The 2019 season is coming to a close for the ATP tour. The top 8 players from this year will take battle at the O2 in London for the Nitto ATP Finals. As of right now, everyone is set to play with no threat of anyone pulling out due to injury. Rafael Nadal did have to pull out of Paris last week, but it seemed like a small strain that made him withdrawal. Nadal says he is good to play and his practices have showed it.
Battle for Year End #1
As of right now, Rafael Nadal enters the Nitto ATP Finals as the world number 1 and Novak Djokovic sits as the world number 2. There are a few scenarios that will determine who ends the year as the number 1 player of the year.
- If Nadal makes the semifinals, Djokovic would have to win the tournament
- If Nadal reaches the final, Nadal will hold the top ranking
- Nadal does not make it to the semifinals, Djokovic would have to reach the final
The biggest part of this will be to basically determine seeding for the Australian Open in January. It is great to be the number one player at year’s end, but being ranked #1 at the Australian can help lend to a more favorable draw. It will be something to keep your eye out for in London.
Group Andre Agassi
Rafael Nadal
Daniil Medvedev
Stefanos Tsitsipas
Alexander Zverev
This is a group that is wide open. With only two guys making it to the semifinals, all four of these guys have a chance. The two players that make it out of this group will have really earned it.
Rafael Nadal
Nadal has won four titles this year (Italian Open, Roland Garros, Montreal, US Open). It has been a strong second half of the year for Nadal. Nadal has not lost a match since the semifinals at Wimbeldon against Roger Federer. Nadal will be a fun to watch if he is playing at 100% this week.
Daniil Medvedev
Medvedev comes into the Nitto ATP Finals ranked fourth in the world. Medvedev has won four titles this year (Sofia, Cincinnati, St. Petersburg, Shanghai). Medvedev has been so impressive since Wimbeldon. He had a run of six stright finals appearances before his second round loss to Jeremy Chardy in Paris. It will be fun to see Medvedev fight his way through this group.
Stefanos Tsitsipas
Tsitsipas comes into London ranked sixth in the world. He has won two titles this year (Open 13 and Estoril). Tsitsipas has battled Federer and Djokovic in the last two tournaments in Basel and Paris. Those resulting in straight set loses, but he has a wins against Federer and Djokovic. If Tsitsipas plays his best game, you can’t count him out.
Alexander Zverev
Zverev comes into the season ending tournament ranked seventh in the world. He has one title this year (Geneva). It does seem like Zverev is the underdog in this group. The crazy part about that is he is the defending winner of the Nitto ATP Finals. His level rose to the occassion last year and it would be hard to expect anything less from Zverev this week.
Group Bjorn Borg
Novak Djokovic
Roger Federer
Dominic Thiem
Mario Berrettini
This group seems more predictable that the other group. Djokovic and Federer stand out as the clear favorites, but that does not mean we can count out Thiem and Berrettini.
Novak Djokovic
Djokovic comes into London chasing the world number one again. Djokovic has won five titles coming into the Nitto World Tour Finals (Australian Open, Madrid, Wimbeldon, Japan, Paris). The five-time World Tour Finals winner looks to make it six this year. He opens as the tournament favorite and it would be hard to see him not make it out of the round robin stage.
Roger Federer
Federer comes into the World Tour Finals ranked third in the world. He will end there after winning four titles this year (Dubai, Miami, Halle, Basel). Federer has gone through some heart breaks this year. His goal is to come in and end the year on a high note. Federer is still putting the tough loses at Wimbeldon and the US Open behind him. The courts seem to favor Federer this year so expect a good outing from Federer.
Dominic Thiem
Thiem comes into the World Tour Finals ranked fifth in the world. He has won five titles this year (Indian Wells, Barcelona, Austria, China, Vienna). Thiem has been hot and cold this year. He has shown flashes of greatness where he can’t be beat. On the other hand, he has lost early in many tournaments. If Thiem is red hot this week he has a chance to make a run at the title.
Mario Berrettini
Berrettini snuck into the World Tour Finals with his impressive run towards the end of the season. He has two titles this year (Hungary and Stuttgart). His most impressive run had to be his semifinal run at the US Open. He did lose to Nadal, but nonetheless, Berrettini has no pressure as he is the underdog.
My Prediction
Semifinals
Novak Djokovic vs Rafael Nadal
Roger Federer vs Daniil Medvedev
It makes too much sense to have these guys as the final four to settle it. They have been the four best players on the tour this year and it will be an absolute dog fight for the title. Djokovic will finish Group Bjorn Borg first and face Nadal who will get second in Group Andre Agassi. This will be a great match with both players leaving it all on the line knowing they have two months off. Djokovic will take this one in three tough sets though and advance to the finals.
The other semifinal will consist of Federer vs Medvedev. These two will perform well in the round robin stage and get here. Federer will get second in Group Bjorn Borg and Medvedev will win Group Andre Agassi. This sets up for another match that will go three sets. Federer is undefeated against Medvedev and that will continue with Federer advancing to the final.
Final
Federer vs Djokovic
Another classic battle these two rivals. A rematch of the Wimbeldon final where Djokovic won in a 5th set tiebreak. A match that may have been the most devastating for Federer in his career. That still lingers with Federer and in this battle he will give it his all, but it will not be enough. Djokovic has looked invincible to end the year and it will be too much for Federer to handle. Djokovic will win a tight three set battle and take home his sixth Nitto ATP Finals Title.
