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The 2023 ATP Finals, also referred to as the 2023 Nitto ATP Finals due to sponsorship, will take place at the Pala Alpitour in Turin, Italy, from November 12 to 19, 2023. The tournament will feature men’s tennis played on indoor hard courts and will serve as the season-ending event for the top-ranked singles players and doubles teams on the 2023 ATP Tour. This marks the 54th edition of the tournament (49th in doubles) and the third time that Turin has hosted the ATP Tour year-end championships.
Format
The ATP Finals group stage follows a round-robin format, where eight players/teams are split into two groups of four. Each player/team within a group competes against the other three in the group. The eight seeds were decided by the Pepperstone ATP rankings and ATP Doubles Team Rankings on the Monday following the final ATP Tour tournament of the calendar year. All singles matches, including the final, consisted of the best of three sets with tie-breaks in each set, including the third. Meanwhile, all doubles matches were two sets and a Match Tie-break.
DRAW
The highest ranked player or team is assigned to Group A, while the second highest ranked player or team is assigned to Group B. The players or teams ranked 3 and 4, 5 and 6, 7 and 8 are then paired off, with the first drawn player or team placed in Group A. Each player or team competes against the other three players or teams in their group. The winner of each group (with the best overall record) is then placed in separate semi-final brackets, with the top player or team in Group A facing the runner-up in Group B, and vice versa. In cases where two or more players or teams are tied after the round robin matches, the ties are resolved using the Tie-Break Procedure.
SEMI-FINAL QUALIFYING PROCEDURE
The final standings of each group is determined by the first of the following methods that apply:
a) Greatest number of wins;
b) Greatest number of matches played;
Comment: 2-1 won-loss record beats a 2-0 won-loss record; a 1-2 record beats a 1-0 record.
c) Head-to-head results if only two (2) players are tied,
d) If three (3) players are tied,
If three (3) players each have one (1) win, a player having played less than all three (3) matches is automatically eliminated and the player advancing to the single elimination competition is the winner of the match-up of the two (2) players tied with 1-2 records; or
Highest percentage of sets won; or
Highest percentage of games won; or
The player positions on the Pepperstone ATP Rankings as of the Monday after the last ATP Tour tournament of the calendar year.
If (i), (ii), (iii) or (iv) produce one (1) superior player (first place), or one (1) inferior player (third place), and the two (2) remaining players are tied, the tie between those two (2) players shall be broken by head-to-head record.
Comment 1: 1 player has 3 wins and the other 3 players have 1 win. Of the 3 players with 1 win, 1 player has only played in 2 matches while the other 2 players have played 3 matches. The player who has only played 2 matches is eliminated and then the 2 remaining players revert back to head-to-head results with the winner of their match advancing to the semi-finals.
Comment 2: 1 player has 3 wins and the other 3 players have 1 win and they all have played 3 matches.
The tie-break for % of sets won has 1 player with a better % than the other two. This player advances to the semi-final round.
Comment 3: 3 players have 2 wins and the other player has 0 wins. The player with 0 wins is eliminated. Of the 3 players with 2 wins, they are ordered by their % of sets won. This produces a 1, 2 & 3 order and the players finishing 1 and 2 move to the semi-final round and the player finishing 3 in % of sets won is eliminated. The player with the best % of sets won is the winner of the group.
Comment 4: 3 players have 2 wins and the other player has 0 wins. The player with 0 wins is eliminated. Of the 3 players with 2 wins, 1 player’s sets won-loss is 5-2 for 71.43%; the other 2 players both have a 4-3 record in sets for 57.14%. In this case there is 1 superior player (71.43%) and the remaining 2 players are tied; it now reverts to the head to head result of the 2 remaining players with the winning player advancing as group runner-up.
Comment 5: 3 players have 2 wins and the other player has 0 wins. The player with 0 wins is eliminated. Of the 3 players with 2 wins, 2 have set won-loss records of 5-3 (62.5%) while the other player is 4-3 (57.14%). In this case we have 1 inferior player (57.14%) and he is eliminated. The remaining two players both advance to the semi-finals with the winner of their head-to-head match advancing as the group winner.
(Rules & Format inputs provided by the Official Nitto ATP – https://www.nittoatpfinals.com/en/event/rules-and-format)
2023 ATP Finals
Novak Djokovic holds the title of defending champion. After winning his first round-robin match, Djokovic secured the year-end No. 1 ranking for an eighth time, extending the record. Carlos Alcaraz was also in the running for the top spot at year-end. Holger Rune and Alcaraz made their first appearances at the event, while Jannik Sinner debuted as a direct qualifier after serving as an alternate in two matches in 2021. Djokovic aims to add to his record of six year-end championship titles, which he currently shares with Roger Federer.
Carlos Alcaraz emerged as the winner of the Red Group in Turin after defeating Daniil Medvedev with a score of 6-4, 6-4. This victory has set the stage for an exciting semi-final showdown with six-time champion Novak Djokovic on Saturday night at 9 p.m. CET in the Nitto ATP Finals. Meanwhile, Medvedev, the 2020 champion, will face Italian hopeful Jannik Sinner in the afternoon semi-final at 2.30 p.m. CET. The match between Alcaraz and Medvedev showcased exceptional shotmaking skills, with the Spaniard displaying increased aggression and forward movement to gain an advantage over the World No. 3.
In the first set, Alcaraz had a crucial moment where he won seven consecutive points, breaking Medvedev’s serve at 3-3 without losing a single point. Alcaraz, who is participating in his first Nitto ATP Finals, displayed a diverse range of shots, frequently incorporating serve-and-volleys and drop shots to counter Medvedev’s strategic positioning at the back of the court. Despite facing two break points, Alcaraz managed to defend them successfully and actively sought opportunities to take control of the game during returns. He won an impressive 67 percent of his second-serve points, while Medvedev only managed to win 44 percent.
Ranked as the world’s number two player, Alcaraz showcased his skills by hitting 20 winners, with 13 of them coming from his powerful forehand. Additionally, he capitalized on 16 out of 21 net points, ultimately securing victory after an intense one hour and 20 minutes. This win further improved Alcaraz’s head-to-head record against Medvedev to 3-2 in their Lexus ATPHead2Head series. Notably, all three of Alcaraz’s victories against Medvedev have occurred in the year 2023.
Alcaraz, a player who has won 12 tour-level titles, is now preparing for his fifth encounter with the legendary Novak Djokovic, who has an impressive record of 24 major championships. Their head-to-head series currently stands at 2-2, with Djokovic emerging victorious in two out of three matches this season. Their most recent clash took place in Cincinnati, where Djokovic triumphed in a grueling three-hour and 49-minute marathon final at the ATP Masters 1000 event. Notably, Alcaraz ended Djokovic’s remarkable 34-match winning streak at Wimbledon, securing his second major title in a thrilling five-set classic.
Having achieved a commendable record of 65 wins and 11 losses in the 2023 season, Alcaraz is now determined to claim his seventh title of the year. At just 20 years old, he has become the youngest semi-finalist in the Nitto ATP Finals since his fellow countryman Rafael Nadal achieved the same feat in 2006. Despite a setback in his opening match against Alexander Zverev in Turin, Alcaraz swiftly bounced back with victories over Andrey Rublev and Medvedev. Notably, Alcaraz’s win on Friday resulted in the elimination of Zverev, who will now face Rublev in the evening.
Jannik Sinner beat Holger Rune to maintain his perfect start at the ATP Finals – and help send Novak Djokovic into the last four in Turin. Stefanos Tsitsipas’ ATP Finals campaign came to a disappointing end on Tuesday. The Greek withdrew from his second group-stage clash against Holger Rune due to an injury.
