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All eyes will be on Italy’s Jannik Sinner when he takes to court at the Nitto ATP Finals on Sunday in Turin. The home star, who competed at the Pala Alpitour as an alternate in 2021, is relishing the opportunity to show the Italian fans he can handle the pressure on one of the sport’s biggest stages.

“I'm happy to be here,” Sinner told ATP Media ahead of his first round-robin match against Stefanos Tsitsipas. “Happy that this event is here in Turin. Hopefully it's something positive for me trying to have a great connection with the crowd and hopefully I can handle it and handle the situation with the right mentality, because I feel I have a little bit more pressure, which is a very positive sign for me.

“I love to play under pressure. I love to play tie-breaks, I love to play the important points because I feel like there you can see who has what kind of game. And I feel like I'm trying to find as many important points as possible. Also because this makes you grow and also I'm here trying to win, but also to add some experience package for the next tournaments.”

Sinner has been drawn in Green Group at the prestigious year-end event alongside Novak Djokovic, Tsitsipas and Holger Rune. The 22-year-old is aware of the threats all three bring but is hoping to use the crowd support and prior Turin experience to his advantage this week.

“I had a great feeling two years ago when I went to court with the crowd,” said Sinner, who played two round-robin matches as an alternate in 2021. “The connection was great and hopefully I can have a little bit or the same amount of connection. The crowd is going to stay behind me in good times but hopefully especially in the bad times that they push me. They give me some positive energy and hopefully I can convert it into a high level.”

Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz and fellow Nitto ATP Finals contenders gathered at the Royal Palace Of Turin Friday evening for a spectacular official photo, media availability and reception ahead of Sunday's opening day of play at the Pala Alpitour.

Dressed in smart casual, players signed autographs and posed for selfies with Italian fans in the late afternoon before entering the palace, where the official photo was taken on the grand staircase of the Musei Reali-Palazzo Reale di Torino, which was originally built in the 16th century.

"This palace is definitely one of the most stunning venues that I have seen in this city; it is incredibly historic and beautiful," said World No. 1 and six-time tournament champion Novak Djokovic.

"This is my third time in Turin and I have enjoyed myself very much. The whole city this week lives for tennis. You can feel a lot of interest, a lot of attention and passion for tennis and sport in general."

Once home to the House of Savoy, the palace and surrounding complex is located in the centre of Turin and is known for housing the Shroud of Turin, along with its impressive tapestries, extensive Royal Library, Museum of Antiquities and historic weapons collection.

Friday's palace visit came one day after the tournament draw. Djokovic leads the Green Group, which also features Jannik Sinner. Stefanos Tsitsipas and Holger Rune. Making his debut, Alcaraz heads the Red Group that also features Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev and Alexander Zverev.

Alexander Shevchenko advanced to his maiden tour-level final on Friday at the Moselle Open, where he overcame French wild card Pierre-Hugues Herbert 6-4, 6-4 to continue his dream week in Metz.

The 22-year-old defeated Karen Khachanov to reach his first ATP Tour semi-final and backed up that win with a dominant display against Herbert to become the youngest Metz finalist since Lucas Pouille, 22, in 2016.

"It means the world to me," Shevchenko said. "I have dreamt of this moment since I was a little kid. Going to sleep I thought maybe I could play in an ATP final and I did it. I will always remember this moment and it is something special."

[ATP APP]

Shevchenko broke Herbert’s serve three times and struck eight aces to advance after 77 minutes at the ATP 250 event. He will face Italian wild card Fabio Fognini or fourth-seeded Frenchman Ugo Humbert in the title match.

Jack Draper became the youngest Briton to reach an ATP Tour final since Andy Murray in 2009 when he defeated third-seeded German Jan-Lennard Struff 6-3, 6-4 on Friday at the Sofia Open.

The 21-year-old played front-foot tennis throughout the 84-minute clash, firing 10 aces to extend his winning streak to nine matches at all levels, having triumphed at an ATP Challenger Tour event in Italy last week.

[SWEEPSTAKES]

Draper has yet to drop a set all week in Sofia and is up 22 spots to No. 60 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings following his 19th tour-level win of the season.

The lefty, who reached tour-level semi-finals in Eastbourne (2022) and in Adelaide (2023), will face Paval Kotov or second-seeded Frenchman Adrian Mannarino in the final on Saturday at the ATP 250.

Innovations and rules have been unveiled for the 2023 Next Gen ATP Finals presented by NEOM (28 November – 2 December). The tournament’s first edition in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia continues its role as a leading showcase for innovation in tennis.

Changes for 2023 are set to accelerate the event’s fast-paced format, enhance the fan experience, and enrich data and analytics for players, coaches and fans:

No on-court warm-up: Matches will start immediately after the coin toss, with a separate practice court available for warm-ups. Shot-Clock Reductions: A new maximum of eight seconds will be introduced between first and second serves. This also applies after a let on first or second serve. As in previous editions, time between points will be reduced from 25 to 15 seconds if the previous point includes fewer than three shots. Wearables: Players will be able to track and visualise biometric data during matches via wearable devices – providing a comprehensive overview of their physical performance and stress responses. Insights: A new Physicality Index, developed by Tennis Data Innovations and Kinexon, will capture physical exertion through player and ball-tracking technology. Existing TDI insights such as Shot Quality will be leveraged in stadium for the first time. In-match analytics: The newly launched Tennis IQ platform will be available to coaches sitting courtside along with data-tagged video footage, with match data updated in real time and visualised in stadium. Basecamp: A new pre-event, off-court competition, Basecamp, will measure the skills and physicality of players through a series of tests, creating new ways for fans to analyse the game's rising stars. Lower umpire chair to reduce the visual obstruction for fans in the arena. Live Electronic Line Calling remains in place on all line calls. Simplified scoreboard for improved fan engagement and understanding.

Continued from previous editions:

Scoring format will be best of five tie-break sets. Each set will be first to four games with a tie-break played at 3-3. Games will be played using the No-Ad scoring format with the server choosing the service box. Free fan movement allowed in stadium, except behind the baselines. Reduced changeovers: No change of ends after the first game of a set. At the end of the set, players will sit down for 90 seconds (down from 120 seconds).

A host of premium international and national brands have partnered with the tournament in its first year in Jeddah. The impressive roster is headlined by NEOM, as the event’s presenting partner. NEOM is a region in north-western Saudi Arabia developing a new model for exceptional livability, an innovative economy with a focus on environmental conservation.

Other partners include Emirates Airline, Hilton and Mohamed Yousuf Naghi Motors Co. (Platinum Partners), Dunlop, Xerjoff, and Al Arabia (Gold Partners) and J-B, Delta Fitness and Aquafina (Silver Partners). The event is hosted in partnership with the Saudi Tennis Federation.

Stefanos Tsitsipas is a holding serve machine.

An Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers analysis of the eight players competing in the Nitto ATP Finals next week identifies the Greek as the toughest player to break based on his superior serve performance this season.

Tsitsipas has averaged being broken once out of every 8.4 of his service games in 2023, making him the leader of the pack chasing end-of-season glory in Turin. The other two players who elevated over the seven-game threshold were Novak Djokovic (7.9) and Jannik Sinner (7.6).

2023 Season: Average Service Games Per Break
1. Tsitsipas - 8.4
2. Djokovic - 7.9
3. Sinner - 7.6
4. Alcaraz - 6.6
5. Medvedev - 6.4
6. Rublev - 6.2
7. Zverev - 6.1
8. Rune - 5.7

If you postulate an average set score being 6-3, Tsitsipas will typically be broken just once in a straight-sets match. Holger Rune, on the other hand, is nudging closer to twice a match—especially if the score is tighter, such as 6-4, 6-4.

Novak Djokovic has arrived in Turin and is ready to chase the record books at this year's Nitto ATP Finals.

The Serbian star, who trained on Thursday at the Pala Alpitour, headlines the Green Group at the Pala Alpitour. He will compete against home favourite Jannik Sinner, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Holger Rune at the season finale.

There is a lot at stake for Djokovic, who is currently tied with Roger Federer for the most titles in tournament history with six. One more and the 36-year-old would stand alone with the most trophies in event history.

Photo Credit: Andrew Eichenholz/ATP Tour
Djokovic is also close to securing his record-extending eighth ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by Pepperstone honour. Two years ago he broke a tie with Pete Sampras (6) for the most year-end No. 1 finishes in history.

Should he accomplish the feat again this year, the week after the Nitto ATP Finals Djokovic would become the first player in Pepperstone ATP Rankings history to reach 400 weeks at World No. 1. The only other man to hit the 300-weeks mark is Federer (310).

Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury completed their US Open trifecta in September, capturing the title at Flushing Meadows for a third consecutive year. Now the American-British duo sets their sights on another coveted title defense: the Nitto ATP Finals.

Ram and Salisbury have found their form with a late-season surge, claiming the title in two of their past three events. Perhaps no better memory than in New York, where they captured their fourth major team trophy.

“We've had great success there and we've done well. I don't think you can ever just assume that you're going to win a major,” Ram told Chris Bowers on the ATP Podcast. “But we seem to play our best there for sure. For whatever reason, I think a lot of things suit our game [there] and as tennis players, we tend to do well at places we've done well before.

“I do think it's a pretty substantial achievement that we were able to win it three times in a row just because even if you do well in play, something has to go your way. And so for that to happen three years in a row was pretty special for us.”

Joe Salisbury and Rajeev Ram are crowned champions at the 2023 US Open. Credit: Al Bello/Getty Images
Despite an uncharacteristically slow start to the season, Ram and Salisbury have qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals for a fifth consecutive year. A second consecutive title in Turin would be the best possible way to close the year for Ram and Salisbury. 

Alexander Shevchenko booked his first appearance in an ATP Tour semi-final in style on Thursday at the Moselle Open.

The 22-year-old downed third seed Karen Khachanov 6-4, 6-4 at the indoor ATP 250 in Metz for just his second victory against an opponent in the Top 20 of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. Shevchenko saved all three break points he faced to upset the World No. 15 Khachanov in a 73-minute quarter-final clash.

? Shot of the week contender!

Alexander Shevchenko can do NO wrong ?@MoselleOpen | #MoselleOpen pic.twitter.com/tYlSm4hDgZ

— ATP Tour (@atptour) November 9, 2023

After defeating Mathias Bourgue, Mate Valkusz and Khachanov this week in Metz, Shevchenko has risen three spots to No. 60 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings, setting him up for a career-high next Monday. He has enjoyed a breakout season on the ATP Tour, notching 15 tour-level wins and reaching his first quarter-final at the ATP 500 in Basel two weeks ago.

Shevchenko’s next opponent in France will be Pierre-Hugues Herbert, who ended #NextGenATP Luca Van Assche’s run with a 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 win. Herbert had not won a tour-level singles match in more than 20 months prior to this week but is now preparing for the 12th ATP Tour semi-final of his career.

Jan-Lennard Struff and Jack Draper set a hard-hitting late-season clash on Thursday at the Sofia Open, where the pair notched contrasting quarter-final victories at the indoor ATP 250.

The third-seeded Struff overcame Fabian Marozsan 7-6(3), 4-6, 6-4 in a one-hour, 58-minute battle in Bulgaria to reach his first hard-court ATP Tour semi-final since 2021. The 33-year-old German, who is now 20-16 for the season, rallied from 0-2 in the deciding set to prevail in his maiden Lexus ATP Head2Head clash with Marozsan.

“I think it was a great match of very high intensity and a good level,” said Struff. “I felt like [we both] played a very good first set. In the second I gave away one break with a double fault, which I think was unexpected. But in the third he was a break up and I managed to stay in, fight for every point and [be aggressive] on return.”

Bend it like Struff ?

Lovely whip from @Struffitennis! @sofiaopentennis | #SofiaOpen pic.twitter.com/EoXVpmnuoC

— ATP Tour (@atptour) November 9, 2023

Struff’s next test in Sofia is a semi-final meeting with Draper, who eased past wild card Cem Ilkel 6-2, 6-2 to back up his second-round win against top seed Lorenzo Musetti. The 21-year-old Briton converted four of nine break points he earned to book his third appearance in an ATP Tour semi-final after Eastbourne in 2022 (I. to Cressy) and Adelaide-2 in 2023 (I. to Kwon).

Home favourite Jannik Sinner will play in the first singles match of the Nitto ATP Finals on Sunday afternoon at the Pala Alpitour in Turin. The fourth seed will play Stefanos Tsitsipas before six-time season finale champion Novak Djokovic takes on eighth seed Holger Rune in the evening session.

Tsitsipas leads Sinner 5-2 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series. The pair has split two clashes this season, with Tsitsipas winning a five-setter at the Australian Open and Sinner earning his revenge in straight sets one month later in Rotterdam.

Djokovic will play Rune just two weeks after their memorable Rolex Paris Masters quarter-final. The World No. 1 emerged victorious after two hours and 55 minutes en route to capturing the title at the season's final ATP Masters 1000 event. None of their four Lexus ATP Head2Head showdowns have ended in straight sets (series tied 2-2).

In doubles action, top seeds Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajicek will face seventh seeds Maximo Gonzalez and Andres Molteni in the afternoon, and fourth seeds Santiago Gonzalez and Edouard Roger-Vasselin will play fifth seeds Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos in the evening.

ORDER OF PLAY - SUNDAY 12 NOVEMBER

Move like a gazelle? A forehand that he can 'rev up'? Be a recipient of the Accelerator Programme?

Briton Toby Samuel checks all the boxes and if the 21-year-old can race up the Pepperstone ATP Rankings as fast as he moves around the court, he will be the next college player to find success at the highest level.

The University of South Carolina star finished the collegiate season at 10th in the ITA Rankings, earning him six main draw spots into select ATP Challenger Tour events, thanks to the ATP/ITA Accelerator Programme, which aims to become a launching pad for the top players within the American collegiate system and accelerate their journey to the pro level.

Samuel is using an Accelerator spot at this week’s Calgary National Bank Challenger, where he secured his third win at that level on Tuesday.

“That’s been so helpful for a lot of college players making that transition to the Tour because we’ve missed out on four years to play on the Tour. I feel like our level is at this level, we just haven’t had enough time to get the points to get here,” Samuel told ATPTour.com in Calgary.

Top seed Novak Djokovic will lead the Green Group at the Nitto ATP Finals with home favourite and fourth seed Jannik Sinner, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Holger Rune, it was revealed at the draw on Thursday afternoon in Turin.

Second seed Carlos Alcaraz headlines Red Group, which also will feature Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev and Alexander Zverev.

Djokovic, a six-time champion at the season finale, is trying to break a tie with Roger Federer for most titles in tournament history. He is also closing in on earning ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by Pepperstone honours for the eighth time.

Four of the eight singles competitors have lifted the trophy before. Djokovic (6x), Zverev (2x), Medvedev and Tsitsipas have all earned the ultimate championship in the sport.

SINGLES
Green Group: Novak Djokovic (1), Jannik Sinner (4), Stefanos Tsitsipas (6), Holger Rune (8)

Holger Rune's 2023 season has taken the shape of a three-act play. A smooth and successful start was followed by a challenging middle period, before the Dane began to put things right late in the year. Now it all sets up for the dramatic climax at the Nitto ATP Finals.

After making the trip to Turin as an alternate last season, following his maiden ATP Masters 1000 title at the Rolex Paris Masters, Rune was well on course to qualify for his debut at the season finale following consecutive quarter-final runs at Roland Garros and Wimbledon. Before that, the 20-year-old reached his second Masters 1000 final in Monte-Carlo and then completed a successful title defence in Munich the very next week.

"If I continued the way that I did the first six months, I would be in easily," Rune said of his progress in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin. Instead, he struggled after Wimbledon, posting a 1-5 record from August to mid-October. That kept the Dane battling to make the Nitto ATP Finals right up until his return to Paris-Bercy as the defending champion.

"It's OK. It's a good fight," Rune said of his precarious position entering the year's final ATP Masters 1000. "It's the last push of the season. I'm really ready to give all."

[SWEEPSTAKES]

At the close of yet another historic season, Novak Djokovic enters the Nitto ATP Finals with an eye on breaking another record.

The Serbian won three Grand Slams this season, equalling Rafael Nadal's all-time best 22 men's major singles titles at the Australian Open and then storming past that mark with further triumphs at Roland Garros and the US Open. He also extended his own ATP Masters 1000 record by winning his 39th and 40th titles at that level in Cincinnati and Paris.

He will add to two more precious records —  finishing as year-end No. 1 for an eighth time and passing 400 weeks at No. 1 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings — if he can hold onto the top spot in Turin.

But that's not all that's on the line for the Serbian at the season finale. If he can repeat as champion, Djokovic will win his seventh Nitto ATP Finals crown and break a tie with Roger Federer for most at the prestigious year-end event.

[SWEEPSTAKES]

ATP, Nitto and the Federazione Italiana Tennis e Padel (FITP) have teamed up to launch the Nitto ATP Finals Torino Green Project, an environmental sustainability project in Turin, the event’s host city. It headlines another year of sustainability in the spotlight for the event.

The Nitto ATP Finals Torino Green Project will aim to offset CO2 emissions in the City of Turin, while supporting the development and regeneration of green spaces around the city. Through funds raised, 40 trees will be planted in the vicinity of Pala Alpitour arena, the home of the Nitto ATP Finals. It will also see the installation of green roofs atop select bus stops in the city, designed to improve insulation, reduce storm water run-off, capture CO2, filter pollutants, and increase biodiversity.

Nitto will kickstart the project by donating €100,000 to the Municipality of Turin. Nitto will raise additional funds through an online charity auction offering premium tournament tickets and unique money-can’t-buy experiences, in addition to proceeds from Stalogy notebook sales in the Nitto ATP Finals Fan Village. To explore the charity auction and bid for exclusive prizes, click here.

Photo: Andrew Eichenholz/ATP Tour
The Nitto ATP Finals Torino Green Project was officially announced at the Nitto ATP Finals Innovation Summit, held today in central Turin for the second consecutive year. The Summit focused on CO2 emissions reduction and the circular economy. Panel discussions featured representatives from Nitto, ATP, FITP, and The City of Turin, one of 100 "Mission Cities" chosen by the European Commission to become climate neutral by 2030. A panel of world-leading brands and tech start-ups, including Haier, Iren, PlanetSmartCity, Argotec and Pirelli, rounded out the Summit.

Massimo Calvelli, ATP CEO, said: “The Nitto ATP Finals is our flagship event and a cornerstone of the ATP Serves sustainability strategy. We have ambitious targets and meaningful progress is only possible with the right partners by your side. We would like to thank Nitto and FITP for their commitment to this special event and focus on environmental sustainability.”

Watch a live stream of the 2023 Nitto ATP Finals draw today on this page from 3.30 p.m. CET/9.30 a.m. ET.

World No. 1 and defending champion Novak Djokovic will be top seed in the Green Group, with World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz the top seed in the Red Group.

The tournament also features Daniil Medvedev, Jannik Sinner, Andrey Rublev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Alexander Zverev and Holger Rune.

The event, which also features the world's best eight doubles teams, runs 12-19 November in Turin, Italy.

 

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Overcoming obstacles and naysayers has been a constant theme for Aziz Dougaz, the Tunisian who is one of just two players from Africa in the Top 250 of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings.

The 26-year-old is enjoying a career-best season on the ATP Challenger Tour, where he’s reached seven quarter-finals in 2023 and is hoping for another deep run this week in Calgary, Canada. To understand how Dougaz has reached this point takes revisiting his past.

“My path was like no one else’s path that’s playing the same tournaments I’m playing,” Dougaz told ATPTour.com at the Calgary National Bank Challenger. “I think I created my own path in tennis and I pushed through the obstacles I faced and I have a lot more obstacles to face to reach my goals.

“I come from a city in Tunisia that nobody ever thought I could already be where I am now because of the obstacles. No money, no coaches, no tournaments. Tennis was just for fun and that’s it. Nobody thought that we could make it. I had nobody to tell me, ‘This is the way, this is what we need to do.’ I was always going through the unknown and adapting to what comes to me. I think that’s a strength I have and I have to use it.”

[ATP APP]

Fabio Fognini reached his first tour-level quarter-final of the season in dramatic style on Wednesday when he saved two match points to claw past Alexander Bublik 4-6, 7-6(7), 7-6(5) at the Moselle Open.

The Italian saved match points at 5/6 and 6/7 in the second-set tie-break with great touch around the net. Fognini then recovered from squandering a break advantage in the third set before eventually sealing victory on his first match point to advance after two hours and 53 minutes.

Fognini will meet #NextGenATP Jordan star Abdullah Shelbayh or defending champion Lorenzo Sonego in the last eight.

In other action, French wild card Pierre-Hugues Herbert reached his first tour-level quarter-final since Marseille in 2021 when he downed Dutch lucky loser Gijs Brouwer 7-5, 6-4.

#NextGenATP Frenchman Luca Van Assche also advanced after Stan Wawrinka was forced to retire at the end of the second set with the score 3-6, 7-6(6). The 19-year-old Van Assche, who will compete at the Next Gen ATP Finals later this month, saved two match points in the second set to reach his second tour-level quarter-final of the season. He will next face Herbert. Alexander Shevchenko defeated Mate Valkusz 7-5, 2-6, 6-2.

Jack Draper continued his impressive recent form on Wednesday at the Sofia Open, where he defeated top seed Lorenzo Musetti 7-5, 6-2 to reach his seventh tour-level quarter-final.

The Briton won his fifth ATP Challenger Tour title in Italy last week and has quickly found his level in Sofia, also beating Maximilian Marterer at the ATP 250 event. In a high-quality performance against Musetti, Draper won 89 per cent (31/35) of his first-serve points to advance one hour and 48 minutes.

"Lorenzo is an amazing player, one of the top young players in the world, so I knew it would be a real challenger," Draper said. "I started off a little slow but after that I found momentum and am proud of the way I played. I am feeling really confident, I am playing great tennis."

The 21-year-old, who reached the fourth round at the US Open in September, is chasing his maiden tour-level title. He will next play Cem Ilkel after the World No. 259 beat Max Purcell 6-3, 4-6, 6-4.

[ATP APP]