Novak Djokovic qualifies for Turin, but who else will make ATP Finals? And will Rafael Nadal play?
/dnl.eurosport.com/sd/img/placeholder/eurosport_logo_1x1.png){kind=logo}
Updated 10/10/2022 at 14:48 GMT
Novak Djokovic won the Astana Open to seal his place at the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin, but who else will join him, and will Rafael Nadal return to play the tournament? Nadal's only match since losing in the fourth round of the US Open was in Roger Federer's farewell at the Laver Cup. Nadal has qualified for the finals along with Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Casper Ruud and Stefanos Tsitsipas.
'I dare to dream' - Djokovic on being 'very grateful and blessed' to still play at highest level
The Race to Turin is hotting up.
There’s just over a month to go until the season-ending Nitto ATP Finals start and five players have now secured their spots in the eight-man event.
Novak Djokovic was the latest to qualify after winning the Astana Open, which guarantees he will finish in the top 20 in the standings. That’s enough to make the finals as he is a Grand Slam winner this year at Wimbledon.
It is the 15th time that Djokovic has qualified for the ATP Finals, behind only Roger Federer (18), Rafael Nadal (17) and Jimmy Connors (16).
Carlos Alcaraz, Nadal, Casper Ruud and Stefanos Tsitsipas have also qualified. However, it is not known if Nadal will play as his only time on court since losing in the fourth round of the US Open in early September was in Federer’s farewell doubles at the Laver Cup. It has also been reported that his wife Mary Perello gave birth to their first child over the weekend.
So either three or four spots are still up for grabs in Turin.
Who could qualify for the ATP Finals?
There are still plenty of points available this season.
There are now two weeks of ATP 250 events before ATP 500 tournaments in Basel and Vienna, followed by the last ATP 1000 of the year in Paris, then the ATP Finals, which start on November 13.
The ATP 250 tournaments don’t carry much weight in terms of points – 250 to the winner, 150 to the runner-up and 90 to the semi-finalists – but there are more available in Basel, Vienna and Paris.
- Points on offer in Vienna and Basel: 180 for semi-finals, 300 for runner-up, 500 for winner
- Points on offer in Paris: 360 for semi-finals, 600 for runner-up, 1000 for winner
With the top four in the standings having qualified and Djokovic also heading to Turin, Daniil Medvedev currently occupies the sixth qualifying spot, although he could be an injury doubt after retiring from his Astana Open semi-final against Djokovic.
If Medvedev does play over the next month then he looks almost certain to qualify – he currently has a 320-point lead over Andrey Rublev, who is immediately behind him in the standings and also looks positioned as he is 450 points ahead of Taylor Fritz, who gave his hopes by a big lift by winning the Japan Open.
Race to Turin standings - week starting October 10
- 1. Carlos Alcaraz (qualified) – 6,460 points
- 2. Rafael Nadal (qualified) – 5,810 points
- 3. Casper Ruud (qualified) – 4,930 points
- 4. Stefanos Tsitsipas (qualified) – 4,885 points
- 5. Daniil Medvedev – 3,555 points
- 6. Andrey Rublev – 3,235 points
- 7. Taylor Fritz – 2,885 points
- 8. Felix Auger-Aliassime – 2,860 points
- 9. Hubert Hurkacz – 2,725 points
- 10. Novak Djokovic (qualified) – 2,720 points
- 11. Alexander Zverev - 2,700 points
- 12. Cameron Norrie – 2,365 points
- 13. Jannik Sinner – 2,310 points
- 14. Pablo Carreno Busta – 2,270 points
- 15. Matteo Berrettini – 2,225 points
Right now, if Nadal plays, then Fritz occupies the final qualifying spot in the standings, but his place is far from secure. Felix Auger-Aliassime is just 25 points behind Fritz and Hubert Hurkacz is not much further back. Even Cameron Norrie and Jannik Sinner are not out of contention with around 500 points to make up over the next few weeks.
Norrie said at the Laver Cup that he was planning to go full-steam ahead to make the ATP Finals, only to pull out of the Korea Open and then miss the Japan Open following a positive Covid-19 test. He plans to play Stockholm next week, then Vienna and Paris.
Who’s playing where this week?
Rublev and Auger-Aliassime are the highest-ranked players in action this week.
Rublev is the top seed as the ATP Tour visits Gijon for the first time while Auger-Aliassime leads the field at the Firenze Open in Florence.
Matteo Berrettini, who is in 15th place in the race, is also in action at the Firenze Open and could put himself in contention for the ATP Finals with a strong showing on home turf. He is currently 660 points behind Fritz, who is back in action in Stockholm next week after his Tokyo win.
/origin-imgresizer.eurosport.com/2022/09/25/3460252-70590213-2560-1440.jpg)
'So good' - Federer leads team advice for Murray and Berrettini in doubles
Will Nadal play the ATP Finals?
It is not clear right now if Nadal will play again this season.
He said after losing to Frances Tiafoe at the US Open that he needed some time away to “fix things” and had been battling an abdominal issue over the summer. Perhaps with that in mind he only played one match at the Laver Cup.
Nadal still has a chance to finish as year-end No. 1, but would need to return for the Paris Masters and ATP Finals to have a chance. He is currently 930 points behind Alcaraz.
/origin-imgresizer.eurosport.com/2022/09/24/3459481-70574793-2560-1440.jpg)
'It feels good to cry sometimes' - Federer and Nadal reflect together on a tearful night
Will Norrie qualify for the finals?
Norrie has a good chance to qualify for the ATP Finals for the first time.
Last year he got on court in Turin as an alternate in place of Tsitsipas and lost both his matches to Djokovic and Ruud. But this season he could be one of the top eight with a strong finish.
Norrie will likely need a deep run in Stockholm or Vienna to put himself in contention heading into the Paris Masters, which is the last opportunity for points towards the race.
Scan me
Related Topics
Share this article
Advertisement
Advertisement