Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic will compete in separate groups at the Nitto ATP Finals following the draw in Turin on Thursday. Nadal is the top seed in the season-ending event for the fifth time in his career. The Spaniard, champion of the Australian Open and Roland Garros this season, will try to lift the trophy for the first time.
The southpaw heads the Green Group alongside Casper Ruud, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Taylor Fritz. The seventh seed Novak Djokovic will be looking to make history at the Pala Alpitour. The five-time champion can equal Roger Federer’s record six Nitto ATP Finals crowns.
The Balkan shares the Red Group with Stefanos Tsitsipas, Daniil Medvedev and Andrey Rublev. INDIVIDUAL Green Group
Rafael Nadal (1)
Casper Ruud (3)
Felix Auger-Aliassime (5)
Taylor Fritz (8) Red Group
Stefanos Tsitsipas (2)
Daniel Medvedev (4)
Andrew Rublev (6)
Novak Djokovic (7) DOUBLES Green Group
Wesley Koolhof and Neal Skupski (1)
Nikola Mektic and Mate Pavic (4)
Ivan Dodig and Austin Krajicek (5)
Thanasi Kokkinakis and Nick Kyrgios (8) Red Group
Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury (2)
Marcelo Arevalo and Jean-Julien Rojer (3)
Lloyd Glasspool and Harri Heliovaara (6)
Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos (7) The painting was made at the central offices of Intesa Sanpaolo Headquarters in Turin.
The Nitto ATP Finals are the culmination of the ATP Tour season. The tournament, in which only the eight best ranked players and couples compete, has been held in major cities around the world, with a rich history since the birth of The Masters in Tokyo (1970).
Between 2021 and 2025, the event will be held at the Pala Alpitour in Turin, the largest indoor sports hall in Italy.
Flink comments on Rafa Nadal
Speaking on the Court-Side with Beilinson Tennis podcast, journalist Steve Flink stated that the rest of the field could prove dangerous for Rafael Nadal.
“Rafa talked about the need to play more matches, he talked about getting to Italy early to play practice sets but practice sets are nothing like playing real matches. It just helps you but it is not the same thing,” Flink said.
“So it was unfortunate that he didn’t get more matches in Paris in advance of Turin to give himself a better chance because the field has so much depth. It’s going to be such a hard-fought event and both groups of four players each are going to be exceedingly strong.
So it’s going to be hard for Rafa because he has always been the least comfortable indoors. He could well prove me wrong. He’s is one of these guys who, no matter how many negative comments he makes, ‘doubt’ is one of his favorite words, he overcomes his doubts.
I still think we’ll see him go in with the usual fighting spirit. So he’ll still be hard to beat but I don’t like the conditions. It tends to be fast in Turin,” he added.
