Stunning prize money confirmed for Next Gen Finals – but Carlos Alcaraz may not play

Kevin Palmer 05 Oct 2023 5:12 PM

Carlos Alcaraz with the Next Gen ATP Finals trophy in 2021

The Next Gen Finals have been a successful innovation by the ATP in recent years and now the event is set to move to the next level in the prize money stakes.

Jeddah in Saudi Arabia has been confirmed announced as the host city of the Next Gen ATP Finals for the next four years, starting with this year’s event that starts in late November.

The tournament will be staged at the King Abdullah Sports City on indoor hard court from 28 November-2 December 2023, with a record US $2 million prize money on offer, following five successful editions of the tournament in Milan, Italy.

The event is open to players under the age of 21, with the top eight players who meet that criteria on the ATP Race offered entry into the end-of-season event set up to showcase the talent of the future.

The Next Gen Finals have also served as a platform to test rule changes, new technologies and innovations in the sport, many of which have gone on to be incorporated on the ATP Tour. Automatic line calling and shorter sets are among the innovations trailed in this event.

Stefanos Tsitsipas, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are among the recent winners of the Next Gen Finals and a star-studded field is expected to line-up in Jeddah this year.

Alcaraz and Holger Rune are among the big names that have already qualified for this year’s Next Gen Finals, but they are unlikely to take their place in the field as they will have their eyes on the even more lucrative ATP Finals in Turin.

Rune may be just outside of the qualifying places for the ATP Finals unless he finds form in the final month of the regular season and he could have a decision to make whether to be an alternative for the ATP Finals or to play in the Next Gen event in Jeddah.

Alcaraz and Rune could play in both events as the Next Gen Finals are taking place in late November and the ATP Finals take place earlier that month, but players have generally not played in both events.

So US Open semi-finalist Ben Shelton, Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti and France’s Arthur Fils are all set to play in Jeddah.

The rewards for taking part ensure that adding an extra tournament to your schedule is well worthwhile, with $150,000 guaranteed to all players taking part.

There will be $32,500 paid out for each match win in the group stages, $113,500 for a semi-final win and $153,000 for a victory in the final of an event that has a total prize purse of $2million.

The move to Saudi Arabia has been seen as controversial, yet the funds on offer for the players makes this a sensible business move for the ATP.

“The ATP Tour is truly global and exploring new markets is central to growing the game,” said ATP Chairman Andrea Gaudenzi.

“Bringing the Next Gen ATP Finals to Jeddah is our chance to inspire new fans, in a region with a vast young population, and unite audiences around tennis.

“Our congratulations go to Jeddah and the Saudi Tennis Federation. We look forward to building on the event’s incredible success together.”

Many of the players set to take part in the event have already won big money over the course of 2023, but they will now get a chance to collect even more to boost their end of year bank balances.

Players set to play in 2023 Next Gen Finals:

Ben Shelton (USA)

Lorenzo Musetti (ITA)

Arthur Fils (FRA)

Luca Van Assche (FRA)

Dominic Stricker (SUI)

Hamad Medjedovic (SRB)

Alex Michelsen (USA)

Arthur Cazaux (FRA)