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Jannik Sinner wrapped ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF honours in October, but the battle for year-end No. 2 is still up for grabs.

Alexander Zverev enters the Nitto ATP Finals in pole position to finish just behind Sinner. The German holds a 505-point lead over No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz, but the Spaniard still has an opportunity to swap places with the two-time season finale champion.

A player could earn 1,500 points with an undefeated run to the title at the Inalpi Arena, giving Alcaraz a chance to overcome that deficit. Each round-robin win is worth 200 PIF ATP Rankings points, semi-final victories 400 points and a triumph in the final 500 points.

PIF ATP Live Rankings (entering 11 November)

Zverev and Alcaraz are both in the John Newcombe Group, so they are guaranteed to meet at least once in Turin. That could prove pivotal in the battle for World No. 2. Alcaraz is trying to finish in the top two for the third consecutive year, while Zverev is attempting to do so for the first time.

Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz sprang an early upset in style on Monday at the Nitto ATP Finals.

The German duo sank top seeds Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic 6-3, 6-4 in the opening match of Bob Bryan Group at the prestigious season finale. Krawietz and Puetz clinched the only break of serve in each set en route to a 63-minute triumph, during which they won 89 per cent (32/36) of points behind first serves.

By notching victory on their Nitto ATP Finals team debut, the eighth-seeded Krawietz and Puetz improved to 4-2 in their Lexus ATP Head2Head series with Arevalo and Pavic. All six of those meetings have been played across 2024.

STATEMENT MADE ?

Kevin Krawietz and @GoldenSetTim turn on the style to defeat the top seeds Arevalo/Pavic in the Bob Bryan Group!#NittoATPFinals pic.twitter.com/czINdiCP7f

“Of course to start with a win is very important, also for the whole tournament,” said Krawietz. “We get a good feeling on the big court, and I think everything was working very well.”

“A few days ago I read an interview where Juan Carlos [Ferrero] was saying that I have to learn that the season stretches from January to November. He couldn’t be more right. Maybe I struggled to handle the last part of the season. I have so many things to improve on, and that’s one of them. Learning that a tennis player’s season doesn’t end in June, August or September, it lasts until November.”

Carlos Alcaraz uttered these words in November 2023, shortly after bowing out in the semis of the Nitto ATP Finals at the hands of Novak Djokovic, in reference to his handling of the closing stages of the season, the tournaments following the US Open.

In 2023, after the final Grand Slam of the season, Alcaraz was knocked out in the semi-finals in Beijing (by Jannik Sinner), he won two matches in Shanghai and lost his first in Paris before arriving at the Nitto ATP Finals and suffering immediate defeat to Alexander Zverev.

Although he would make amends for his sluggish start (seeing off both Andrey Rublev and Daniil Medvedev to progress from his group into the semis, where he lost to the Serb), the Murcia native was highly critical of himself. Ferrero was in full agreement with his understudy.

“After the US Open, our level dropped a bit and in that regard we have to improve,” admitted Ferrero at the time. “You have to be more focused on being a professional all the time. On the other hand, we know that we have to improve his game and his mentality. These things should mature now he’s in his 20s. He is very self-critical.”

Taylor Fritz delivered a statement performance Sunday to kick-start his campaign at the Nitto ATP Finals.

The American surged to a 6-4, 6-3 victory over fourth seed Daniil Medvedev to make a perfect start in his second appearance at the season finale. Fritz capitalised on an error-strewn opening set from Medvedev, during which he hit seven double faults, before pulling clear in the second. 

“[The serve] was a big part of it for sure,” said Fritz, who won 85 per cent (33/39) of first-serve points, according to Infosys ATP Stats. “He’s such a good returner. You can make a lot of first serves, but if they are not very high quality, he just puts so many returns in the court.

“It was huge for me, I hit a lot of lines, a lot of spots to start out games. I got out of a lot of service games [with] no pressure. Some of the ones we got tight in, I was either able to grind through the long rallies or get myself some free points.”

Dominant from @Taylor_Fritz97 ?

A great Serve #ShotQuality was ? against one of the top returners on tour.

Whilst his Return performance was also very impressive, especially on 2nd Serve, returning at 81mph ?#ShotQuality is calculated in real-time by analysing each… pic.twitter.com/L5GNpp8pnn

After one month without competitive tennis, perhaps Jannik Sinner surprised himself with the calibre of tennis he produced on Sunday night at the Nitto ATP Finals.

The No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings admitted to feeling some rust in the early stages of his opening match against debutant Alex de Minaur, but it wasn’t long before he was near his blistering best. After trailing an early break, Sinner found his rhythm and wrapped up victory in 85 minutes to kick-start his quest for a maiden trophy at the prestigious season finale. 

“I'm glad that I managed to play this kind of level today,” said Sinner, whose last tour-level match was his Shanghai Masters triumph in October. “It's a great start for my side for this event, for this tournament, considering I haven't played an official match in four weeks.

“Every match, it's very difficult to play against him. He's a great fighter. You have to earn every point you play. Every time we play, he changes a couple of things, so I have to be very aware. It's very difficult. We don't have to see only the result, but also how the match goes.”

Sinner, who notched his Tour-leading 66th win of 2024 (alongside Alexander Zverev), is bidding to become just the third player to win the Australian Open, US Open and Nitto ATP Finals in one season (Federer, Djokovic). With his win over De Minaur, the 23-year-old is level with Taylor Fritz - his next opponent - at the top of the Ilie Nastase Group.

Jannik Sinner quickly shook off some early rust to power to an impressive opening victory on Sunday night at the Nitto ATP Finals.

The home favourite prevailed 6-3, 6-4 against Alex de Minaur to kick-start his 2024 campaign at the prestigious season finale. Competing in his first match since he lifted the Rolex Shanghai Masters trophy on 13 October, Sinner responded superbly to dropping serve in the third game of the match against De Minaur. He wrapped victory in 85 minutes at Inalpi Arena to move to 1-0 in Ilie Nastase Group.

“Considering [how long since I last played], I’m very happy,” said Sinner. “I started off with some unforced errors. He was playing great in the beginning of the match, so I just tried to stay there mentally, knowing that hopefully at some point my tennis would arrive. It arrived quite early, and I started to return very well.

“My serve, for sure I have to improve if I want to [win] the next match. Against Taylor [Fritz] for example, today he played really well. Let’s see, but today I’m very pleased about the win and hopefully this can give me confidence for the next one.”

??? Ole, Ole, Ole, Ole... SINNER! SINNER! ???@janniksin begins his quest for the #NittoATPFinals title with a comprehensive victory over de Minaur on home soil! pic.twitter.com/v4G696CjHe

For the elite eight who have earned the right to compete at this year’s Nitto ATP Finals, their fortnight in Turin extends further than the court inside the Inalpi Arena.

Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev, Taylor Fritz, Casper Ruud, Andrey Rublev and Alex de Minaur all swapped their racquets for a fine dress shirt on Thursday for a photo shoot with Vogue.

The players reflected on their years, both on and off the court, before gathering for group photos in their finest attire. You can read more about the day on the Vogue website. 

Photo Credit: Corinne Dubreuil/ATP Tour

“Seeing my parents after Australia,” Sinner responded when asked of his best moment off the court. “Just seeing them happy and spending time with them. I don’t have so much time with my parents, so it was a very nice moment.”

Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten could not have asked for a better way to kick-start their debut run at the Nitto ATP Finals.

The seventh seeds produced a steely performance Sunday to defeat 2023 finalists Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos 7-6(2), 6-4 and open their account in Turin. Heliovaara and Patten carried their momentum from a dominant first-set tie-break to move ahead early in the second. They commanded on serve throughout the encounter, during which they saved each of the two break points they faced, according to Infosys ATP Stats.

"[We're] very, very pleased, we really showed we are here and one of the top eight teams," said Heliovaara. "We played a great match. We didn't lose our serve once and we stayed offensive when it mattered. We followed our game plan so well and I think we deserved the win."

The deadly duo ⚡️⚡️

First W on the board for reigning Wimbledon champs, Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten!#NittoATPFinals pic.twitter.com/2wVYqFBOUp

Heliovaara and Patten's exquisite touch was on full display in the tie-break, and the pair did not look back. In the third game of the second set, they each found a pinpoint return to clinch the opening break of the match, one that proved to be decisive. 

The 2024 Nitto ATP Finals continues Monday, after which all eight singles players and all eight doubles teams in Turin will have played one match.

The John Newcombe Group begins singles play on Day 2, with Alexander Zverev taking on Andrey Rublev and Carlos Alcaraz meeting Casper Ruud. In doubles action, top seeds Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic face Germans Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz before Italians Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori play Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden.

[2] Alexander Zverev (GER) vs. [8] Andrey Rublev
Zverev played the 2023 Nitto ATP Finals at the seventh seed to cap his comeback season from ankle surgery. He notched two wins, but it was not enough to make the knockout rounds.

This season, the German enters Turin as the No. 2 player in the PIF ATP Rankings behind his ATP Masters 1000 titles in Rome and Paris, as well as a runner-up finish at Roland Garros.

“In 2023, I didn’t feel like I was competitive in big events. I was far away from winning them,” Zverev said in Turin. “Being able to compete and make Grand Slam finals, win Masters 1000 events, that is a big satisfaction to me because there were obviously question marks if I was ever going to do that again after the injury.”

Kei Nishikori returned to the winner's circle on Sunday.

The former No. 4 player in the PIF ATP Rankings claimed his first title of the season when he won the ATP Challenger Tour event in Helsinki. He defeated Luca Nardi 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 to triumph at the HPP Open.

“It’s great," Nishikori said. "It’s been a long time since I won a title. This was a really tough week, tough final. Luca played really good in the final. I almost lost my chance, but I was able to play solid in the end."

“It was not easy. Semi-final was tough, played two and a half hours and recovered for today and played another three sets. Not easy, but this is my last tournament of the year so I just tried to give 100 per cent for this match today and I think I did very well."

Nishikori has won 25 of his past 29 matches on the ATP Challenger Tour dating back to the Dallas Challenger in 2018.

Taylor Fritz brought his A-game on Sunday not just to the court but also to Instagram Live, where he became the very first guest on ‘The Aftermatch’ with host Max Whittle.

Fans got to see Fritz's fun side when he spilled the tea in this lively post-match chat!

After clinching a win against Daniil Medvedev at the Nitto ATP Finals, the 27-year-old shared all. He cracked jokes about his recent viral hair transformation, dished on who stole the show as the best-dressed at media day, and even got a surprise gift from Whittle.

Catch the must-watch Live interview below – it’s the post-match breakdown you didn’t know you needed!

Tune in across ATP Tour and Nitto ATP Finals social channels after every daytime singles match during the event to watch more of your favourite stars go Live.

Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz: Great rivals on the court, but not afraid to open up to each other off it!

The No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings Sinner and No. 3 Alcaraz grilled each other with a selection of fun questions ahead of the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin, where they are both chasing their maiden title at the prestigious season finale. The pair talked about which shot they would take from their rival and revealed the nickname they each had for the other in the locker room.

“I call you, like everybody, ‘Carrot’”, said the Spaniard, a reference to Sinner's penchant for eating the vegetable at changeovers. Meanwhile, the Italian’s nickname for Alcaraz was more related to the Roland Garros and Wimbledon champion’s approach to the game.

“I would say, which suits you well, is you are a ‘Beast’”, said Sinner. “’The Beast is coming’, and then you come in.”

All this was before Sinner and Alcaraz’s one-on-one entered ‘Savage Mode’. The questions got spicier, and perhaps the great rivals’ most honest assessment of each other’s skills (not to mention sense of fashion) came out! Watch the video below to see the full exchange in Turin:

Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos were just one win away from claiming the Nitto ATP Finals in 2023. They lost in the final to Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury. One season later, Spaniard and Argentine are back in Turin after a spectacular 2024 season that has catapulted them to the pinnacle of the PIF ATP Doubles Team Rankings, where they could end the season if things go their way in Italy.

“We arrive here after a very good year,” Granollers explained on Saturday. “We’ve had good results in almost every tournament we’ve played in. We’ve had a very consistent year and arriving here with these results really gives us confidence,” he added. “We’re playing well, practising well and hopefully we’ll have a good tournament.”

Granollers and Zeballos, who will play their opener on Sunday against Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten, have paced themselves exceptionally well throughout the season, with a very well-thought-out schedule.

“Neither of us are 20”, said Granollers, 38. “We try to achieve that balance, to be fresh and hungry and have a good mindset when the important tournaments come around. Judging by the results we’ve had throughout the year, it’s worked well for us. We’ve managed to create a schedule that prioritizes the big tournaments,” he added.

“I think if you look after yourself and do things right... we see a lot of doubles players of our age, some even older, and they’re able to play at a good level,” continued Granollers. “We’re not thinking five years ahead, really we’re taking things more year by year. We feel good, we’re playing well, so why not?”

Jannik Sinner, Daniil Medvedev, Taylor Fritz, and Alex de Minaur each know what it takes to become champions on the court. Collectively, they boast 54 ATP Tour titles, and this week, they will vie for the ultimate prize when they compete in the Ilie Nastase Group at the Nitto ATP Finals.

But who has inspired them to become the champions they are today? During Thursday's media day, each star revealed their idols, celebrating their positive qualities and sharing memories.

“I would like to start with my dad, who always did his best to make me feel comfortable,” said Sinner, who this year became the first Italian to reach No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings. “He cared for our family alongside my mom, so he’d be my first choice.

“The second would be Steph Curry, whom I met this year. He’s transformed basketball and is such a nice guy. Third, I’d choose Usain Bolt. I don’t usually watch races, but watching him run was always exciting."

Sinner's first opponent at the Nitto ATP Finals will be Alex de Minaur. The 25-year-old Australian is the first from his country to qualify for this prestigious year-end event since Lleyton Hewitt in 2004. De Minaur had the chance to play doubles with Hewitt in Estoril in 2018 and Brisbane in 2019, even winning a match with him in Portugal.

There is more at stake at the Nitto ATP Finals than the prestigious title at the season finale. The sport’s biggest stars will also be jockeying for the final positions in the 2024 ATP Masters 1000 and Nitto ATP Finals Bonus Pool, which offers $20.5 million.

Jannik Sinner and Alexander Zverev are first and second in the Bonus Pool standings heading into the year-end championships, with the Italian leading by 300 points. One year ago, Carlos Alcaraz earned more than $4.2 million for winning the Bonus Pool.

There are 1,500 PIF ATP Rankings points available to the champion in Turin, leaving plenty of room for players to surge in the standings. Third-placed Andrey Rublev, fourth-placed Carlos Alcaraz and fifth-placed Daniil Medvedev round out the top five.

Bonus Pool Standings Following Paris:

ATP Masters 1000 and Nitto ATP Finals 2024 Bonus Pool payments will be awarded to the 30 players who earned the most PIF ATP Rankings points at ATP Masters 1000 events and the Nitto ATP Finals this season.

Earlier this year, thoughts for Jordan Thompson turned to tiramisu in Italy. Or more specifically, enjoying that dessert with his Aussie mate and fellow Sydneysider Max Purcell at the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin.

Having combined to win four titles this season, including a first Grand Slam at the US Open, it’s an objective the Australian teammates happily achieved.

“Still need to have the tiramisu,” joked Purcell from Turin, where the Australian duo are the No.5 seeds. “But yeah, we’re proud of our efforts this year – we just went from strength to strength in the bigger events and there’s one more event to finish out this year.”

Success is especially sweet for the Australians after they suffered the heartbreak of surrendering three match points against Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten in the Wimbledon final.

“We didn’t lose too many matches. You know, one point away from winning Wimbledon, three chances there. Come back to the Slam and won the US Open,” said Thompson. “We just feel like we’re just getting better as we were getting better as the year went on.”

Max Purcell and Jordan Thompson kick-started the 2024 Nitto ATP Finals in style on Sunday afternoon in Turin.

The fifth-seeded Australian pair downed third seeds Wesley Koolhof and Nikola Mektic 7-6(1), 6-3 on their debut at the prestigious season finale. Purcell and Thompson took control of the encounter during a mid-match hot streak: They stormed to the first-set tie-break before moving 3-0 ahead with a double break in the second set, a lead that ultimately proved unassailable.

“It was great. From the get-go, we were on it, we were ready to play,” said Thompson. “We’re happy to be here at the [Nitto ATP Finals] so it was massively pleasing… It’s great for our first time here. Started with a win, life couldn’t be better here.”

Dream debut in Turin for the Aussies ?

US Open champions @jordanthommmo2 & @MaxPurcell98 pick up their first win in the Mike Bryan Group!#NittoATPFinals pic.twitter.com/kxhea65rmE

After seizing a high-quality first set in the tie-break, Purcell and Thompson delivered a classy serving display in the second to complete their victory. The five-time ATP Tour champion team dropped just four points on serve in the second set, according to Infosys ATP Stats, freeing them up to play aggressively in their return games.