ATP Finals 2024: Complete line-up after Novak Djokovic's withdrawal ft. Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz
The qualification for the ATP Finals 2024 was heading for an exciting photo finish. Casper Ruud, Alex de Minaur, and Andrey Rublev entered this week's two ATP 250 tournaments to punch their tickets to the year-end championships. However, defending champion Novak Djokovic announced his decision to skip the event on Tuesday (November 5).
Djokovic's participation has been the subject of much speculation in recent weeks. He cleared the air himself and stated that he would have to forego his title defense this year due to an injury. While his withdrawal has led to an anti-climactic conclusion, the field for the year-end championships is now set.
Djokovic is the most successful player in the history of the tournament, with a record seven titles to his name. His absence leaves the door open for the rest of the field to shine, and here's a look at this year's contenders for the ATP Finals:
#1 - Jannik Sinner
Sinner was the first player to qualify for this year's ATP Finals, on August 10. He won the Australian Open at the start of the season and didn't look back after that. He won an additional six titles following his triumph Down Under, including the US Open along with three Masters 1000 titles.
Sinner also made the last four at the French Open and Wimbledon and ascended to the top of the rankings for the first time after the claycourt Major. He assured himself a place atop the summit at the end of the year as well after his victory at the Shanghai Masters.
This will be Sinner's third appearance at the ATP Finals. He failed to advance beyond the group stage on his debut in 2021 and finished as the runner-up last year. With an impressive 65-6 record for the season, he will be the favorite to win this time.
#2 - Alexander Zverev
Zverev's consistent results this season made him the second player to make the cut for the ATP Finals on September 1. He won the Italian Open, was the runner-up at the French Open, reached the semifinals in Melbourne, Miami, and Cincinnati, and the quarterfinals of the US Open.
These results ensured Zverev's presence at the year-end championships. He recently won the Paris Masters as well, and overtook Sinner as the player with the most wins this season, with a total of 66, though he also has 20 losses to his name. This will be his seventh appearance here, and he has already won the tournament twice, in 2018 and 2021.
#3 - Carlos Alcaraz
Alcaraz was the third player to qualify for the ATP Finals on September 24. He completed the Surface Slam by winning the French Open and defended his Wimbledon crown to up his Major tally to four. He also defended his title at the Indian Wells Masters and won the China Open last month as well.
This will be Alcaraz's second appearance at the year-end championships. While he qualified for the same in 2022, an injury forced him to pull out of the tournament. He made his debut last year and advanced to the semifinals. He has a 52-11 record this year and has either a winning or an even record against his fellow qualifiers, which makes him one of the favorites to win the title.
#4 - Daniil Medvedev
While Medvedev didn't secure any titles this season, he made plenty of deep runs, which has enabled him to book his spot at the ATP Finals for the sixth year in a row. He became the fourth player to qualify on October 22 and has a 45-19 record for the season.
Medvedev was the runner-up at the Australian Open and the Indian Wells Open and lost to Sinner and Alcaraz respectively. He reached the Wimbledon semifinals, and the quarterfinals of the US Open as well. He won the ATP Finals in 2020, and now this will be his only opportunity to lay his hands on the winner's trophy this year.
#5 - Taylor Fritz
Fritz became the fifth player to qualify for the ATP Finals on October 29. He won the Delray Beach Open and the Eastbourne International, advanced to his maiden Major final at the US Open, and came up short against Sinner.
Fritz also made the semifinals of the Madrid Open and the Shanghai Masters. He has compiled a 49-21 record this year. This will be his second appearance at the ATP Finals, and he reached the semifinals on his debut in 2022. He came quite close to qualifying last year as well and was an alternate at the tournament.
#6 - Casper Ruud
A strong first half of the season laid the foundation for Ruud's return to the ATP Finals this year. He won the Barcelona Open and the Geneva Open and reached another three finals, including one at the Monte-Carlo Masters. He has a 49-22 record for the season, though he recorded 43 of those wins until July, and has a 6-10 record since the start of August.
Ruud's qualification chances were in slight jeopardy but Djokovic's withdrawal guaranteed him a spot at the season-ending tournament for the third time in his career. A runner-up finish in 2022 has been his best result here thus far.
#7 - Alex de Minaur
After steady results throughout the season, an injury almost derailed de Minaur's chances of qualifying for the ATP Finals. However, he made an incredible push for the same over the last few weeks to give himself a fighting chance, and Djokovic's decision to pull out has ensured his debut at the tournament.
De Minaur will be the first player from Australia to take part in the ATP Finals since Lleyton Hewitt's appearance in 2004. He has posted a 47-16 record for the season, and has won two titles so far, and reached another final as well.
#8 - Andrey Rublev
Rublev's season had plenty of peaks and valleys, and he found himself being on the verge of missing out on an ATP Finals berth. He won the Madrid Open, was a finalist at the Canadian Open, and won the Hong Kong Open as well. He was overtaken by de Minaur in the Race to Turin and pushed down to ninth spot.
However, Djokovic's withdrawal made sure that Rublev would participate in the ATP Finals for the fifth consecutive year. He has advanced beyond the group stage only once so far when he made the semifinals in 2022.