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Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic were celebrated for their Year-End ATP Doubles No. 1 presented by PIF finish on Friday afternoon at the Nitto ATP Finals.

The Salvadoran-Croatian team will try to qualify for the season finale later in the evening when they face home favourites Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori. But first they lifted the year-end No. 1 trophy.

Arevalo said: “I want to start with thanking Mate for playing with me and trusting in this team. This is something that we achieved together with a lot of work, a lot of hours on the court and we’re extremely happy. Of course it’s a dream, it’s a goal when you start the season to end your season here in Turin, in the Nitto ATP Finals. Lifting the year-end No. 1, I think it’s a plus.

“I also want to thank my team and Mate’s team. I think even though tennis looks like it’s an individual sport, but I think nobody gets this far alone. In think we all need a team and I want to thank my team… They really care about me. Also my wife, she’s been super supportive traveling with me around the world with two kids, which is not easy.”

[ATP AWARDS]

After two years together, Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden finished with a flourish on Friday at the Nitto ATP Finals.

The Indian-Australian pair downed Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz 7-5, 6-7(6), 10-7 to end their 2024 campaign at the prestigious season finale in Turin with a victory. Already out of the running for a semi-final spot after two prior defeats this week, Bopanna and Ebden came out firing before responding well to letting slip two match points in the second-set tie-break. They eventually clinched a one-hour, 42-minute Match Tie-break victory in the final match of their partnership.

Bopanna and Ebden propelled themselves to victory with the help of 14 aces, according to Infosys ATP Stats. With the win, they levelled their Lexus ATP Head2Head series with Krawietz and Puetz at 2-2.

Finishing with a flourish ?❤️@rohanbopanna & @mattebden end their two-year partnership in brilliant fashion, defeating Krawietz/Puetz 7-5 6-7(6) 10-7!#NittoATPFinals pic.twitter.com/5TMZ4OudDo

Bopanna and Ebden have enjoyed huge success since first teaming in January 2023. They lifted four tour-level titles together, including at this year’s Australian Open, while they also each spent time as No. 1 in the PIF ATP Doubles Rankings during their partnership.

Jannik Sinner is the name on everyone’s lips in Italy. The 23-year-old has enjoyed a historic season, rising to No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings and winning two major titles.

Sinner is competing on home soil this week at the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin, where everyone is keen to watch the Italian in action. From the practice courts to a packed Inalpi Arena, fans turned out in force on Tuesday night for Sinner’s match against Taylor Fritz.

The home favourite was greeted with raucous cheers when he walked onto court, but it was one lucky seven-year-old who had the chance to give the Italian final words of encouragement. Francesca, part of the mascot kid programme presented by Nitto, accompanied Sinner on court and shared a sweet message to the star.

"I asked him if he was scared about playing the match, and then I asked him to win,” Francesca said. “He replied, 'I try'."

Sinner went on to defeat Fritz in straight sets, fulfilling the wishes of Francesca and the Italian crowd. The 23-year-old has previously spoken about the mascot programme, praising the initiative.

Here’s a little alternate trivia from this year’s Nitto ATP Finals.

Benchwarmers Grigor Dimitrov and Stefanos Tsitsipas are both former champions, triumphing on their respective debuts. They’re also the highest-ranked players in the world with single-handed backhands.

So the Bulgarian and Greek haven’t struggled for conversation this week as they’ve passed time together at the Inalpi Arena, waiting for a tap on the shoulder to step in for a qualified player in the event of illness or injury.

“Every day, we've been hitting together, and chatting a lot,” said Dimitrov, who won the finale on debut in 2017 but has not been among the Elite Eight since. “So for our friendship, and to experience something like this overall, outside of competing, I think it's great.”

Tsitsipas, who is the only player to win both the Next Gen ATP Finals and Nitto ATP Finals (2019), has also enjoyed his time hanging with Dimitrov, whom he leads 6-2 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series.

Taylor Fritz took the long way round but finished strong en route to his second victory at the 2024 Nitto ATP Finals.

The American on Thursday overcame Alex de Minaur 5-7, 6-4, 6-3 in Turin to boost his chances of reaching the semi-finals at the prestigious season finale for the second time. After a strong start from De Minaur, Fritz prevailed after two hours, eight minutes in the first singles match of the week to go to three sets at Inalpi Arena.

Top tier Taylor ?

No. 5 seed @Taylor_Fritz97 comes from a set down to defeat de Minaur and record his second victory in the Ilie Nastase Group!#NittoATPFinals pic.twitter.com/YOYn1UFK6r

“It’s tough, because even though I won the match, I feel like there wasn’t necessarily any moment when I feel like I had a repeatable way to win from the baseline, to be honest,” said Fritz. “He was all over me. What I did a great job of was towards the end of the second set, I really started to find my serve. I was serving much better and that allowed me to just stay with it and create more pressure on his service games.

“When I wasn’t making the first serves, he was just killing me from the baseline, so it just gave me a little bit of comfort to just stay in the match and not be under so much pressure all the time. I was able to just come up with some good shots at some good times, play off some of his mistakes, but it was still incredibly tough.”

Regardless of how Jannik Sinner fares in his Thursday evening clash against Daniil Medvedev, the Italian has officially advanced to the Nitto ATP Finals semi-finals following Taylor Fritz's victory against Alex de Minaur.

Sinner, in pole position in The Ilie Nastase Group with straight-set wins against De Minaur and Fritz, will look to break his 7-7 tie in his Lexus ATP Head2Head series with Medvedev and maintain his perfect week on home soil. Who will join Sinner in the semi-finals from the Nastase group? Click here to read the scenarios.

Last year's finalist is aiming to win the prestigious season finale for the first time. It would mark the 23-year-old's eighth title of the year and 18th overall. The semi-finals in Turin will take place Saturday.

A trademark Daniil Medvedev backhand down-the-line winner, but with a difference!

The World No. 4’s classy groundstroke against Alex de Minaur in Turin has been reimagined as Tuesday’s AR Immersive Hot Shot. To help attract a younger audience and bring ATP tennis into people’s lives in a new and innovative way, Nitto ATP Finals Immersive Highlights use cutting edge AR technology, 3D modelling and live data to produce tennis moments like never before.

[NEWSLETTER FORM]

Nick Kyrgios will make his long-awaited return to ATP Tour action next month at the Brisbane International presented by Evie, to be held from 29 December to 5 January 2025.

The 29-year-old has been hampered by wrist and foot injuries that have kept him sidelined for almost two years, having last contested a tour-level match at the BOSS OPEN in Stuttgart in June 2023.

Welcome BACK, @NickKyrgios ? ? ?#BrisbaneTennis pic.twitter.com/RpUEmzfsIG

Kyrgios, the former No. 13 in the PIF ATP Rankings, has fond memories of playing at the ATP 250 in Brisbane. In 2018, on his main-draw debut at the event, Kyrgios swept through the field to clinch his fourth tour-level title.

Now, after a gruelling injury hiatus, the seven-time ATP Tour titlist and Wimbledon finalist will return to Brisbane with his sights set on reigniting the form that propelled him to stardom earlier in his career.

Whether things go to plan or don't go to plan, Daniil Medvedev rarely minces his words when it comes to honest self-assessment.

The 28-year-old was in a typically philosophical mood on Thursday night in Turin, where his season ended with a straight-sets defeat to Jannik Sinner at the Nitto ATP Finals. Despite a group-stage elimination at the prestigious season finale to confirm his first season without a tour-level trophy since 2017, Medvedev identified plenty of positives to balance out his 2024 disappointments.

“Probably I will finish No. 4 in the world, unless Taylor [Fritz] pulls a big upset, which is amazing,” said Medvedev in his post-match press conference. “[I don’t] need to say it. It's amazing. In the sport that is that demanding, with so many players, I want to be No. 1 in the world, but I didn't play well enough this year, by far, to be No. 1 in the world. Jannik is playing much better. He proved it many times.

“But I'm No. 4 in the big tennis world. I'm super proud about that because I struggled throughout the whole year. Every practice, every match was a struggle for me. A lot of matches. Before I would feel I had the edge on the opponent and win it easy. Now I needed to win three sets, tie-breaks, breaks in the end of the set, et cetera.

“I would [rate my season] somewhere around six and a half out of 10, which means a lot of work to do to be better, but still a lot of good memories also. I'm looking forward for next season already."

Nitto ATP Finals competitors will return to Turin’s Inalpi Arena on Friday for another taste of the action at the prestigious season finale.

Here is the schedule for Friday at the Nitto ATP Finals.

ORDER OF PLAY - FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2024
CENTRE COURT start 11:30 am
[8] Kevin Krawietz (GER) / Tim Puetz (GER) vs [6] Rohan Bopanna (IND) / Matthew Ebden (AUS)

Not Before 2:00 pm
[2] Alexander Zverev (GER) vs [3] Carlos Alcaraz (ESP)

It was business as usual for Jannik Sinner on Thursday as he maintained the perfect start to his Nitto ATP Finals campaign, eliminating Daniil Medvedev in the process. 

The top seed produced a steely performance to ease past Medvedev 6-3, 6-4 in their final round-robin match in Turin. After seeing off the 2020 champion, Sinner ensured he finished top of the Ilie Nastase Group, advancing to the last four with a perfect 3-0 record for a second consecutive year.

Joining Sinner in the semi-finals is Taylor Fritz, who earlier rallied to secure a vital win over Alex de Minaur. Fritz will be competing in the semi-finals at the season finale for a second time, having made it to the knockout stage on his debut in 2022. 

“I'm trying to find new ways to improve as a player,” said Sinner, who improved to 7-1 in round-robin matches at the Nitto ATP Finals. “I'm trying to win as many matches here as I can. Me and Daniil, we know each other very well. So, everytime we step on court, we try to change something tactically. I felt like I was ready to see what he was going to do today.

“I know what I have achieved during this year, so I try to step on court with a good mindset. I have beautiful people around me who support me daily, which for me is really important. I try to enjoy my time on the court. The atmosphere here is amazing, so I’m just trying to play some good tennis this week. Let’s see what’s coming in the next round.”

Alexander Zverev is already a two-time champion at the Nitto ATP Finals, and the numbers show the German is serving better than ever, making him a major player in the chase for the Brad Drewett Trophy.

The No. 2 in the PIF ATP Rankings has not faced a break point through two round-robin matches at this year’s season finale, defeating Andrey Rublev and Casper Ruud in straight sets. The 27-year-old, currently on a seven-match winning streak, has not faced a break point since 5-4 in the second set of his semi-final victory against Holger Rune at the Rolex Paris Masters.

His service performance against two of the very best players in the world, Rublev and Ruud, was staggering. Zverev not only went a combined 21 service games without coming under break pressure — he barely lost points.

In 10 service games against Rublev, he lost 10 points. In 11 service games against Ruud, he dropped 11 points. A reporter flagged the stat to him on Wednesday evening.

“If I get broken the next match, it's your fault,” Zverev said, cracking a smile. “If I make one double fault on a break point, I'm going to only think about you. It's the only reason.”

Now you see him. Now you don’t.

Carlos Alcaraz’s scintillating court coverage was on full display Wednesday against Andrey Rublev at the Nitto ATP Finals. Now, thanks to a combination of Augmented Reality technology, 3D modelling and live data, fans can experience the Spaniard’s magical movement like never before.

Check out the latest AR Immersive Hot Shot from the prestigious season finale in Turin, where great moments from the world’s best players are being reimagined to help attract a younger audience and bring ATP tennis into people’s lives in a new and innovative way.

[NEWSLETTER FORM]

On Thursday morning, Carlos Alcaraz turned up at the practice court in Turin’s Inalpi Arena without the nose strip he wore to help with his breathing in his second match at the Nitto ATP Finals, in which he defeated Andrey Rublev.

This was the first sign that the Spaniard, who has been feeling under the weather for a few days, is finally on the mend. On Friday he will have to get past Alexander Zverev and hope for a favourable result in the other match (Casper Ruud vs. Rublev) if he is to reach the tournament’s semi-finals.

At the end of his practice session, which he shared with Andres Martin, one of the tournament’s sparring partners, Alcaraz stayed behind with Juan Carlos Ferrero to work on his serve, aiming at cones placed on the court to improve his accuracy and speed.

The goal was clear: to continue ramping up the power of a delivery that proved decisive when it came to sinking Rublev. In his second clash in Turin, Alcaraz unleashed 10 aces, won 84% of points played on his first serve and faced no break points. These numbers paved the way for his first win in the John Newcombe Group.

Against Zverev, one of the biggest servers on the ATP Tour, the Spaniard knows he will face an uphill battle on Turin’s indoor fast court if he does not bring his best serve with him. Although the record between the two players is tied (5-5 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head), the Spaniard has had his way with the No. 2 in the PIF ATP Rankings the last two times they crossed paths this season, in the quarter-finals of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells and the Roland Garros final.

The serve has been a key part of Alcaraz’s arsenal in 2024; the Murcia native has landed 245 aces, put the ball in play with 65 per cent of his first serves, points of which he won 73 per cent, and saved 62 per cent of the break points he has faced.

Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic have earned Year-End ATP Doubles No. 1 presented by PIF honours as a team for the first time.

Pavic had achieved the feat on three previous occasions with three different partners. Arevalo is part of the year-end No. 1 duo for the first time.

"I’m extremely happy for this achievement. If you see it in a way, you can see that it’s one year, because it’s the year-end No. 1. But for me it’s more than that," Arevalo said. "It’s a team effort of many years. I know that me and Mate have only been playing for one season, but individually, our teams have been working for many years and I think this is just the product of our effort individually and now in the 2024 season together as a team."

Photo: Peter Staples/ATP Tour
The Salvadoran-Croatian team formed a new partnership in 2024 and have made the most of it, surging deep into tournaments on every surface to earn their place atop the doubles circuit.

Arevalo and Pavic won their first Grand Slam championship together at Roland Garros, one of their four triumphs as a pair in 2024. They also were victorious at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Cincinnati, Hong Kong and Geneva.

The round-robin stage of the 2024 Nitto ATP Finals concludes Friday, with all still to play for in the John Newcombe Group.

Alexander Zverev tops the table with a 2-0 record, but even his place in the semi-finals is not guaranteed ahead of a Day 6 showdown with Carlos Alcaraz. Following that day-session clash, evening opponents Casper Ruud and Andrey Rublev will know exactly where they stand in their quest for the knockout rounds.

In doubles action, Germans Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz bid to complete a perfect campaign in the Bob Bryan Group when they take on sixth seeds Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden. Top seeds Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic face Italians Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori in a de facto quarter-final, with the winner set to advance to the semis alongside group winners Krawietz/Puetz. Arevalo and Pavic clinched Year-End ATP Doubles No. 1 presented by PIF honours after Thursday's results in Turin.

[ATP AWARDS]

[2] Alexander Zverev (GER) vs. [3] Carlos Alcaraz (ESP)
While Zverev tops the group with a pair of straight-set wins against Rublev and Ruud, he must win at least one set against Alcaraz to confirm his place in the semi-finals — though he could still progress even with a straight-sets defeat.

Max Purcell and Jordan Thompson cut through some nailbiting tie-break tension to clinch a Nitto ATP Finals semi-final spot on Thursday evening.

The Australian pair dug deep for a 7-6(14), 6-3 triumph against second seeds Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos in Turin. Needing to win just one set to ensure their spot in the last four, Purcell and Thompson held firm in a thrilling first-set tie-break, during which they fended off four set points before converting their sixth. They then rode that momentum to an early 3-0 lead in the second set en route to completing a 97-minute victory.

?? AUSSIE! AUSSIE! AUSSIE! ??@MaxPurcell98 & @jordanthommmo2 punch their ticket into the last four in Turin with a 7-6(14) 6-3 win over Granollers/Zeballos.#NittoATPFinals pic.twitter.com/30jms9b55m

As a result of their win, the fifth-seeded Purcell and Thompson finished second with a 2-1 record in Mike Bryan group and joined fellow event debutants Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten in advancing to the semi-finals. They are the first all-Australian team to reach the last four at the Nitto ATP Finals since legendary pair Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde in 1999.

“We’ve both had incredible years, and when you’re trying to toss up doubles and singles, it’s so tough on the body," said Thompson. "We’ve just done our best. We’ve probably played over 50 matches together, so that tells you we’re doing something right.”

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Wesley Koolhof and Nikola Mektic were eliminated from Nitto ATP Finals semi-final contention on Thursday when they lost a heartbreaking Match Tie-break to Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten. The defeat had extra meaning for Koolhof, who played his final ATP Tour match.

After the match, Koolhof’s fellow players and members of ATP staff took to the court to honour him for a standout career.

“Obviously mixed emotions. It’s been a pleasure to play on the Tour for the past almost 20 years, so thank you all for taking the time to come out here on centre court and especially Mekta for playing with me in my final year,” Koolhof said. “It’s always been a dream to basically finish my career here in Turin at the Nitto ATP Finals, so very grateful and happy to finish my career here, even if we didn’t make it today.”

Koolhof won 21 tour-level titles, including the 2020 Nitto ATP Finals with Mektic and 2023 Wimbledon with Neal Skupski.

Stefanos Tsitsipas was among the players who joined Koolhof on court. The Dutchman's fiancée, Julia Goerges, also was there.

Wimbledon champions Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten had little time for sentiment on Thursday at the Nitto ATP Finals.

The seventh seeds produced an inspired comeback over 2020 champions Wesley Koolhof and Nikola Mektic to eliminate them from the season finale. Heliovaara and Patten, who prevailed 4-6, 6-3, 12-10, maintained their perfect 3-0 start to their team debut in Turin and ensured that they finished top of the Mike Bryan Group.

“Pleased is an understatement, three wins in the group stage is exactly what we wanted,” said Heliovaara. “But, of course, you have to play pretty well to achieve that. In the Match Tie-break today, we said to each other ‘This is great tennis, let’s enjoy it’. Even if we lost a point here or there, it was great to be a part of that [battle].”

Mike Bryan Group WINNERS ☝️?

No. 3 seeds Harri Heliovaara & Henry Patten round off group play undefeated!#NittoATPFinals pic.twitter.com/S11ciYeBuI

Koolhof, determined to stay alive in the final ATP Tour event of his career, rallied with Mektic from 5/8 to level the Match Tie-break and ignite hopes of a revival. Heliovaara and Patten, however, locked back in to seal a one-hour, 31-minute victory and assert their dominance heading into the knockout stages.