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Russian becomes the fourth singles player to clinch London spot

Daniil Medvedev has secured his place at the Nitto ATP Finals for the first time after beating Stan Wawrinka on Tuesday at the US Open, for a place in his first Grand Slam championship semi-final. The Russian will join fellow qualifiers Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer at The O2 in London from 10-17 November.

The 23-year-old, who leads the ATP Tour with 49 match wins this season, is the first Russian to qualify for the season finale since five-time qualifier Nikolay Davydenko captured the 2009 crown, when the Nitto ATP Finals was first held in the English capital.

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Medvedev has compiled a 19-2 record on the North American summer hard-court swing and became the first Russian in the Top 5 of the ATP Rankings since Davydenko in June 2010. In recent weeks, he has captured his first ATP Masters 1000 crown at the Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati (d. Goffin), in addition to finishing as runner-up at the Coupes Rogers in Montreal (l. to Nadal) and at the Citi Open in Washington, D.C. (l. to Kyrgios).

The Monte Carlo resident also lifted the ATP 250-level Sofia Open trophy (d. Fucsovics) in February, as well as reaching the final at the Brisbane International (l. to Nishikori) in January and at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell (d. Nishikori, l. to Thiem) in April.

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Three-time former qualifier Dominic Thiem is in next in line to qualify in the 2019 ATP Race To London, followed by 2018 Next Gen ATP Finals champion Stefanos Tsitsipas and Roberto Bautista Agut, who are both bidding to compete at The O2 in November for the first time. Kei Nishikori, who competed at The O2 in 2014-16 and ‘18, sits in eighth place, with Fabio Fognini in ninth and defending Nitto ATP Finals champion Alexander Zverev in 10th position.

The ATP’s crown jewel event is to be held through 2020 at The O2 in London, where it has been staged to wide acclaim since 2009. The event has successfully established itself as one of the major annual sporting events worldwide, broadcast in more than 180 territories with global viewership figures reaching an average of 95 million each year.

Four players within 100 points of eighth-placed Nishikori

At the tail end of an unpredictable US Open, where seven of the top 10 seeds lost prior to the quarter-finals, the battle for seventh and eighth positions at the Nitto ATP Finals is wide open.

With a little over two months to go until the season finale, to be held at The O2 in London from 10-17 November, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Daniil Medvedev have already clinched their berths. Fifth and sixth-placed Dominic Thiem and Stefanos Tsitsipas are in strong positions to qualify, but it is the quest for the final two spots that is eye-catching.

Early losses in the Big Apple for London contenders Thiem, Tsitsipas and Roberto Bautista Agut (all first round), and a fourth-round exit for defending champion Alexander Zverev that boosted his chances, have dramatically shaken up the 2019 Race, paving the way for a fascinating culmination to the 2019 ATP Tour season.

Incredibly, four players — Matteo Berrettini (2,160 points), defending champion Alexander Zverev (2,120), David Goffin (2,080) and Gael Monfils (2,080) — are all within 100 points of eighth-placed Kei Nishikori (2,180), who is just 170 points behind Roberto Bautista Agut in seventh position (2,350).

Berrettini and Grigor Dimitrov are preparing to compete in the US Open semi-finals on Friday, against Nadal and Medvedev respectively, and both can continue to soar up the Race standings. If one of them lifted their first major championship title on Sunday at Flushing Meadows, then they would automatically qualify for London under the Grand Slam rule*.

Berrettini, a winner of two ATP Tour titles this year, started the final major championship of the year in 17th position in the Race, and has since soared up to ninth place on 2,160 points. Should he beat Nadal on Friday, the Italian would jump two further places to seventh with 2,640 points.

Meanwhile Dimitrov, who won the 2017 Nitto ATP Finals title, started last week in 75th position and is now in 25th place, with the possibility of moving up to 15th on 1,777 points with a final appearance in New York City.

While Medvedev is London-bound for the first time, 2018 Next Gen ATP Finals champion Tsitsipas, Berrettini and Bautista Agut are all pushing hard to be new faces under the lights at The O2 in south-east London.

Additionally, the battle for year-end No. 1 has also come under the spotlight with Djokovic’s fourth-round loss at the US Open. Nadal continues to extend his lead over the Serbian in the 2019 ATP Race To London. Nadal led Djokovic (7,265) by 140 points coming into the tournament, but the Spaniard has since pushed the gap to 680 points. Should Nadal win his fourth US Open crown on Sunday, he would have 9,225 points – 1,960 points ahead of Djokovic - and a clearer path to adding to his 2008, 2010, 2013 and 2017 year-end No. 1 finishes.

*The top seven players in the ATP Race To London on Monday, 4 November 2019 (the day after the final tournament of the regular season, the Rolex Paris Masters) qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals. If there is one current-year Grand Slam champion positioned between eighth and 20th in the Race, he qualifies in eighth place. If there are two current-year Grand Slam champions positioned between eighth and 20th, the highest-ranked of those players becomes the eighth and final qualifier; the lower-ranked Grand Slam champion will serve as the alternate. If there are no current-year Grand Slam champions positioned between eighth and 20th, then the player in eighth place in the Race will claim the eighth and final berth.

Matteo Berrettini has moved into contention for a spot at the Nitto ATP Finals, to be held at The O2 in London from 10-17 November, after a sensational run to the US Open semi-finals.
The Italian has vaulted from 17th position to ninth (2,160) in the 2019 ATP Race To London, only 20 points behind Kei Nishikori (2,180). The 23-year-old Berrettini has enjoyed a breakthrough year with two ATP Tour titles at the MercedesCup in Stuttgart (d. Auger-Aliassime) and the Hungarian Open in Budapest (d. Krajinovic).
Alexander Zverev will be working hard for a chance to defend his Nitto ATP Finals title, following a run to the US Open fourth round, but he still has work to do if he wishes to compete at the season finale.
The German star produced his best performance at Flushing Meadows in five appearances, losing out to Diego Schwartzman, and added 180 points to sit in 10th position. This season, the 22-year-old has won one ATP Tour title at the Banque Eric Sturdza Geneva Open (d. Jarry), finished runner-up at the Abierto Mexicano Telcel presentado por HSBC (l. to Kyrgios) and reached the Roland Garros quarter-finals for the second consecutive year.
Incredibly, there are four players — Berrettini (2,160 points), Zverev (2,120), David Goffin (2,080) and Gael Monfils (2,080) — are all within 100 points of eighth-placed Nishikori (2,180), who is just 170 points behind Roberto Bautista Agut in seventh position (2,350).
Additionally, first-round exits at Flushing Meadows for Stefanos Tsitsipas (sixth place) and Bautista Agut (seventh place), who are both bidding to qualify for the The O2 in London for the first time, have ensured that the final two months of the regular ATP Tour season will be fascinating.
US Open finalist Daniil Medvedev, who qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals for the first time on 4 September, ended the summer North American hard-court swing with a 20-3 match record, to move up one spot to fourth position (4,805). The Russian is now almost 1,000 points clear of fifth-placed Dominic Thiem (3,845), who lost in the first round in New York City and continues to fight for a place in London for the fourth consecutive year.
The battle for year-end No. 1 has also intensified after Rafael Nadal captured his fourth US Open crown, which marked the 19th major singles championship of his career. Nadal led Djokovic (7,265) by 140 points coming into the tournament, but the Spaniard has since pushed the gap to 1,960 points. Nadal, who will next compete at the Laver Cup and then the Rolex Shanghai Masters, finished year-end No. 1 in 2008, 2010, 2013 and 2017.