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This year’s doubles field at the Nitto ATP Finals features a mix of established teams and breakthrough stars. Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajicek are leading the way as the top seeds.

“It feels great to come back here, for us a second time as a team together. I'm really enjoying it. Happy that we had a great season. And to finish it here, it's always the best thing,” Dodig said. “That's why we fight through the year, to play this one. And hopefully this time we can have a good run.

“Last year, we had great matches. We lost all the matches in the [Match] Tie-break. Hopefully this time, we can do it better. But all in all, great season. Happy to be back.”

The best of the best ?

Which team will come out on top and claim the #NittoATPFinals ?? pic.twitter.com/cfjumyXx8v

— ATP Tour (@atptour) November 11, 2023

Dodig and Krajicek won this year’s Roland Garros title and triumphed on four other occasions: at Rotterdam, Monte-Carlo, Queen’s Club and Beijing. But the Croatian-American duo will face stern tests in every match of Green Group action, with all teams in Turin champions in their own right.

The ATP Tour's best singles and doubles players have descended on Turin for the 2023 Nitto ATP Finals. World No. 1 Novak Djokovic leads the singles field alongside Carlos Alcaraz, who is making his debut at the season finale.

Former champions Daniil Medvedev, Alexander Zverev and Stefanos Tsitsipas will bid for another year-end crown, with Jannik Sinner, Andrey Rublev and Holger Rune all seeking their first Nitto ATP Finals trophy.

ATPTour.com breaks down five things to watch at the season finale.

[SWEEPSTAKES]

1) Djokovic's Records Quest, No. 1 Chase: The Serbian is seeking a record-breaking seventh Nitto ATP Finals crown, which would break a tie with Roger Federer. He could also secure a record-extending seventh ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by Pepperstone honour with one match win in Turin or a single defeat by the chasing Alcaraz.

Gonzalo Escobar and Aleksandr Nedovyesov saved two mach points in the Sofia doubles final to claim their second tour-level title as a team. The Ecuadorian/Kazakhstani team defeated third seeds Julian Cash and Nikola Mektic 6-3, 3-6, 13-11 to earn a dramatic victory in what was their fourth final in 14 tour-level tournaments together.

"A [Match] Tie-break is always a lottery, but I think in the end we were just a little bit more aggressive," said Nedovyesov. "Luck was there as well I guess... It was a great tournament."

Escobar/Nedovyesov will finish the season in 23rd place in the Pepperstone ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings after a successful close to a week in which Escobar earned his 100th tour-level doubles win. The Sofia title is the Ecuadorian's fifth at tour-level and Nedovyesov's second.

"Very happy for the title. But it's also been a tough year, so this makes me proud of the work we've done," added Escobar.

Photo credit: Moselle Open

The doubles stars of the 2023 Nitto ATP Finals gathered on Saturday for Media Day, during which they took the Official Doubles Photo at the Pala Alpitour.

Ivan Dodig/Austin Krajicek, Wesley Koolhof/Neal Skupski, Rohan Bopanna/Matthew Ebden, Santiago Gonzalez/Edouard Roger-Vasselin, Marcel Granollers/Horacio Zeballos, Rajeev Ram/Joe Salisbury, Maximo Gonzalez/Andres Molteni and Rinky Hijikata/Jason Kubler will compete for the ultimate title. 

Ram and Salisbury are the defending champions. Top seeds Dodig and Krajicek lead the Green Group and second seeds Koolhof and Skupski head the Red Group.

Action begins on Sunday in Turin, where Dodig/Krajicek will play the first match of the tournament against seventh seeds Gonzalez and Molteni. In the evening session, Gonzalez and Roger-Vasselin will face Granollers and Zeballos.

[NEWSLETTER FORM]

Daniil Medvedev is looking to cap arguably the most successful season of his career this coming week in Turin, where he intends to shake off three heart-breaking losses at the Nitto ATP Finals last year.

Medvedev, who has won a career best 64 matches this season to sit at No.3 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings coming into the season finale, was in high spirits at Friday’s media day activity at the Palace of Turin, projecting to his opening round-robin match Monday against close friend Andrey Rublev.

“I love playing in Italy,” Medvedev told ATP Media. “I think, honestly, Italian fans love me. I had great support all the time I have been playing in Rome and Turin. So I am happy to be back and hopefully I can show some good tennis.”

Medvedev won a career-best five titles this season, including an unexpected ATP Masters 1000 on clay in Rome. When asked about his season overall, Medvedev remarked, “If we take out the Grand Slams, it's the best of my life. I don’t have a Grand Slam because Carlos and Novak are playing very good tennis. Still a very good year, especially the first part of the year.

“The second part was great for different reasons, but probably just a little bit worse. I would have wanted one title because I was not able to get one. The season is not finished so I’m going to try to show my best here.”

An emtoional Ugo Humbert claimed his first title since 2021 on Saturday by winning his hometown tournament at the Moselle Open. The Metz native defeated Alexander Shevchenko 6-3, 6-3 to cap a memorable week on home soil and improve to 4-0 in tour-level singles finals.

"It was my dream when I was young to win this tournament," Humbert said post-match. "It's just amazing. I have a lot of feelings now, I can't describe it. It's so incredible to win here in my hometown in front of my family. To finish strong like this, it's just an amazing feeling."

Pure emotions ?@HumbertUgo | @MoselleOpen | #MoselleOpen pic.twitter.com/7q7DvqpPIS

— ATP Tour (@atptour) November 11, 2023

The result will see Humbert finish the season at a career-high No. 20 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings and as the year-end French No. 1 for the first time. He edged past Sofia champion Adrian Mannarino for both honours by claiming the Metz crown just an hour after the veteran's triumph in Bulgaria.

"So great for French tennis, so good!" Humbert said when he learned of Mannarino's success. The Metz champion will become the first Frenchman inside the Top 20 of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings since Gael Monfils in August 2022.

The 2023 Nitto ATP Finals kick off on Sunday with a pair of heavy-hitting clashes at Turin’s Pala Apitour. Home favourite Jannik Sinner bids for a positive start to his campaign in Green Group when he takes on Stefanos Tsitsipas in the opening singles clash of the day, before defending champion and World No. 1 Novak Djokovic meets Holger Rune in the evening session.

[4] Jannik Sinner (ITA) vs. [6] Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE)

Can the home fans help Jannik Sinner kick-start his Nitto ATP Finals campaign on Sunday in Turin?

The 22-year-old Italian takes on Stefanos Tsitsipas in his opening match in Green Group at the Pala Alpitour, where the Italian is competing at the season finale for the second time, but the first as a direct qualifier. Sinner will hope that the locals can cheer him on to victory against an opponent whom he trails 2-5 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series.

“[I’m] happy that this event is here in Turin,” Sinner told ATP Media on Friday. “Hopefully it's something positive for me trying to have a great connection with the crowd and hopefully I can handle it and handle the situation with the right mentality, because I feel I have a little bit more pressure, which is a very positive sign for me.”

Despite his strong history in their matchup, the 2019 Nitto ATP Finals champion Tsitsipas will be wary of the threat posed by Sinner, who holds a 57-14 record for a year in which he has lifted four tour-level titles, including his maiden ATP Masters 1000 crown in Toronto.

Adrian Mannarino closed out perhaps the best ATP Tour season of his long career with his third title of the year on Saturday at the Sofia Open. The 35-year-old edged Great Britain's Jack Draper 7-6(6), 2-6, 6-3 to win his fifth tour-level title and rise to No. 20 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings.

"That's definitely the best way to finish the year," the Frenchman said post-match. "It's been a great year and I'm a little bit exhausted but it's really motivating when you're doing well. I was playing great on court and I'm happy with the result."

"The smile says it all" ?@AdrianMannarino's magical year finishes with a 3rd title 7-6(6), 2-6, 6-3 ? Draper@sofiaopentennis | #SofiaOpen pic.twitter.com/LwFwZ2h2j4

— ATP Tour (@atptour) November 11, 2023

If his position at No. 20 in the Live Rankings holds, Mannarino will become the French No. 1 in the next edition of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings — though fellow Frenchman Ugo Humbert, who is playing the Metz final on Saturday, could yet pass Mannarino with the title.

By following his Newport and Astana titles with the Sofia crown, Mannarino became the first Frenchman to win three titles in a season since Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (4) and Lucas Pouille (3) in 2017. He also increased his personal-best season win total to 43 this week, a tally that was also aided by a final run in Mallorca.

As night falls in Turin, the imposing Palazzo Reale awaits the eight players who, starting on Sunday, will be battling it out for the title at the Nitto ATP Finals. Carlos Alcaraz, the No. 2 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings and debutant at the season-closing event, is making his way down a blue carpet surrounded by adoring fans. Although the second half of 2023 has not been as good to him as the first, the two-time Grand Slam champion arrives in the Italian city with his mind set on rediscovering his A-game and challenging for the title.

“I’m expecting the Carlos from early this year, despite the results I’ve had in recent tournaments,” declared Alcaraz, whose triumph at Wimbledon was the last of the six titles he has claimed in 2023. “The defeat in Paris, which was quite painful, made me realise that I have to work harder,” he said of the match he lost in the recent ATP Masters 1000 against Roman Safiullin.

“And that’s what I’ve done. You always have to look for the positive in things. I’ve had several days to train to come here in optimum form. I’ve worked hard, on both fitness and tennis. I feel really good.”

[SWEEPSTAKES]

After not going to Basel because of an inflammation in the sole of his left foot and gluteal problems, Alcaraz bowed out in the first round in Paris-Bercy and had to deal with an unfamiliar sensation: the hangover of a defeat.

Apart from Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev is the only active player to win multiple titles at the Nitto ATP Finals. The German won the title at the O2 Arena in London in 2018 as well as here in Turin in 2021.

Zverev missed the chance to qualify for the year-end event in 2022 when a horrific ankle injury suffered in the middle of his Roland Garros semi-final against Rafael Nadal ended his season.

Zverev won two titles this year and is currently at No.7 in the Pepperstone ATP Rankings. However, a few months ago, qualifying for Turin was not something he would have expected given his slow start to the year when coming back from injury. “It was difficult in the beginning. I was nowhere near even thinking about Turin,” Zverev said. “I was thinking about how to win matches. I was barely winning matches. I was barely making points as well.

“It kind of turned around in the summer for me. I made the semi-finals of Roland Garros. I think that was a big turning point for me. From then onwards, it was fun to be on the tennis court again.”

[SWEEPSTAKES]

The German learned some important lessons while working his way to the top eight again. When asked about lessons learned, Zverev stated, “That you don’t get what you want straight away. You have to be patient at times. You have to be working for the things you really want to achieve.

Holger Rune’s Nitto ATP Finals debut has been more than just a year in the making.

The 20-year-old’s first competitive appearance at the prestigious season finale comes four years after he attended the event as a hitting partner for the world’s top players. Among those he hit with in London in 2019? Roger Federer, and the player he takes on Sunday in his opening match in Green Group — World No. 1 Novak Djokovic.

“It's amazing,” Rune told ATP Media on Friday after being shown a video of his 16-year-old self hitting with Djokovic at the 2019 edition of the Nitto ATP Finals. “Mostly knowing that there was a small boy practising being a hitting partner, to now competing against [Djokovic], it’s cool.

“I felt like I didn't want to miss a ball because I was afraid that they were getting mad at me, because you want to do the best for them. But now I don't want to do the best for him on the court.”

After surging into the Top 10 of the Pepperstone ATP Rankings for the first time at the end of the 2022 season, Rune has backed up his breakthrough year in style. He has racked up a 43-22 record, which includes defending his crown in Munich, reaching ATP Masters 1000 finals in Monte-Carlo and Rome and reaching the quarter-finals at Roland Garros and Wimbledon.

Novak Djokovic has his sights set on one major goal at the Nitto ATP Finals: finishing as ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by Pepperstone for the record-extending eighth time.

“For me, the biggest goal right now is to end the season as the No. 1 player in the world, so hopefully I can clinch it. I need one win, so hopefully that happens,” Djokovic told ATP Media on Friday in Turin. “And then of course, I would love to win the tournament as well. But that's the goal and then let's see what happens afterwards.”

Should Djokovic win one match or Carlos Alcaraz lose one match at the season finale, the Serbian will earn the supreme honour in the sport. He last finished year-end No. 1 in 2021.

Djokovic will have an opportunity to control his own fate on Sunday evening when he begins his tournament against Holger Rune. The pair played just one week ago in the Rolex Paris Masters, where Djokovic won the quarter-final in nearly three hours of scintillating tennis.

“Holger has his debut in the [Nitto ATP] Finals. Obviously, along with [Carlos] Alcaraz, they are the same generation, one of the leaders of the Next Gen and probably one of the players that will carry the tennis in the decade to come,” Djokovic said. “We’re going to see a lot of him I'm sure in the future. He's got Boris Becker, the legend of the game in his corner now and he's been improving himself as well. Every time we face each other, it's a close match, so I'll probably have to expect that one again.”

Stefanos Tsitsipas will compete at the Nitto ATP Finals for the fifth consecutive year when he takes to court in his opening round-robin match against Jannik Sinner. The Greek views the prestigious year-end event as a season highlight.

“I do believe that the [Nitto] ATP Finals come extremely close to a Slam experience,” Tsitsipas told ATP Media on Friday. “A Grand Slam you get to play even if you're No.200 in the World, but not many people can say that they've played the Nitto ATP Finals, so for me, it has a significant importance. And it carries a lot of legacy and a lot of history with it. To be playing in such an event, very few people can brag about.”

Tsitsipas triumphed on debut at the tournament in 2019 when it was held in London. He has since won six tour-level titles, including two ATP Masters 1000 crowns (Monte-Carlo 2021, 22). The 25-year-old believes he has developed on and off the court since his crowning moment at the year-end event four years ago.

“I do have the mental calmness of a veteran and I feel that changing,” Tsitsipas said. “I felt this big change this year. I'm starting to feel and think different. This morning, I was actually reflecting on how much I have personally changed in my personality in the way also that I think about life and tennis on its own. I don't know, whether that's maturing or getting at a certain age where your perspective kind of changes but it has definitely been different for me for the past few months.”

Tsitsipas holds a 51-22 record on the year and lines up in Green Group alongside Sinner, Novak Djokovic and Holger Rune. The Greek will open his campaign against Sinner and is ready for a tough battle despite leading the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series 5-2.

All eyes will be on Italy’s Jannik Sinner when he takes to court at the Nitto ATP Finals on Sunday in Turin. The home star, who competed at the Pala Alpitour as an alternate in 2021, is relishing the opportunity to show the Italian fans he can handle the pressure on one of the sport’s biggest stages.

“I'm happy to be here,” Sinner told ATP Media ahead of his first round-robin match against Stefanos Tsitsipas. “Happy that this event is here in Turin. Hopefully it's something positive for me trying to have a great connection with the crowd and hopefully I can handle it and handle the situation with the right mentality, because I feel I have a little bit more pressure, which is a very positive sign for me.

“I love to play under pressure. I love to play tie-breaks, I love to play the important points because I feel like there you can see who has what kind of game. And I feel like I'm trying to find as many important points as possible. Also because this makes you grow and also I'm here trying to win, but also to add some experience package for the next tournaments.”

Sinner has been drawn in Green Group at the prestigious year-end event alongside Novak Djokovic, Tsitsipas and Holger Rune. The 22-year-old is aware of the threats all three bring but is hoping to use the crowd support and prior Turin experience to his advantage this week.

“I had a great feeling two years ago when I went to court with the crowd,” said Sinner, who played two round-robin matches as an alternate in 2021. “The connection was great and hopefully I can have a little bit or the same amount of connection. The crowd is going to stay behind me in good times but hopefully especially in the bad times that they push me. They give me some positive energy and hopefully I can convert it into a high level.”

Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz and fellow Nitto ATP Finals contenders gathered at the Royal Palace Of Turin Friday evening for a spectacular official photo, media availability and reception ahead of Sunday's opening day of play at the Pala Alpitour.

Dressed in smart casual, players signed autographs and posed for selfies with Italian fans in the late afternoon before entering the palace, where the official photo was taken on the grand staircase of the Musei Reali-Palazzo Reale di Torino, which was originally built in the 16th century.

"This palace is definitely one of the most stunning venues that I have seen in this city; it is incredibly historic and beautiful," said World No. 1 and six-time tournament champion Novak Djokovic.

"This is my third time in Turin and I have enjoyed myself very much. The whole city this week lives for tennis. You can feel a lot of interest, a lot of attention and passion for tennis and sport in general."

Once home to the House of Savoy, the palace and surrounding complex is located in the centre of Turin and is known for housing the Shroud of Turin, along with its impressive tapestries, extensive Royal Library, Museum of Antiquities and historic weapons collection.

Friday's palace visit came one day after the tournament draw. Djokovic leads the Green Group, which also features Jannik Sinner. Stefanos Tsitsipas and Holger Rune. Making his debut, Alcaraz heads the Red Group that also features Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev and Alexander Zverev.

Alexander Shevchenko advanced to his maiden tour-level final on Friday at the Moselle Open, where he overcame French wild card Pierre-Hugues Herbert 6-4, 6-4 to continue his dream week in Metz.

The 22-year-old defeated Karen Khachanov to reach his first ATP Tour semi-final and backed up that win with a dominant display against Herbert to become the youngest Metz finalist since Lucas Pouille, 22, in 2016.

"It means the world to me," Shevchenko said. "I have dreamt of this moment since I was a little kid. Going to sleep I thought maybe I could play in an ATP final and I did it. I will always remember this moment and it is something special."

[ATP APP]

Shevchenko broke Herbert’s serve three times and struck eight aces to advance after 77 minutes at the ATP 250 event. He will face Italian wild card Fabio Fognini or fourth-seeded Frenchman Ugo Humbert in the title match.

Jack Draper became the youngest Briton to reach an ATP Tour final since Andy Murray in 2009 when he defeated third-seeded German Jan-Lennard Struff 6-3, 6-4 on Friday at the Sofia Open.

The 21-year-old played front-foot tennis throughout the 84-minute clash, firing 10 aces to extend his winning streak to nine matches at all levels, having triumphed at an ATP Challenger Tour event in Italy last week.

[SWEEPSTAKES]

Draper has yet to drop a set all week in Sofia and is up 22 spots to No. 60 in the Pepperstone ATP Live Rankings following his 19th tour-level win of the season.

The lefty, who reached tour-level semi-finals in Eastbourne (2022) and in Adelaide (2023), will face Paval Kotov or second-seeded Frenchman Adrian Mannarino in the final on Saturday at the ATP 250.

Innovations and rules have been unveiled for the 2023 Next Gen ATP Finals presented by NEOM (28 November – 2 December). The tournament’s first edition in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia continues its role as a leading showcase for innovation in tennis.

Changes for 2023 are set to accelerate the event’s fast-paced format, enhance the fan experience, and enrich data and analytics for players, coaches and fans:

No on-court warm-up: Matches will start immediately after the coin toss, with a separate practice court available for warm-ups. Shot-Clock Reductions: A new maximum of eight seconds will be introduced between first and second serves. This also applies after a let on first or second serve. As in previous editions, time between points will be reduced from 25 to 15 seconds if the previous point includes fewer than three shots. Wearables: Players will be able to track and visualise biometric data during matches via wearable devices – providing a comprehensive overview of their physical performance and stress responses. Insights: A new Physicality Index, developed by Tennis Data Innovations and Kinexon, will capture physical exertion through player and ball-tracking technology. Existing TDI insights such as Shot Quality will be leveraged in stadium for the first time. In-match analytics: The newly launched Tennis IQ platform will be available to coaches sitting courtside along with data-tagged video footage, with match data updated in real time and visualised in stadium. Basecamp: A new pre-event, off-court competition, Basecamp, will measure the skills and physicality of players through a series of tests, creating new ways for fans to analyse the game's rising stars. Lower umpire chair to reduce the visual obstruction for fans in the arena. Live Electronic Line Calling remains in place on all line calls. Simplified scoreboard for improved fan engagement and understanding.

Continued from previous editions:

Scoring format will be best of five tie-break sets. Each set will be first to four games with a tie-break played at 3-3. Games will be played using the No-Ad scoring format with the server choosing the service box. Free fan movement allowed in stadium, except behind the baselines. Reduced changeovers: No change of ends after the first game of a set. At the end of the set, players will sit down for 90 seconds (down from 120 seconds).

A host of premium international and national brands have partnered with the tournament in its first year in Jeddah. The impressive roster is headlined by NEOM, as the event’s presenting partner. NEOM is a region in north-western Saudi Arabia developing a new model for exceptional livability, an innovative economy with a focus on environmental conservation.

Other partners include Emirates Airline, Hilton and Mohamed Yousuf Naghi Motors Co. (Platinum Partners), Dunlop, Xerjoff, and Al Arabia (Gold Partners) and J-B, Delta Fitness and Aquafina (Silver Partners). The event is hosted in partnership with the Saudi Tennis Federation.

Stefanos Tsitsipas is a holding serve machine.

An Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers analysis of the eight players competing in the Nitto ATP Finals next week identifies the Greek as the toughest player to break based on his superior serve performance this season.

Tsitsipas has averaged being broken once out of every 8.4 of his service games in 2023, making him the leader of the pack chasing end-of-season glory in Turin. The other two players who elevated over the seven-game threshold were Novak Djokovic (7.9) and Jannik Sinner (7.6).

2023 Season: Average Service Games Per Break
1. Tsitsipas - 8.4
2. Djokovic - 7.9
3. Sinner - 7.6
4. Alcaraz - 6.6
5. Medvedev - 6.4
6. Rublev - 6.2
7. Zverev - 6.1
8. Rune - 5.7

If you postulate an average set score being 6-3, Tsitsipas will typically be broken just once in a straight-sets match. Holger Rune, on the other hand, is nudging closer to twice a match—especially if the score is tighter, such as 6-4, 6-4.

Novak Djokovic has arrived in Turin and is ready to chase the record books at this year's Nitto ATP Finals.

The Serbian star, who trained on Thursday at the Pala Alpitour, headlines the Green Group at the Pala Alpitour. He will compete against home favourite Jannik Sinner, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Holger Rune at the season finale.

There is a lot at stake for Djokovic, who is currently tied with Roger Federer for the most titles in tournament history with six. One more and the 36-year-old would stand alone with the most trophies in event history.

Photo Credit: Andrew Eichenholz/ATP Tour
Djokovic is also close to securing his record-extending eighth ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by Pepperstone honour. Two years ago he broke a tie with Pete Sampras (6) for the most year-end No. 1 finishes in history.

Should he accomplish the feat again this year, the week after the Nitto ATP Finals Djokovic would become the first player in Pepperstone ATP Rankings history to reach 400 weeks at World No. 1. The only other man to hit the 300-weeks mark is Federer (310).