De Minaur, Auger-Aliassime, the Medvedev Surprise: The Race for ATP Finals Qualification Intensifies
Next month in Turin, the traditional ATP Finals will take place, a tournament that brings together the eight best players of the season. While Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have already secured their spots for the prestigious Masters, everything remains possible behind them.
Because although Novak Djokovic is third in the Race rankings, the Serb has cast doubt about his participation. Last year, the seven-time Masters tournament winner had managed to qualify but skipped the ATP Finals, and could do the same this year.
Alexander Zverev, who has passed the 4000-point mark accumulated in the calendar year, is also very well positioned to qualify despite a tricky season in the major tournaments, if we exclude his final at the Australian Open at the start of the season.
The two American players, Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton, are approaching the 4000-point mark and are hot on the heels of the German in the rankings. Behind them, the battle promises to be intense among the last contenders for the Masters.
Currently, Alex De Minaur and Lorenzo Musetti, currently 7th and 8th in the Race, are virtually qualified, especially since Jack Draper, well positioned but withdrawn for the rest of the season, will not be in Turin. Félix Auger-Aliassime, beaten in the quarter-finals in Shanghai by Arthur Rinderknech, is on the lookout, but would only join the cast if Djokovic withdraws.
However, watch out for the surprise guest who could be Daniil Medvedev. 21st in the Race before arriving in Shanghai, the Russian has 1910 points but would score 1000 points at once if he wins the title in China, as he faces Rinderknech for a place in the final.
In case of a victory, he would then surpass the Canadian and completely relaunch himself in the qualification race, even with the Paris Masters 1000 still to come, which should also see the contenders fighting until the last point to secure their qualification for the ATP Finals.
However, seeing Medvedev compete in the Masters, a tournament he won in 2020, would be a huge surprise, especially since the world No. 18 has only won one Grand Slam match this season, which was in the first round of the Australian Open against Kasidit Samrej (6-2, 4-6, 3-6, 6-1, 6-2). After that, he lost to Learner Tien in the next round, then fell in the first round against Norrie at Roland-Garros and against Bonzi at Wimbledon as well as at the US Open.
