mtenis.com.pl

Dominic Thiem arrived at the BNP Paribas Open with a 3-4 record to start the season and left with his first ATP Masters 1000 title. Not only did the win launch him from No. 90 to No. 5 in the ATP Race To London, but fans also seem to think the Austrian is on his way to qualifying for the Nitto ATP Finals for the fourth straight year.
Fans have been provided with an opportunity to pick the eight players they believe will qualify for this year’s season finale. Based on his inspired run in Indian Wells and victory over Roger Federer in the final, Thiem is currently the seventh hottest pick, with 43.2 per cent believing he’ll appear at the O2 in London.
Pick the eight players you think will qualify for the 2019 Nitto ATP Finals and you could win the ultimate trip for two to London to attend this year’s season finale.
Perhaps surprisingly, the opening-round exit that Stefanos Tsitsipas had in Indian Wells did nothing to impact fan perceptions of whether he will qualify for the season-ending championship. In fact, more fans believe he will make it there. The Greek player jumped over Kei Nishikori as the fifth hottest pick with 57.9 per cent of fans selecting him, up from 51.2 per cent two weeks ago. He seeks to become the first player to compete at the Next Gen ATP Finals and then make the Nitto ATP Finals the next year.
Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Alexander Zverev continue to hold the top four spots, in the order listed, and remain overwhelming fan favourites' to appear at The O2 from 10-17 November.

Tsitsipas tabbed to be first-time qualifier

The votes are in, and fans believe that seven of the eight players who competed at the 2018 Nitto ATP Finals will return to the season finale at The O2 again from 10-17 November. The Top 8 vote-getters, in order, were Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Alexander Zverev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Kei Nishikori, Dominic Thiem and Marin Cilic.

Fans were provided with an opportunity to pick the eight players they believed would qualify for November's Nitto ATP Finals by 31 March, with the opportunity to win the ultimate trip for two to London to attend this year’s season finale. Nearly 17,000 people participated, selecting more than 5,200 different combinations.

Top 8 Vote-Getters

Player % of Voters
1. Novak Djokovic 98.5%
2. Rafael Nadal 94.8%
3. Roger Federer 94.0%
4. Alexander Zverev 88.8%
5. Stefanos Tsitsipas 58.4%
6. Kei Nishikori 55.3%
7. Dominic Thiem 53.4%
8. Marin Cilic 37.8%

Fans — more than 58 per cent of them to be exact — believe that reigning Next Gen ATP Finals champion Stefanos Tsitsipas, currently fourth in the ATP Race To London, will make his debut at the Nitto ATP Finals. The #NextGenATP Greek is trying to become the first player to compete in Milan one year and reach London the next.

The ‘Big Three’ of Djokovic, Nadal and Federer each received at least 94 per cent of fans’ backing to reach London. Between them, they have qualified for the year-end championships 35 times. Federer (6) and Djokovic (5) have captured the title in 11 of the past 16 years.

Despite his modest start to 2019, fans also feel that reigning champion Alexander Zverev, currently 22nd in the Race, will make it to The O2 to try to retain his crown. He received nearly 89 per cent of voters' selections. Of the eight players whom fans picked to reach London, only five of the eight are currently in the Top 8 in the Race.

Federer leads the Race after the Miami Open presented by Itau for the third consecutive year, as he tries to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals for the 17th time.

Fans' Most Popular Combination (351 picks): Kevin Anderson, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Kei Nishikori, Dominic Thiem, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Alexander Zverev

British tennis is on the verge of losing one of its biggest assets, as the Association of Tennis Professionals prepares to shift the ATP Finals out of London after a 12-year stay. Barring a late change of heart, the 2020 event will be the last staged at the O2 Arena.

After a nine-month tender process, The Daily Telegraph understands that ATP executives are likely to rule out another extension – which would be the fourth – to the hosting agreement for the O2. Turin is the favourite to win the new five-year deal; Tokyo is also seen as a strong contender.

The loss would not have a direct financial impact on the British game, as all proceeds go to the ATP. But the visibility of this event has been huge, with both the BBC and Sky Sports running live TV coverage. The finals have demonstrated to a British audience that there is more to tennis than Wimbledon.

The tournament has been played in 14 different cities since its inception in 1970, and the pressure for change had been building. Novak Djokovic, who is now the head of the ATP player council, has been calling for a move since 2014. His restlessness was only held at bay by London’s profitability. The finals brought in 15 per cent of the ATP’s revenues, which stood at $144 million (£110 million) in the last financial year.

Italian sources have reported that Turin’s mayor, Chiara Appendino, may offer an annual guarantee of €15 million over the five years of the contract.


Meanwhile, on court here, a tetchy Djokovic delivered a spectacular racket smash, and suffered four straight breaks of serve, in the course of an unconvincing 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 win over Philipp Kohlschreiber. The world No 1 later ascribed his struggle to “rust”.