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Marin Cilic returned to winning ways on the ATP Tour on Monday with an opening-round triumph at the Belgrade Open.

The 36-year-old saved each of the two break points he faced in a clinical second set, according to Infosys ATP Stats, en route to a 7-6(2), 6-3 victory over Alexandre Muller. It was Cilic's first tour-level win of 2024, outside of his run to the title in Hangzhou in September. 

“I felt good, but when you haven’t played for a while it’s [important] to find that intensity,” said Cilic, the former No. 3 in the PIF ATP Rankings. “I needed to find that balance today, and it took me a while to get used to the conditions and the balls.

“After 30 minutes, I started to feel great on the court, hitting, moving, serving. From there until the end of the match was fantastic, I felt really nice on the court.”

After powering past Muller, the World No. 68, and snapping his four-match losing streak, Cilic will face fourth seed Jiri Lehecka in the second round.

With the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin reaching its final week, the battle to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals will be finalised in Belgrade and Metz. Sixth-placed Novak Djokovic (3,910 points), seventh-placed Casper Ruud (3,855), eighth-placed Alex de Minaur (3,745) and ninth-placed Andrey Rublev (3,720) are battling for two spots.

Following the Rolex Paris Masters and ahead of the final week of the regular season, ATPTour.com looks at the movers of the week in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin as of Monday, 4 November. 

View PIF ATP Live Race To Turin

Casper Ruud – Seventh (3,855 points)
The Norwegian arrives in Metz with his Turin fate in his own hands. Ruud, who lost in his opening match in Paris, will qualify for the prestigious year-end event if he reaches the semi-finals at the ATP 250. Ruud is chasing his third appearance in Turin, having advanced to the final in 2022.

Alex de Minaur – Eighth (3,745 points)
The Aussie is in the final qualification spot after climbing one place following his run to the quarter-finals in Paris. De Minaur, who is hoping to make his debut in Turin, will qualify for the year-end event if he wins the title in Belgrade or matches Rublev’s result in Metz.

Croatia and Argentina have qualified for the United Cup in 2025 and round out the top 18 countries set to compete across Perth and Sydney from 27 December to 5 January.

Croatia will be led by Paris Olympic Games singles silver medallist and Wimbledon semifinalist Donna Vekic and former world No.12 Borna Coric for the third consecutive year.

Seven-time Grand Slam doubles champion Ivan Dodig will also star as part of the Croatian side.

“It’s honestly my favourite tournament of the year,” Vekic said.

“We have great energy in the team.  Borna has been my friend for more than 20 years. It feels like a little family. We are not a team, we are a family.

Hamad Medjedovic found a fitting way to register his first tour-level hard-court win of 2024 on Sunday at the Belgrade Open.

With countryman Novak Djokovic watching from the stands, the Serbian wild card edged past sixth seed Brandon Nakashima 3-6, 7-5, 6-3 to advance to the second round. Medjedovic had his work cut out against the No. 35 in the PIF ATP Rankings, but he stood firm to record a two-hour triumph.

“It was a tough match, he was a better player in the first, and in the second I was trying to keep my nerves and find my game,” said Medjedovic, who improved to 8-6 over Top 50 opponents. “Slowly, step by step, I found my game and I was back on track.”

In a battle of the two previous Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF champions, Medjedovic shook off a sluggish start to dial in on serve in the second, during which he won 86 per cent (19/22) of points behind his first delivery, according to Infosys ATP Stats.

Nakashima carved out two break opportunities in the third game of the decider, but Medjedovic held his nerve to seal victory. The World No. 158 will next face qualifier Branko Djuric or Aleksander Kovacevic in the second round.

An action-packed October on the ATP Tour saw Jannik Sinner continue his standout season by clinching his third ATP Masters 1000 trophy of 2024 in Shanghai. On European indoor hard courts, Jack Draper and Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard achieved their most significant titles to date by triumphing in Vienna and Basel, respectively, before Alexander Zverev notched his second Masters 1000 success of the season in Paris.

ATPTour.com reflects on the champions of October.

Rolex Shanghai Masters, Shanghai – Jannik Sinner
After becoming the first Italian to win the US Open in September, Sinner carved more history in October. The 23-year-old downed Novak Djokovic 7-6(4), 6-3 in the Rolex Shanghai Masters final to become the youngest champion in tournament history. By denying Djokovic a 100th tour-level title, the World No. 1 Sinner clinched his Tour-leading seventh title of 2024 and levelled the pair’s Lexus ATP Head2Head series at 4-4.

Sinner's final triumph in China was his personal-best 65th win of the season, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss index. Throughout the tournament, Sinner demonstrated solid form and dropped his only set against Tomas Martin Etcheverry in the second round. Following his semi-final win against Tomas Machac, the 23-year-old clinched ATP Year-End No. 1 presented by PIF honours, becoming the first Italian to achieve the feat.

Rolex Paris Masters, Paris – Alexander Zverev
Zverev joined Sinner in claiming a late-season Masters 1000 crown with a similarly dominant run at the Rolex Paris Masters. The German dropped one set all week at Paris-Bercy, where he raced past home favourite Ugo Humbert 6-2, 6-2 in the championship match.

Alex Michelsen wasted little time in getting his debut campaign at the Moselle Open underway on Sunday.

The eighth seed at the indoor ATP 250 in Metz produced a clinical performance to breeze past French wild card Harold Mayot in 76 minutes. Michelsen saved all nine of the break points he faced, according to Infosys ATP Stats, en route to a 6-3, 6-1 triumph.

“I think my backhand was the determining factor,” Michelsen said, when asked about the key to his victory. “I feel like I was just painting the lines with my backhand today, and that doesn’t always happen, but when it does it feels pretty good. My forehand return felt unbelievable as well, so that’s always a plus.”

Michelsen, who is second in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah, is seeded at an ATP Tour event this week for the fourth time in his career, having reached two finals as a seeded player in 2024 (Newport, Winston-Salem).

Metz-native Mayot applied pressure in the early stages but was unable to convert any of the eight break points he carved out in the third game. From there, Michelsen dialled in to race across the line and improve to 29-28 at tour-level in 2024.

There will be $15,250,000 prize money on offer at the 2024 Nitto ATP Finals, which is to be held at the Inalpi Arena in Turin, from 10-17 November.

If the champion at this year’s season finale clinches the title with a perfect record, he will earn $4,881,500. This is an increase on last year’s $4,801,500.

Following on from previous years, three matches at the 2024 Nitto ATP Finals will be worth more than $1 million. Each semi-final will yield the winner more than $1 million, and the winner of the championship match will receive $2,237,200.

*Singles Participation Fee Schedule (2024)
1 match: $165,500
2 matches: $248,250
3 matches: $331,000

If a doubles team lifts the trophy with a perfect record, it will split $959,300.

Did Alexander Zverev surprise even himself with the quality of his championship-match display Sunday at the Rolex Paris Masters?

Ugo Humbert had delivered a series of classy performances that channelled his stirring home support en route to the final at the ATP Masters 1000 event in Paris-Bercy, including against Carlos Alcaraz in the third round. The Frenchman could do nothing to counter Zverev’s charge in the title showdown, however, and Zverev raced to a 6-2, 6-2 triumph in just 75 minutes.

“No, I didn't have a feeling it was going to be two and two, but actually from the start and from the rallies in the first games, even when I lost the rallies, I felt like the ball was [feeling good] on my racquet,” reflected Zverev in his post-match press conference. “When I have this feeling, I feel well on the court. I feel comfortable and confident, maybe being a bit more aggressive, going for more shots than I usually do.

“Against him, it was important. I think he's one of the best players when he's aggressive. I think he maybe struggles a bit still when he has to defend, so when I put him in a position where he has to defend, I think that's a position where I'm comfortable and he's not. I felt great off the back of the court, and I think against him that was the key today.”

From Paris, with love ?#RolexParisMasters | @RolexPMasters | @AlexZverev pic.twitter.com/rnk6WJRrbj

Entering the Rolex Paris Masters, Ugo Humbert had never reached an ATP Masters 1000 final. So despite falling short Sunday in the championship clash to Alexander Zverev, the lefty was in good spirits.

“It was a beautiful week, despite my defeat today. My feeling is that I gave it my all, I have no regrets,” Humbert said. “He was stronger than me in every aspect of tennis. I couldn't recover from yesterday's match enough, but congrats to him.”

Zverev firmly took hold of the match early on and never let go, dominating the action from the outset in his 6-2, 6-2 victory. But Humbert battled until the end to try to thrill his home crowd.

“It was tough. I tried until the end to be faithful to myself, to my values, to put up a battle until the end. When it's not over, there's still hope, and with this public, it's crazy,” Humbert said. “He missed two points only, the first two shots. And then he never missed afterwards. I believed in it until the end. I hoped that I would level the scores, but ultimately the scores were quite painful for me. So I fought until the end, and this is what I want to keep in mind.”

Alexander Zverev was in no mood for a French fairytale on Sunday at the Rolex Paris Masters. The 27-year-old had his own story to write.

The No. 2 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings produced a near-flawless performance to defeat home hope Ugo Humbert 6-2, 6-2 in the championship match and claim his seventh ATP Masters 1000 title. Zverev was relentless in every department, but particularly behind his own serve, from which he dropped just five points, according to Infosys ATP Stats.

“I knew I had to play like this to win today,” said Zverev, who improved to 23-13 in tour-level finals. “Ugo is an incredible player, but here in Paris, he plays even better than he usually does and I knew that. Once the crowd gets involved, it’s going to be difficult. So, I had to take that away early, and I did, so I’m happy about that.

“It was not 100 per cent guaranteed that I would be back at this level after Roland Garros two years ago, when I basically broke everything possible in my ankle. So, to win this title here in Paris means the world to me, and I’m sure it means everything to those in my box, because they have done so much for me.”

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It’s 7⃣th Masters 1000 crown for @AlexZverev as he defeats Humbert 6-2 6-2!#RolexParisMasters | @RolexPMasters pic.twitter.com/wkd5tYKFFj

Wesley Koolhof and Nikola Mektic are finishing with a flourish in their final season together. The sixth seeds rallied on Sunday to take home their fifth ATP Tour title of 2024 at the Rolex Paris Masters.

Koolhof and Mektic came alive in their first Match Tie-break of the week to defeat Lloyd Glasspool and Adam Pavlasek 3-6, 6-3, 10-5 in the championship match. With their Tour-leading fifth triumph of the season, the Dutch/Croatian duo rose to third in the PIF ATP Live Doubles Teams Rankings.

“It’s very special. To win three Masters in a year is an unbelievable achievement from both of us,” said Koolhof, who is retiring at the end of the season. “We hit a rough patch in the middle of the season but, before Shanghai, we knew what was at stake to make Turin.”

Title No. 5⃣ in 2024 ?@wesleykoolhof & @NMektic claim the trophy in Paris!#RolexParisMasters | @RolexPMasters pic.twitter.com/FIPEISeEiu

Having won the Nitto ATP Finals together in 2020, Koolhof and Mektic will return to Turin with their sights set on more glory at the season-ending finale.

The grind never stops for Alexander Zverev.

After securing a comprehensive semi-final victory over former champion Holger Rune at the Rolex Paris Masters Saturday, Zverev headed to the practice court, looking for incremental improvement that he hopes will allow him to challenge the duopoly at the top of the men's game.

“For me, it's about improving a few things. I feel like Jannik [Sinner] and Carlos [Alcaraz] are doing a few things better than me at the moment. I want to improve,” said Zverev.

“I want to improve not for tomorrow, not for today, or because of the matches I played here. I want to generally improve for next year as well.”

With his win over Rune, Zverev notched his 65th win of the year and tied Sinner for the most wins on Tour this season, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index. He also overtook Alcaraz and climbed to the No. 2 spot in the PIF ATP Live Rankings. The German believes they are still at a higher level and that he needs to work hard to catch up.

Ugo Humbert is an ATP Masters 1000 finalist. The French star moved past Karen Khachanov 6-7(6), 6-4, 6-3 on home soil at the Rolex Paris Masters on Saturday to advance to his maiden final at Masters 1000 level.

The 26-year-old played explosive tennis in front of an electric crowd in Paris and capitalised on Khachanov’s physical limitations in the closing stages of the third set to become the fifth Frenchman to reach the title match at the indoor hard event.

"It is amazing to do it in Paris at my favourite tournament. It is a dream," Humbert said. "It was a little bit difficult compared to the previous matches. I felt a little more pressure and after the loss of the first set I tried to enjoy the moment and be with the crowd. I did very well and I am super proud."

There’s no place like home ??@HumbertUgo is through to his FIRST-EVER Masters 1000 final! #RolexParisMasters | @RolexPMasters pic.twitter.com/vKGJDD1Rn8

Humbert crushed the ball off both wings and soaked in the roars from the crowd to earn his 13th consecutive win on indoor hard courts in France. The 15th seed won the title in Metz last year and then triumphed indoors in Marseille in February.

Alexander Zverev reached his first hard-court final of the season on Saturday at the Rolex Paris Masters, where he overcame former champion Holger Rune to end the Dane’s faint Nitto ATP Finals hopes.

The German recovered from failing to serve out the match at 5-4 in the second set, resisting a late fightback from Rune to eventually earn a 6-3, 7-6(4) victory after one hour and 47 minutes.

With his 65th win of the season, Zverev drew level with Jannik Sinner for the most victories on Tour in 2024, while he has climbed one spot to No. 2 in the PIF ATP Live Rankings, passing Carlos Alcaraz.

"I feel like I made it a little difficult for myself but he is a champion. It is probably his favourite tournament and favourite court, but I am happy to be in my second final here," Zverev said. "I am looking forward to it."

No stopping the Zverev Express ?@AlexZverev advances into his 12th ATP Masters 1000 FINAL!!! #RolexParisMasters | @RolexPMasters pic.twitter.com/luYjPH9F3m

Wesley Koolhof and Nikola Mektic moved to within one win of capturing their third ATP Masters 1000 title of the season together on Saturday, when they defeated Neal Skupski and Michael Venus at the Rolex Paris Masters.

The sixth seeds did not face a break point and won 93 per cent (25/27) of their first-serve points according to Infosys ATP Stats en route to a 6-2, 6-4 triumph.

Koolhof and Mektic have won four trophies in 2024 including Masters 1000 titles in Indian Wells and Shanghai and will compete at the Nitto ATP Finals, to be held from 10-17 November.

The Dutch-Croatian team will play US Open champs Max Purcell and Jordan Thompson or Lloyd Glasspool and Adam Pavlasek in the final on Sunday.

[NEWSLETTER FORM]

The final week of the regular ATP Tour season is here, with ATP 250 events at the Belgrade Open and the Moselle Open.

Chasing precious points in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin, Alex de Minaur leads the field in Belgrade, where Stan Wawrinka also competes. In Metz, Andrey Rublev and Casper Ruud will aim to seal their spots at the Nitto ATP Finals.

ATPTour.com looks at five things to watch ahead of the two indoor hard events.

FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN METZ
1) Ruud chasing Turin: Casper Ruud arrives in Metz seventh in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin. The Norwegian, who is on 3,855 points, is aiming to make his third appearance at the Nitto ATP Finals, to be held from 10-17 November. The 25-year-old will try to break a three-match losing streak when he takes on Roberto Bautista Agut or a qualifier in his first match.

2) Rublev aiming to join Ruud in Italy: Andrey Rublev is the top seed in Metz and is two spots behind Ruud in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin. The 27-year-old is on 3,720 points, trailing Ruud by 135 points, with eighth-placed Alex de Minaur (3,745 points) in between. Rublev is chasing his third title of the year in the north east of France.   

The world’s best players are set to compete at the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin next week with Jannik Sinner chasing his first crown at the prestigious season finale.

When is the Nitto ATP Finals?
The 2024 Nitto ATP Finals will be held from 10-17 November. The indoor hard-court event, established in 1970, will take place at the Inalpi Arena in Turin. The tournament director is Adam Hogg.

What is the format & who is playing at the 2024 Nitto ATP Finals?
The event in Turin will see eight players divided into two groups of four, with the top two from each group advancing to the semi-finals. Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz, Alexander Zverev, Daniil Medvedev and Taylor Fritz will compete. The final three places will be determined in coming days.

When is the draw for the 2024 Nitto ATP Finals?
The Turin draw will be made on Thursday 7 November at 12:00 p.m.

What is the schedule for the 2024 Nitto ATP Finals?
* Main Draw Round-Robin Matches: Sunday 10 November – Friday 15 November. Afternoon session starts at 11:30 a.m. (doubles), 2:00 p.m. (singles). Evening session 6:00 p.m (doubles), not before 8:30 p.m. (singles).
* Semi-finals: Saturday 16 November. Afternoon session starts at 12:00 p.m. (doubles), 2:30 p.m. (singles). Evening session not before 6:00 p.m. (doubles), not before 8:30 p.m. (singles).
* Final: Sunday 17 November. Doubles final at 3:00 p.m. and singles final at 6:00 p.m.

Karen Khachanov snapped a four-match losing streak against Grigor Dimitrov to charge into the Rolex Paris Masters semi-finals Friday night as he eliminated the Bulgarian from Nitto ATP Finals contention with a comfortable 6-2, 6-3 win.

Dimitrov needed to beat Khachanov and then advance to the final to pass eighth-placed Alex De Minaur in the PIF ATP Live Race to Turin and move inside the cut for the season finale, which he won on debut in 2017.

In a battle between this year’s leading indoor match wins leaders, Dimitrov lacked his usual spark after a draining third-set tie-break win over Arthur Rinderknech the night before. In contrast, an energized Khachanov continued his sizzling form, claiming his 12th win in his past 13 matches.

“I started sharp from the baseline and tried to put pressure from the beginning,” Khachanov said. “I was able to break him in the first game and take the lead and after that I noticed that he wasn’t feeling 100 per cent. But he wanted to play and I respect that. Credit to him for that.”

Asked to explain the hot streak that has taken him to the Almaty title, the Vienna final and now to his fifth ATP Masters 1000 semi-final, Khachanov said, “I try not to think about it, to be honest. When you are felling the rhythm, feeling the momentum you just want to continue enjoying the moment and continue playing the same way, with just a slight change of tactics for a different opponent. But playing with the same belief, enthusiasm and enjoyment.”

Wesley Koolhof and Nikola Mektic continued the quest for their fifth title of the season and third at ATP Masters 1000 level together on Friday at the Rolex Paris Masters where they defeated third seeds Rohan Bopanna and Matthew Ebden 7-6(13), 7-5.

The sixth seeds saved four set points in an epic opening set before they fended off all five break points they faced in the second set, according to Infosys ATP Stats, en route to a one-hour, 47-minute quarter-final triumph.

Koolhof and Mektic have won Masters 1000 titles in Indian Wells and Shanghai this year and will compete at the Nitto ATP Finals, to be held from 10-17 November. The Dutch-Croatian team will play Neal Skupski and Michael Venus in the semi-finals in Paris.

The British-New-Zealand pair defeated Ariel Behar and Robert Galloway 6-4, 6-2 in 63 minutes. Skupski and Venus reached the final in Vienna last week and beat top seeds Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos in straight sets in Paris.

Lloyd Glasspool and Adam Pavlasek were also winners on Friday. They downed Frenchmen Sadio Doumbia and Fabien Reboul 7-6(5), 6-4. Glasspool and Pavlasek will next take on US Open titlists Max Purcell and Jordan Thompson, who avenged their heartbreaking Wimbledon final loss to Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten 6-7(3), 6-1, 12-10.