ATP Finals 2025: Turin Readies for Season-Ending Showdown with Year-End No. 1 on the Line

Nov 7, 2025, 05:10 PM ET

This 2025 ATP Tour season, characterized by the commanding performances of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, has been a notable and potentially era-defining year in men’s professional tennis. As the vast majority of professional tennis players embark on their brief off-season, the sport’s elite men are set to converge for one final battle, with the prestigious ATP Finals crown and the coveted year-end World No. 1 ranking hanging in the balance.

For the fifth consecutive year, the Pala Alpitour Arena in Turin, Italy, will host this season-culminating event. The tournament, which commences on Sunday, November 9, features the top eight singles players and top eight doubles teams from the ATP Race to Turin rankings. Competition will unfold through a round-robin group stage over six days, with each player or pair contesting three matches. The top two performers from each group will subsequently advance to the semifinals. The event culminates on Sunday, November 16, where an undefeated singles champion stands to earn a record-breaking $5,071,000, alongside 1,500 ranking points. The victorious doubles team, if undefeated, could claim up to $959,300 and an equivalent 1,500 ranking points. Prize money and ranking points are adjusted for any losses incurred during the group play stage.

For those tracking the pinnacle of men’s tennis, here is an in-depth preview of the players involved and key storylines to follow.

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The Contenders: Who’s In

Singles Participants:

Jimmy Connors Group:
1. Carlos Alcaraz
2. Novak Djokovic
3. Taylor Fritz
4. Alex de Minaur
Bjorn Borg Group:
1. Jannik Sinner
2. Alexander Zverev
3. Ben Shelton
4. Felix Auger-Aliassime or Lorenzo Musetti (pending Saturday’s final decision)

Doubles Participants:

Peter Fleming Group:
1. Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool
2. Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos
3. Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz
4. Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori
John McEnroe Group:
1. Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten
2. Marcelo Arevalo and Mate Pavic
3. Joe Salisbury and Neal Skupski
4. Christian Harrison and Evan King

The Big Two’s Battle for World No. 1

The 2025 season has been overwhelmingly defined by the ascendancy of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. Their consistent excellence has created a significant chasm, with over a 5,000-point lead separating them from the rest of the tour in the ATP rankings. The two young stars divided the year’s four Grand Slam titles, with Alcaraz securing victories at the French Open and the US Open, while Sinner triumphed at the Australian Open and Wimbledon. Remarkably, they met in the final of three of these major championships, showcasing their direct rivalry at the highest level.

Beyond the Grand Slams, their dominance extended across the tour. Alcaraz, 22, accumulated six additional titles this year, including three at the prestigious ATP Masters 1000 events. Sinner, 24, also had a prolific autumn, claiming three titles, highlighted by his recent victory at the Paris Masters earlier this month.

Despite their collective lead over the field, the margin between Alcaraz and Sinner themselves remains razor-thin, and the ultimate prize of the year-end World No. 1 distinction is still fiercely contested. Sinner briefly reclaimed the top spot following his triumph in Paris, marking a significant milestone in his career. However, Alcaraz is set to return to the World No. 1 position leading into the ATP Finals. To secure the year-end No. 1 ranking, Alcaraz must either remain undefeated through his three round-robin matches or reach the tournament final.

Alcaraz previously concluded the 2022 season as the year-end World No. 1 but has yet to win the ATP Finals. Conversely, Sinner won the ATP Finals crown last year (the 2024 edition) and finished the 2024 season ranked No. 1. Both players enter Turin as the undeniable favorites, with the central question revolving around whether any other competitor can interrupt their two-man narrative.

The Enigma of Novak Djokovic

Speculation has surrounded Novak Djokovic’s participation in the year-end event due to his significantly reduced schedule during the latter half of the season. The 38-year-old Serbian has competed in only two tournaments outside of the Grand Slams since May, notably opting to skip the final ATP Masters 1000 event of the year in Paris.

Djokovic, a 24-time major champion, officially secured his qualification for the ATP Finals last month, a season highlighted by reaching the semifinals at all four Grand Slams and clinching the ATP 250-level title in Geneva. However, his intentions regarding Turin have remained ambiguous. Angelo Binaghi, head of the Italian Tennis Federation, had stated on Italian radio channel Rai Gr Parlamento that "We have confirmation that Djokovic will be in Turin." Yet, Djokovic directly refuted these claims on Tuesday. "I don’t know where [Binaghi] got this information from. Certainly not from me or my team," Djokovic informed reporters after a Round of 16 victory at the Hellenic Championships in Athens, an event where his brother Djordje serves as tournament director. He further added, "I will make my decision at the end of this tournament."

As of Friday, November 7, Djokovic has not publicly confirmed his plans for Turin. He is scheduled to compete in his third final of the season on Saturday at the Hellenic Championships, facing Lorenzo Musetti in a match with considerable implications for both players. Following this fixture, an announcement regarding his ATP Finals participation is widely anticipated.

Regardless of his decision, Djokovic’s qualification marks his 18th appearance in the ATP Finals field, drawing him level with Roger Federer’s all-time record. If he chooses to play, he will have the opportunity to extend his own record by pursuing an unprecedented eighth ATP Finals title. Djokovic withdrew from the 2024 edition but secured back-to-back victories in 2022 and 2023. While he has openly acknowledged the formidable challenge posed by Alcaraz and Sinner, Turin could present an arena for the veteran to assert his enduring dominance.

American Hopes in Turin

The 2025 ATP Finals will feature two American men in the singles draw: Ben Shelton and Taylor Fritz. This marks the first time since Andy Roddick and James Blake competed in 2006 that two American men have qualified for the season-ending championship. While neither player is considered a front-runner against the established "Big Two," both have enjoyed robust seasons and possess the capability to advance deep into the tournament or engineer significant upsets.

Taylor Fritz, 28, returns to the ATP Finals after reaching the final in the 2024 edition, demonstrating his capacity for success at this level. Following a breakthrough 2024 season that included a US Open final appearance, Fritz reached his inaugural Wimbledon semifinals this year, alongside a US Open quarterfinals berth and two ATP Tour titles. He also competed in the final of the Japan Open in September, where he was defeated by Alcaraz. This will be Fritz’s third appearance at the ATP Finals, having reached the semifinals in his 2022 debut.

Ben Shelton, 23, makes his debut at the ATP Finals after a momentous 2025 season. Currently ranked at a career-high World No. 6, Shelton reached the semifinals of the Australian Open and the quarterfinals of Wimbledon. He also secured his first ATP Masters 1000-level title at the Canadian Open. A shoulder injury disrupted his US Open campaign and subsequently sidelined him for over a month. Despite this setback, Shelton secured his Turin spot with a quarterfinal run at the Paris Masters in late October. Upon qualifying, Shelton conveyed the significance of the achievement: "I knew at the end of the day that if I wanted to be in control of my own destiny I had to go out and win today," Shelton stated. "And I knew when I stepped out on the court that I was going to have to die on this court before I went down… It’s huge. It’s huge for me. It was always a huge goal, [and] most importantly, to get back to this level I played today. That’s where I want to be at."

In the doubles competition, the all-American pairing of Christian Harrison and Evan King secured the final qualifying spot, culminating a remarkable debut season together. Prior to 2025, neither Harrison, 31, nor King, 33, had won an ATP Tour title. This year, they have claimed three titles, including ATP 500-level events in Dallas and Mexico, and reached their first Grand Slam semifinals at the French Open. They are the first all-American team to reach the ATP Finals since Mike Bryan and Jack Sock, who went on to win the title in 2018. Harrison and King will aim to conclude their breakthrough 2025 season with their most significant championship yet.

The Procrastinators: A Race to the Finish Line

While Carlos Alcaraz secured his berth for Turin back in July, and Jannik Sinner followed suit the subsequent month, other players have left their travel arrangements until the very last possible moment.

Alex de Minaur qualified for the tournament for the second consecutive year on October 30, following a successful campaign at the Paris Masters. This left only one singles spot remaining. At that juncture, Lorenzo Musetti held the provisional advantage with a 290-point lead over Felix Auger-Aliassime. However, Musetti’s early exit in the Round of 32 in Paris opened the door for Auger-Aliassime, who capitalized by reaching the final of the French Masters 1000 event. Although he ultimately lost to Sinner in the final, Auger-Aliassime entered the final week of the regular season holding a 160-point lead over Musetti.

The narrative took another dramatic turn when a knee injury forced the Canadian Auger-Aliassime to withdraw from the Hellenic Championships, placing the fate of the final ATP Finals spot squarely in Musetti’s hands. Competing in Athens, Musetti faces a clear mandate: he must win the tournament title on Saturday, November 8, just one day before the ATP Finals are scheduled to commence in Turin, to clinch his berth.

Musetti’s path through Athens has been arduous, requiring three sets to overcome Stan Wawrinka in the Round of 16 and saving a match point against Sebastian Korda in a tight three-set semifinal on Friday. Despite these challenges, the Italian has consistently found a way to keep his hopes alive for a maiden ATP Finals appearance. The impending Saturday final against Novak Djokovic is now a decisive moment, determining whether Musetti can complete his improbable run with a trophy and a ticket to Turin, or if Auger-Aliassime will secure the final spot by default.

Double the Fun: The Doubles Contenders

While the American duo of Christian Harrison and Evan King will aim to surprise the field, Germany’s Kevin Krawietz and Tim Puetz return to Turin with aspirations of defending their title. The German pair made their debut as a team at the ATP Finals in 2024 and emerged as champions. This year, they have added titles in Halle and Shanghai, alongside a semifinal appearance at the Australian Open, making them strong contenders to join the list of repeat champions.

However, the competition is formidable. The Spanish-Argentine team of Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos has enjoyed an exceptional season, capturing both the French Open and the US Open titles, in addition to three other tour victories. Their impeccable 5-0 record in finals during 2025 underscores their consistency and clutch performance. Having reached the ATP Finals final in 2023, and with Granollers previously winning the title in 2012 (with a different partner), they are widely considered among the favorites.

Other Grand Slam champions in the field include Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten, who secured the Australian Open title, and Wimbledon winners Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool. Heliovaara and Patten arrive in Turin on the back of a victorious run at the Paris Masters, further boosting their momentum. The top-seeded British pair of Cash and Glasspool reached an impressive 11 tour finals in 2025, converting seven of them into titles. Both teams will undoubtedly be highly motivated to cap their milestone seasons with one final trophy.