Four spots open to fight for: Who can still qualify for the ATP Finals?
With just one point-awarding tournament left in the season and four spots still open to grab, the race for ATP Finals is as heated as it gets. The Nitto ATP Finals is set to go underway in just a few weeks in Turin, Italy. The ATP Final features the top 8 players in the ATP rankings at the end of the season. So far in the 2024 ATP Tour, only 4 four players have qualified for the year-end tournament. The rest of them will improve their chances of qualification in the upcoming Rolex Paris Masters campaign. World No. 1 Jannik Sinner and his arch-rival Carlos Alcaraz were the first ones to lock in their place at this year's edition. Next, Alexander Zverev and Daniil Medvedev followed, leaving four spots for others to fight for.
The path to 2024 ATP Finals for Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz
Jannik Sinner scripted the best season of his career at this year's ATP Tour. The 23-year-old Italian opened the Tour with a Grand Slam win at the Australian Open. Moreover, the youngster picked title wins at the ATP Masters 1000 events in Cincinnati and Miami. While Carlos Alcaraz picked pace in the mid of of the season to win the Wimbledon Open and the Roland Garros, Sinner staged a comeback in the last Grand Slam of the season.
Brushing past the home favorite Taylor Fritz, Jannik Sinner became the first Italian to win the US Open title in New York as he claimed his second Grand Slam of the season. Moreover, Sinner showed significant grit to win the Shanghai Masters title against Novak Djokovic while being embroiled in the infamous doping row. Now, Sinner has accumulated 11,420 points in the ATP standings. Racing ahead of Alcaraz, Sinner has maintained a healthy lead over the Spaniard to lock the year-end No. 1 title to his name this season.
Carlos Alcaraz, with wins at Wimbledon, Roland Garros, and most recently the China Open, qualified for the ATP Finals as he lies at the second spot in the rankings. Though Alcaraz complained of a tight ATP schedule, his performance this year has been commendable. The 21-year-old defied Novak Djokovic to pick the Wimbledon title this year. Later, Djokovic avenged his defeat at the 2024 Paris Olympics where he finally won his first-ever gold medal. While Carlos Alcaraz settled for the silver medal, the win at Paris Olympics had no effectts on the ATP standings. However, the fatigue from Paris had a say in the ATP points as both Alcaraz and Djokovic exited US Open early due to their hard-fought tussle at the 2024 Olympics.
Who else can qualify for the ATP Finals in Turin this season?
Apart from the Grand Slam winners of this season, Alexander Zverev and Daniil Medvedev have qualified for the ATP Finals. The 2024 Nitto ATP Finals in Turin will be the sixth consecutive season for Medvedev. Moving ahead, Novak Djokovic is currently placed at the fourth spot in the ATP rankings with 6210 points. However, with Djokovic having pulled out of the upcoming Rolex Paris Masters, the chances for him to play at the year-end event appear slim. In Djokovic's absence, players like Casper Ruud and Andrey Rublev have the chance to fight for a position in the Top 8 and above the 24-time Grand Slam champion in the Nitto ATP Finals.
The Paris Masters is the last Masters 1000 tournament of the season and is set to kick off on 28 October, Monday. Taylor Fritz is in a favorable position to return to the season finale, marking his second appearance since reaching the semifinals in Turin in 2022. Taylor Fritz is currently sitting at the sixth position in the ATP rankings with 4,330 points. Thus, a single match win in Paris would confirm his spot in the ATP Finals. While his qualification is nearly confirmed, a tough draw at the Paris Masters event can challenge the certainty.
Apart from Fritz, players like Grigor Dimitrov, Stefanos Tsitsipas, and Tommy Paul, and Casper Ruud are still in the race for a spot at the ATP Finals. Casper Ruud has a possibility to leave Djokovic behind in the ATP Rankings with a win in Paris Masters and subsequently solidify his chances to move ahead to Turin. While Andrey Rublev held a favourable lead, his loss in Basel has pushed his campaign back. The player is currently seventh in the ATP Rankings with 4070 points. Rublev's setback paved the way for Australia's Alex de Minaur to vie for a spot in the ATP Finals. However, de Minaur will need to stage a comeback in the Paris Masters after his recent defeat at the Vienna Open.
The qualification scenario for Stefanos Tsitsipas is a hard nut to crack. The Greek player will need to win the Paris Masters title in order to set his foot in Turin for the ATP Finals. On the other hand, Grigor Dimitrova and Tommy Paul have to carry their Paris campaign straight up to the final to have a say in the ATP proceedings.
