Why Novak Djokovic could hold the key in the race to qualify for this year’s ATP Finals
The final weeks of the tennis year tend to be dominated by the race to qualify for the lucrative end-of-season finals, but the battle to reach the men’s version of that tournament in Turin in November is threatening to fall flat.
The top eight men on the ATP Race list will play in Turin, where home favourite Jannik Sinner will be the defending champion.
The ATP Race differs slightly from the official ATP Ranking, which is compiled over a rolling 52-week period and updated after each tournament.
Points drop off a player’s ranking each week as the official world ranking is compiled, but the ATP Race calculates points collected in 2025 alone, with the ATP Finals in Turin the prize for the elite eight.
Defending champion Sinner is already assured of his place in the line-up after a season that saw him lift the Australian Open and Wimbledon titles.
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His big rival Carlos Alcaraz has also cemented his position in the ATP Finals after a year that saw him win the other two Grand Slam titles and six additional tournaments on the ATP Tour.
The chasing pack are now looking to snap up the final six places up for grabs in Turin and in an unusual twist, they may also be settled.
With Alexander Zverev in third place and almost certain to be on the guest list for the ATP Finals, Novak Djokovic, Taylor Fritz, Ben Shelton, Alex De Minaur and Lorenzo Musetti are also well placed to qualify.
Britain’s Jack Draper is down in ninth spot and he will not play against this year due to injury, while 10th placed Felix Auger-Aliassime and 11th placed Casper Ruud have a lot of ground to make up to challenge Musetti and De Minaur for the final two qualifying spots.
There are plenty of ranking points up for grabs over the next few weeks, with the Shanghai Masters offering 1,000 ranking points for the winner and the Paris Masters has the same ranking points haul for the winner.
Auger-Aliassime and Ruud would need to have deep runs in both of the Masters 1000 events to rise up the ATP Race list and they could also collect more points in indoor events in Basel and Vienna in October.
The unknown ingredient in the race to qualify for the ATP Finals is Djokovic’s intentions, as he decided against playing in Turin last year.
Even though he has played a trimmed-down schedule for a second season in a row, Djokovic has confirmed he is still the third best player in the world after reaching the semi-finals of all four Grand Slam events this year.
Yet he has made it clear that his desire to spend more time with his family is a bigger priority than playing tennis tournaments that no longer motivate him, so it remains to be seen whether he will play in Turin.
Djokovic’s withdrawal would open the door for Auger-Aliassime or Ruud to challenge for a qualifying spot and it may even tempt Britain’s Jack Draper to make a return to action to play in the ATP Finals for the first time.
ATP Race standings ahead of Shanghai Masters
1. Carlos Alcaraz – 11,050
2. Jannik Sinner – 8,290
3. Alexander Zverev – 4,280
4. Novak Djokovic – 4,190
5. Taylor Fritz – 3,795
6. Ben Shelton – 3,720
7. Alex de Minaur – 3,355
8 Lorenzo Musetti- 3,345
9. Jack Draper – 2,990
10. Felix Auger-Aliassime – 2,715
11. Casper Ruud – 2,495
12. Andrey Rublev – 2,420
13. Alexander Bublik – 2,395
14. Holger Rune – 2,300
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