All you need to know about the 2022 Nitto ATP Finals
The ATP finals is the last big mens tennis event on the calendar and held every November. The season ending event is the second most important event of the tennis year after the four grand slams and the winner is awarded up to 1,500 ATP ranking points. Sometimes called “a fifth grand slam”, the tournament is held indoors on hard court and is the most important indoor event of the year with total prize money of $7.5 million.
Format
The finals are unique in tennis as it’s the only major tournament that’s a round robin format. The ATP finals feature the top-eight singles players and top-eight doubles teams based on their year end ranking. Then the eighth spot is reserved for a player who won a Grand Slam in the current year, but this player must be ranked from 8th–20th.
As mentioned above tournament is in round robin format and the players are separated into two groups of four, with each playing three round robin matches. Following this, the top two players from each group move on to the semi finals, followed by a final to decide the champion.
History
The tournament was first held in 1970 and was called the Masters Grand Prix, this was the season ender, but more of a showpiece event and had no ranking points up for grabs. This all changed in 1990, when the ATP tour (Association of Tennis Professionals) took over the running of the whole men’s tour and replaced the Masters Grand Prix with the “ATP Tour World Championships” This new styled tournament offered up the same amount of world ranking points as a grand slam and therefore became a much more important set piece on the tennis calendar.
2023 mens grand slam favourites
However around the same time, the ITF, who continued to run the Grand Slam tournaments, created a rival year-end event known as the Grand Slam Cup, which was contested by the 16 players with the best records in specifically Grand Slam tournaments that year. Then in December 1999, the ATP and ITF agreed to disagree and discontinue the two separate events and create a new jointly-owed event called the “Tennis Masters Cup”. Similar to the Masters Grand Prix and the ATP Tour World Championships format, the Tennis Masters Cup was contested by eight players.
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$1,000 In Bonus BetsBONUS CODE: PLEDGEIn 2009 the Tennis Masters Cup was was renamed the “ATP World Tour Finals” and the O2 Arena in London became its home until 2020. In 2017 the event was renamed the “ATP Finals”. 2020 was the last year the finals were held in London and the tournament moved to Turn in Italy in 2021 and will remain there until 2025.
Nitto ATP Finals 2022
The last major tennis even of the year will take place at the Pala Alpitour in Turin in Turin from November 13 – 20. The eight finalists are
- Carlos Alcaraz has pulled out due to injury so Taylor Fritz takes his place.
- Rafa Nadal
- Casper Ruud
- Stefanos Tsitsipas
- Daniil Medvedev
- Novak Djokovic
- Felix Auger – Aliassime
- Andrey Rublev
Novak Djokovic wasn’t in the current top 8, but qualified as he won Wimbledon this year. This is shaping up to be a great grande finale, in a mix of the masters and some new blood. It’s going to be very exciting to watch and see if these top new generation can topple the old guard of Nadal and Djokovic.
This years finals have a massive prize money increase of 103% over last year, totalling $14.75 million.
2023 Women’s grand slam favourites
Nitto Finals favourites analysis
The 8 qualifiers are announced and it’s possibly the most exciting line up in years, mainly because there’s so many of the best new generation players. We have 2 first timers – Taylor Fritz and Felix Auger-Aliassime and 2 second time Nitto Finalists, Andrey Rublev and Casper Ruud. The youngsters will attempt to take on the kings Rafa and Novak. While 2019 winner Tsitsipas and 2020 winner Medvedev will look to add to their ATP Finals silverware.
This is going to be very hard to call! There are only 8 players, so like every year, the ATP Finals is wide open.
Our least favourites
Let’s start with our least favourites. We really can’t see Tsitsipas winning, he has a 0-3 record against Alcaraz and is not a Nadal or Djokovic beater.
Nadal is another player we wouldn’t back for this tournament and we have 3 good reasons for this, 1. He’s just back from injury so fitness will be a big question. 2. Believe it or not, the great Rafa Nadal has never won this tournament! 3. Rafa lost the first round of the Paris Rolex Masters so he’s not exactly on a great run coming in here.
Rublev has had a great year, winning 4 tournaments and making the finals for the second year in a row, he’s always dangerous but we think this field is too strong for him.
Daniil Medvedev won the Vienna Open but just got knocked out of the Rolex Masters and has slipped down to a 5th ranking on the ATP tour. If judging this on form, we’re not giving him a great chance.
Top Favourites
Taylor Fritz is due a big win and has proved he is more than capable. The US number one player won at Indian wells this year and it currently raked 8th in the world. Fritz he didn’t qualify for the 2022 ATP Finals but got a place became on 5 November, due to Carlos Alcaraz’s withdrawal with an abdominal injury.
After his defeat to Alcaraz at the US Open, Casper Ruud has been quiet on the tour, and hasn’t got past the quarters in 3 tournaments. However a well rested man of this talent who’s still out for a big tournament win will be very dangerous.
Tennis betting sites place Djokovic as the favourite, and we all know that if we was allowed play in Australia and the US hard court season he would most likely be world number 1. What’s going to make this tournament so interesting is – can the new young generation beat the best in the world?
If we were backing someone purely on form then the only choice would be Felix Auger-Aliassime, the Canadian has had a ridiculous run, winning 3 tournaments in a row – The Firenze Open, Europe and Open and the Swiss Indoor. He’s just beaten Alcaraz and in this run of form can beat anyone named above.
The greatest players of all time
Previous winners
- 2021 Alexander Zverev
- 2020 Daniil Medvedev
- 2019 Stefanos Tsitsipas
- 2018 Alexander Zverev
- 2017 Grigor Dimitrov
- 2016 Andy Murray
- 2015 Novak Djokovic
- 2014 Novak Djokovic
- 2013 Novak Djokovic
- 2012 Novak Djokovic
- 2011 Roger Federer
- 2010 Roger Federer
- 2009 Nikolay Davydenko
- 2008 Novak Djokovic
- 2007 Roger Federer
- 2006 Roger Federer
- 2005 David Nalbandian
- 2004 Roger Federer
- 2003 Roger Federer
- 2002 Lleyton Hewitt
- 2001 Lleyton Hewitt
- 2000 Gustavo Kuerten
Nitto ATP Doubles
Below are the 5 doubles championship qualifying teams.
- Thanasi Kokkinakis / Nick Kyrgios
- Wesley Koolhof/Neal Skupski
- Rajeev Ram/Joe Salisbury
- Marcelo Arevalo/Jean-Julien Rojer
- Nikola Mektic/Mate Pavic
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