The plan for the ATP Finals involves matching the top eight players in the world in a two pool round robin event to determine an unofficial “player of the year”. Round-robin matches are followed by semi-finals and finals, then the champion is crowned. The system uses ATP Tour points to determine who qualifies for the event. Sort Of. Like 2021, the ATP Finals will be played in Milan, Italy this year. The event is scheduled for November 13-20 with the singles final the last match of the event.
The top eight in the singles race usually earn the eight spots to the event. However, a player ranked outside the top eight, but inside the top 20 can leapfrog the eighth player by winning a Grand Slam title during the current year. If the Race to Turin ended today, Novak Djokovic would finish in 10th place behind 8th place Felix Auger-Aliassime and 9th place Hubert Hurkacz. However, because Djokovic won the Grand Slam title at Wimbledon and is certain to finish inside of the Top 20, he qualified for Turin.
Due to political considerations involving the Russia-Ukraine War, Wimbledon did not allow all players to compete at the event this year. As a result, neither Djokovic nor any other player earned points toward their Race to Turin total. So, because Wimbledon did not award points, Djokovic currently sits outside the top eight who advance to the ATP Finals, but because he won Wimbledon, he jumps players ahead of him on the points list.
In an ironic twist, if the Race to Milan ended today, Djokovic would knock Auger-Aliassime out of the top eight who qualify for Turin. Remember, it was Auger-Aliassime who defeated Djokovic in a critical three-point match at the 2022 Laver Cup to help Team World outlast Team Europe in late September. Of course, Auger-Aliassime earned zero points for this win as Laver Cup matches do not count for ATP Race to Turin points. And on we go…
While Djokovic confirmed his place at the ATP Finals, the full slate of qualifiers is not yet determined. Along with Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Carlos Alcaraz, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Casper Ruud possess enough points to reach Turin without another point in 2022. Others in the chase include Auger-Aliassime, Hurkacz, Taylor Fritz and more than a few others. With ATP 500 events coming in Basel and Vienna as well as the ATP 1000 event in Paris to close out the Race to Turin, there are chances for movement within the top eight, or now possibly top seven point winners. Either way, Djokovic has qualified and will be able to try for his sixth Tour Finals championship in 15 appearances.
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