ATP Finals Race to Turin: Novak Djokovic, Casper Ruud, Alex de Minaur, Andrey Rublev in final battle
Four must become three in the race to reach the ATP Finals in Turin.
With five men – Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev, and Taylor Fritz – already assured of their place, only three spots remain at the year-end championships.
And, with less than a week to go until action begins in Turin, the race for the final positions is at boiling point.
Novak Djokovic, Casper Ruud, Alex de Minaur, and Andrey Rublev are all still in contention, though one looks set to miss out on reaching the Finals.
Here, we look at the scenarios and implications for all four men in a crunch week of action.
Novak Djokovic
Position: 6th – 3,910 points
Tournament: None
It is not yet confirmed if Djokovic will even play at the Finals should he qualify, and the 37-year-old is not in action this week.
However, the seven-time ATP Finals champion will qualify unless results go against him across the ATP 250 events in Metz and Belgrade.
Sitting on 3,910 points, it would take a combination of de Minaur triumphing in Belgrade, Rublev winning in Metz, and Ruud reaching the semi-final in Metz to knock the Serbian out of the top eight.
Casper Ruud
Position: 7th – 3,855 points
Tournament: Metz
In seventh place, 2022 ATP Finals runner-up Ruud is looking to make the year-end championships for a third time.
Despite a difficult season since Roland Garros, the Norwegian does have his fate in his own hands heading into the ATP 250 event in Metz this week.
A run to the last four would guarantee his place no matter what Rublev or de Minaur do, and both the Australian and Russian would need to significantly better his result should he fall early.
Ruud is the second seed in Metz, and has an opening-round bye.
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Alex de Minaur
Position: 8th – 3,745 points
Tournament: Belgrade
De Minaur moved ahead of Rublev after his run to the quarter-finals of the Paris Masters last week, and is looking to reach the ATP Finals for the first time.
The Australian holds a slender 20-point lead over Rublev, but can guarantee qualification by winning the title at the Belgrade Open – where he is the top seed, and has a bye in round one
However, any result that matches or betters the Russian’s performance in Metz will be enough for him to reach Turin.
Andrey Rublev
Position: 9th – 3,720 points
Tournament: Metz
Rublev has reached the ATP Finals for the last four seasons, and risks missing out on the year-end championships for the first time since 2019.
The world No 9 does not have his fate in his own hands and will need to rely on results elsewhere alongside a strong display from himself.
Rublev must better de Minaur’s Belgrade result to overtake the world No 8 – which will not be possible if the Australian triumphs in the Serbian capital.
If that were to happen, he would need to win the title in Metz and hope Ruud failed to make it past the quarter-final, or reach the final and hope the Norwegian lost his opening match.
