Long term rivals Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic will not face each other in the Nitto ATP Finals group stages.
The draw for the year-end championships in Turin was made earlier on Thursday. It is the second hosting of the tournament in the city, after ending a 12-year contract at London’s O2 Arena.
World number one Carlos Alcaraz will not take part as he recovers from a muscle tear from his abdomen. His chances of ending the year as world number one are now in the hands of compatriot Rafael Nadal.
Defending champion Alexander Zverev is also out. The German has been missing from the Tour since Roland Garros after suffering an agonising ankle injury in his semi-final against Nadal.
Top seed Nadal has been drawn alongside Casper Ruud, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Taylor Fritz in the Green Group. The 22-time Major champion will end the year world number one if he wins the title.
Nadal boasts a strong 5-1 record against the opponents in his group. His only loss came to Fritz in the Indian Wells final earlier this year.
Nadal also contested a memorable match against the American at Wimbledon. The Spaniard won a five-set battle whilst struggling with an abdominal issue that ruled him out of the rest of the tournament.
Auger-Aliassime is the group’s in-form player, having won three tournaments since October and beaten world number one Carlos Alcaraz in that period.
The Canadian may be favourite to win the group, considering Nadal’s performance in Paris last week. The 36-year-old lost in his opening match to Tommy Paul, and looked to be struggling physically.
Former Champions Assemble in Djokovic’s Group
Past ATP Finals champions Novak Djokovic, Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas join Andrey Rublev in the Red Group.
Tsitsipas could also reach world number one if he wins the tournament. The Greek has won titles in Mallorca and Monte Carlo this season. He is at a career high ranking of three in the world but faces a tricky group in Turin.
The 2019 champion has a losing record against both Medvedev and Djokovic. He will need to beat at least one of the two to stand a good chance of qualifying from the group.
Former ATP Finals champion Medvedev has disappointed this year, with his ranking slipping down to five. He could fall further at the start of 2023, as he defends Australian Open final points. The Russian is seeking his first top 10 win since January.
Djokovic remains the man to beat in this group, having won four titles from the 10 tournaments he has played this year. The Wimbledon champion has missed several tournaments because of his decision not to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
The Serb will be seeking his sixth ATP Finals crown in Turin, but his first since 2016.
Holger Rune is the first alternate at the tournament. The recent Paris champion will take the place of a player if they pull out early from the tournament.
The ATP Finals gets underway on Sunday, with the final a week later.
