranking points with his appearance in the ATP event in Gijon last week.

These players are also in the mix 

American Taylor Fritz is also pushing to seal a place in Turin, as he looks to back up an impressive breakthrough season that included a maiden ATP1000 win at Indian Wells and a break into the world’s top 10 for the first time.  

Félix Auger-Aliassime is in a strong position to qualify for the ATP Finals. Aliassime highlighted his threat with an impressive win against Novak Djokovic in the Laver Cup last month. His win in Florence last weekend bolstered his hopes of qualifying for Turin.

What of Britain’s Cameron Norrie? The Wimbledon semi-finalist has also stated his desire to make it into the ATP Finals, despite his efforts being hampered by a positive Covid test earlier this month. Norrie will be back in action in the coming days and along with Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz, he has a strong chance to claim one of the Turin final spots up for grabs.

The tight nature of this year’s ATP Race means that Italy’s Jannik Sinner could still find a route to the finals, as well as his compatriot Matteo Berrettini. 

Both Italians are likely to need strong performances in the ATP Masters event in Paris, as they look to make up ground on their rivals. 

The verdict for Turin 

Form is crucial in the final race for ATP Finals places and Rublev, Auger-Aliassime, Hurkacz and Berrettini are among the players in action in tournaments across Europe this week. 

Yet, the final places up for grabs are likely to be claimed by players who will be the outsiders in Turin.

Djokovic is likely to head into this year’s event as the favourite, eager to make up for lost time after a turbulent year but flushed with his recent wins in ATP events in Tel Aviv and Astana.  

Nadal, Alcaraz and Medvedev will be strong contenders if they are fully fit, yet recent history confirms the ATP Finals are tough to predict and there have been five different winners in the last six years. 

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