After what has been a roller-coaster season interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the ATP Finals will get underway with a series of new restrictions.
Held at The O2 Arena in London the tournament will have a somewhat different atmosphere compared to previous years due to the absence of fans. Like other tournaments such as the US Open and Paris Masters, it is being held behind closed doors in accordance with local government regulations. The financial impact will undoubtedly be huge given the fact that 242,883 fans attended The O2 across the eight days in 2019.
“I’m playing quite okay without closed doors. I do miss the fans a lot but we all just have to be happy to be playing tennis and we all just have to be thankful for the opportunities that we get,” 2018 champion Alexander Zverev told reporters on Sunday.
“Other sports don’t get them, and we do. So it’s great to kind of be playing.”
It is for this reason that prize money at the usually extravagant finale will be down compared to 12 months ago. Should this year’s champion clinch the title without losing a match in the round-robin event he will take home $1,564,000. A stark contrast to last year when Stefanos Tsitsipas lost a match en route to the trophy but still took home $2,656,000. Participation fees have also been cut from $215,000 to $153,000.
Singles Prize Money: 2019 Vs 2020
| 2019 | 2020 | |
| Alternate | $116,00 | $73,000 |
| Participation Fee | $215,000 | $153,000 |
| Round-robin match win | $215,000 | $153,000 |
| Semi-final match win | $657,000 | $402,000 |
| Final win | $1,354,000 | $550,000 |
| Undefeated champion | $2,871,000 | $1,564,000 |
On the court there will be no linesmen or women making the calls. Instead the Hawk-Eye live system will be implemented in an approach that was also taken at the US Open earlier this year. Although at the US Open their two premier courts still used lines judges. Novak Djokovic, who is the top seed at the tournament, is one of the most vocal players to speak in favour of the use of this technology.
“With all my respect for the tradition and the culture we have in this sport, when it comes to people present on the court during a match, including line (judges), I really don’t see a reason why every single tournament in this world, in this technological advanced era, would not have what we had during the Cincinnati/New York tournaments,” Djokovic said earlier this year.
“The technology is so advanced right now, there is absolutely no reason why you should keep line umpires on the court. That’s my opinion.”
Among other restrictions at the ATP Finals, players are required to stay at the same hotel and will be disqualified from the tournament if they leave their ‘bubble’ without a justifiable reason. Upon arrival they will be tested for COVID-19 and will not be allowed to leave their hotel room until they get a negative result. Then on average they will be tested every four days.
The title hunters
Despite the changes to what is the 50th edition of the year-end extravaganza, there is still a big desire to win the prestigious event with up to 1500 ranking points on offer. Rafael Nadal holds the record for most Grand Slam titles won along with Roger Federer but is still yet to win any silverware at the ATP Finals. His best run was reaching the final in 2010 and 2013.
“I need to adjust a couple of things, but I am doing well on all the important things. I have one week and a little bit more to keep working, and I hope to be ready.” Nadal said following his semi-final loss at the Paris Masters.
Greece’s Tsitsipas is bidding to become the first player outside of the Big Three to defend a title at the event since Andre Agassi in 2001. Although he has been hampered by a leg injury in recent days.
“It’s actually back to normal which I’m really happy to be feeling this way and feeling more free on the court. Injuries are always psychologically difficult to handle and they can drain you a lot. I am happy that I am back to normal,” he told atptour.com last week.
Reigning Australian Open and Wimbledon champion Djokovic will be hungry for glory following his Vienna shocker. It was during that tournament where he secured the year-end No.1 spot for a record-equalling sixth time in his career. However, he suffered a shock 6-2, 6-1, loss to Lorenzo Sonego in the quarter-finals. The heaviest defeat he has ever suffered on the Tour.
“I am going to spend some time with my family, I am coming back to Serbia, which I am looking forward to. I will have a good preparation for London in order to have a strong ending to the season,” he said following the loss.
Should Djokovic win in London he will draw level with Federer for most ATP Finals trophies in history at six.
Elsewhere, Dominic Thiem is hoping to go one better than last year when he settled for runner-up. Since then he has won his maiden Grand Slam title in New York. An achievement that helped him win Austrian sports personality of the year at an awards ceremony on Tuesday.
Daniil Medvedev is another player with a spring in his step after winning his first trophy of 2020 at the Paris Masters on Sunday.
“For sure I’m coming (to the ATP Finals) in better shape than last year. Last year I was really exhausted, lost the first round in Paris. That’s when you lose your confidence. When you lose first round you always lose your confidence,” Medvedev explained.
“Hopefully I can get some wins. I have no other goal than just to get some wins,” he added.
Completing this year’s field will be Andrey Rublev and Diego Schwartzman. Rublev has already won five titles on the ATP Tour this season which is more than any other player. Meanwhile, US Open semi-finalist Schwartzman recently cracked the top 10 for the first time at the age of 28.
The ATP Finals will start on Sunday.
