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Austrian star set for London return

Dominic Thiem has become the fifth singles player to qualify for the 2019 Nitto ATP Finals, after beating Karen Khachanov in the semi-finals on Saturday at the China Open in Beijing. He joins Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Daniil Medvedev at The O2 in London from 10-17 November.

The 26-year-old Thiem has secured his place at the season finale for the fourth consecutive year (2016-2019), matching the record of fellow Austrian and former World No. 1 Thomas Muster, who participated at the tournament in 1990, 1995-97.

"For me personally, it was one big goal when I started the season,” said Thiem. “I'm very, very happy that I made it again. But it's not because of today's win, it's because of all the season. It's a big honour for me to again be a part of [such a] big event in London. It also shows that I [have] played another very good and consistent season. I'm looking forward to it a lot.”

Thiem, who has been a permanent fixture in the Top 10 of the ATP Rankings since 6 June 2016, captured the biggest title of his career in 2019 with his first ATP Masters 1000 crown at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells (d. Federer) in March. He did not drop a set in also lifting clay-court silverware at the Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell, where he beat Nadal and Medvedev in the last two rounds, and at the Generali Open in Kitzbühel (d. Ramos-Vinolas), his first title on home soil. Thiem has won at least three ATP Tour titles in for of the past five years (except 2017).

The Austrian went 23-7 on clay courts this year, which included a run to his fourth straight Roland Garros semi-final and his second successive final (l. to Nadal). He broke Djokovic’s 26-match winning streak at Grand Slam championships with victory in the Paris semi-finals.

Stefanos Tsitsipas, the 2018 Next Gen ATP Finals champion, is currently in sixth position in the 2019 ATP Race To London, followed by Roberto Bautista Agut and defending champion Alexander Zverev. David Goffin, Matteo Berrettini, Kei Nishikori and Gael Monfils are also pushing hard with six weeks to go until the prestigious tournament.

The ATP’s crown jewel event is to be held at The O2 in London through to 2020, 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.