The 2024 season is in its final phase, but top players are doing their best to close their year in the best way. The top events of this past month and a half will be the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin, preceded by the Masters 1000 in Shanghai and Paris-Bercy.
Jannik Sinner is the main candidate to finish the season at the top of the ATP ranking, having a huge advantage over all his opponents and being able to manage his energy in the last tournaments of 2024. His first chaser is Carlos Alcaraz, who narrowed the gap from the Italian ace slightly after the triumph in Beijing at the end of an epic final.
Carlos Alcaraz & Jannik Sinner, Beijing Open 2024© Stream screenshot
The four-time Grand Slam champion is just under 3,000 points behind Sinner in the ATP Race and would need a real miracle to overtake Jannik by the end of this year. At the press conference before his debut in Shanghai, Alexander Zverev said that his main goal is to close 2024 as the world number 2.
It will not be an easy task for the German champion, who was forced to skip the ATP 500 in Beijing due to a pneumonia. There is a great expectation to understand the intentions of Novak Djokovic, who is not qualified for the ATP Finals in Turin at this moment and who has feared the possibility of closing his season early.
Rolex Paris Masters’ entry list
The last two Masters 1000 of 2024 will be crucial to pinpoint the eight players who will participate in the Nitto ATP Finals next month. The Rolex Paris Masters, the last Masters 1000 of the season from 28 October to 3 November, is often a key event for the Nitto ATP Finals. The event at Paris-Bercy will be a great opportunity to win points, especially for players still looking for the arithmetic qualification to the Masters’ tournament.
Novak Djokovic© @Lacoste X account
Currently, Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev have already taken the pass. Novak Djokovic is ninth in the Race to Turin and has explained that he will not pursue the Finals by participating in more tournaments. At the moment, however, the Serbian champion is registered for the Masters 1000 in Paris-Bercy. The Belgrade-born will make his decision after the exhibition he will play in Saudi Arabia together with Sinner, Alcaraz, Rafael Nadal, Daniil Medvedev and Holger Rune. Djokovic triumphed last year in France beating Grigor Dimitrov in the final.
Today, the organizers published the official entry list of the tournament. Sinner will obviously lead the seeding thanks to the first position in the world ranking. Next up is Alcaraz, the new number two after his success at the China Open. There are Djokovic, Zverev, Medvedev and the other top 10 players including US Open finalist Taylor Fritz and Dimitrov. In addition to Sinner, four other Italians will enter the main draw directly. Lorenzo Musetti, Flavio Cobolli, Matteo Arnaldi and Luciano Darderi. Pablo Carreno Busta and Marin Cilic will use the protected ranking instead.
Will Nole be there?
There is great curiosity to see if Djokovic – who won the title in Paris last year – will actually be present in the French capital. During the press conference before his debut in Shanghai, the 24-time Grand Slam champion reaffirmed his love for this sport: “I will never stop venerating this sport. I still feel many emotions on the court, not only in competition but also in practice. No matter how things sometimes don’t go well, my relationship with tennis is profound. I fell in love with this sport as a child, and I still love it. Even when I retire, I will remain involved in tennis because I feel I owe a lot to this sport,” commented the 24-time Grand Slam champion.
Novak Djokovic, 2024 Shanghai Masters© Stream screenshot
The former World No.1 is ready to compete in China: “I feel great here; I’ve missed the country a lot because it’s one of the places where I’ve felt happiest during my sports career. I achieved great sporting successes, received fans’ love every time I came, and I am very excited to experience all of that again. I love playing here, and it would mean a lot to me to achieve my 100th title in Shanghai. It’s an extra motivation for me. I’m gradually improving with training, finding the desired rhythm, but it’s not easy due to the few tournaments I’ve played recently.”
The Serbian legend is still on the run for the Nitto ATP Finals, having a very small gap from the Australian ace Alex de Minaur (who had many physical problems in the last period). The 37-year-old from Belgrade will have to score a good result in Shanghai, where he will make his debut tomorrow against young American Alex Michelsen.