Novak Djokovic Favored to Win A Record Nitto ATP Finals Title
No Americans In Nitto ATP Finals Singles Draw For Fourth Time In Last Five Years
Djokovic, Alcaraz, Medvedev Head into Nitto ATP Finals As the Front-Runners
The field is set for the Nitto ATP Finals with Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz headlining the two groups.
Djokovic, a six-time winner of the tournament, is joined by former champions Alexander Zverev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, and Daniil Medvedev.
There was a time when it would have been unthinkable not to have at least one American player in the ATP Finals field. However, with Taylor Fritz coming up just short of securing the eighth and final spot, it is the ninth time in the last 12 years that no American will compete for the year-end title.
The Nitto ATP finals schedule begins in singles on Monday with round-robin play as the eight competitors are separated into two groups of four players.
When looking at the ATP odds and predictions, Djokovic and Alcaraz are listed as the favorites in the ATP World Tour Finals outrights.
Here’s a breakdown of the players who qualified for the ATP Finals.
Green Group
Novak Djokovic (+125 to win the ATP Finals)
Djokovic is a six-time champion who can break the tie with Roger Federer for the most ATP Tour Finals singles championships.
Djokovic recently won his 40th Masters title and won three of the four Grand Slam titles in 2023 topping three different tennis players to capture the Australian Open, French Open, and the US Open.
As is the case for every big-time event he has entered this year, Djokovic is a player to beat in the Nitto ATP Finals.
Jannik Sinner (+650 to win the ATP Finals)
Sinner won four titles in 2023 and posted a 57-14 record. He recently won the championship in Vienna and topped Carlos Alcaraz and Daniil Medvedev to win in Beijing.
His best Grand Slam in 2023 showing was a run to the Wimbledon semifinals before he ran into Djokovic.
Stefanos Tsitsipas (+1200 to win the ATP Finals)
The 2019 ATP Finals champion, Tsitsipas got 2023 off to a strong start by reaching the Australian Open finals and also reached the quarterfinals at the French Open.
His results were not as impressive as the season wore on as he suffered eight losses to players ranking outside the top 30 after the French Open.
Holger Rune (+2000 to win the ATP Finals)
Rune lost six of his next seven matches after a run to the Wimbledon quarterfinals.
Rune reached the Basel semifinals, and the quarterfinals in Paris to earn his way into the field as he will make his ATP Tour Finals debut.
Red Group
Carlos Alcaraz (+350 to win the ATP Finals)
Alcaraz spent much of 2023 ranked No. 1 in the ATP rankings. Now he is set to make his Nitto ATP Finals debut.
Alcaraz topped Djokovic in a classic Wimbledon final to prevent Djokovic from sweeping all four Grand Slam titles.
He is 63-10 with six singles titles. His run to the Wimbledon championship was his final title of 2023.
Daniil Medvedev (+600 to win the ATP Finals)
The 2020 champion came up with one of the biggest wins when he took out Alcaraz in the semifinals of the US Open. Medvedev also won Masters events in Miami and Rome.
Medvedev followed his run to the 2020 ATP Finals title by reaching the finals in 2021 before his bid for a repeat ended with a straight-set loss to Alexander Zverev.
Andrey Rublev (+1400 to win the ATP Finals)
Rublev had a recent run to the ATP 1000 event in Shanghai and advanced to the Australian Open quarterfinals back in January. He posted three top-10 wins from April-August.
This will be the fourth straight appearance in the ATP Finals.
Alexander Zverev (+1600 to win the ATP Finals)
A two-time ATP Tour Finals champion was outside the top 10 when the 2023 season began and was on the verge of falling out of the top 30 before advancing to the French Open semifinals.
A semifinal appearance in Cincinnati was followed by a run to the US Open quarterfinals as he got back into the top 10.
The Format
Each player will face the three competitors in his bracket with the top two finishers in the tennis standings advancing to the semifinals.
Games won in the round-robin matches will be a tiebreaker. Once in the semifinals, it survives and advances with the semifinal winners playing in the championship match.
Doubles Update
American Austin Krajicek teams with Ivan Dodig to earn the top seed and they will be the team to beat in the Green Group.
Wesley Koolhof and Neal Skupski are the top seed in the Red Group.
The format is the same as in singles with the two top teams in the two groups reaching the semifinals.
A Look Back
Casper Ruud, the 2022 runner-up, did not qualify for the 2023 field. He is one of four players who took part in the 2022 singles draw but did not play their way into the 2023 field.
Djokovic dropped just one set in five matches to win the 2022 singles title. He topped Fritz in a pair of tiebreakers in the semifinals and then defeated Ruud 7-5, 6-3 in the championship match.
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