The Nitto ATP Finals are the season-ending championships of the ATP Tour and feature the top eight singles and doubles players – why is it known as the fifth Grand Slam
The ATP Finals is the second highest tier of annual men’s tennis tournaments after the four Grand Slams. The ATP Finals are the season-ending championships of the ATP Tour and feature the top eight singles players and top eight doubles teams based on their results that year. It is one of several events tennis fans sometimes refer to as a “fifth Grand Slam,” due to the prestige that comes with qualifying for and winning the event.
The tournament uses a unique format not seen in other ATP Tour events: The players are separated into two groups of four, within which they each play three round-robin matches. The top two players from each group after the round-robin stage move on to the semifinals, followed by a final to determine the champion. In the tournament’s current format, the champion can earn a maximum of 1,500 ranking points, if they win the event while staying undefeated during the round-robin stage.
The tournament was first held in 1970, although it was then known by a different name. Roger Federer holds the record for the most singles titles with six, while Peter Fleming and John McEnroe jointly hold the record for the most doubles titles with seven.
What’s the current scenario in men’s tennis?
Russia’s Daniil Medvedev remained at No 1 for the eighth week as the latest ATP rankings came out, which saw Novak Djokovic drop to No 7 despite winning his seventh Wimbledon and 21st Grand Slam title earlier this month.
The rest of the top 10 includes Stefanos Tsitsipas (+1 to No 4), Casper Ruud (+1 to No 5), Carlos Alcaraz (+1 to No 6), Djokovic (-4 to No 7), Rublev (No 8), Felix Auger-Aliassime (No 9) and Jannik Sinner (+3 to No.10).
20-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer, who is expected to return at the Laver Cup in September and also play in Basel in October, has dropped out of the rankings after his quarter-final points from last year dropped off on Monday. This is the first time since October 1999 that the Swiss is ranked outside the top 100.
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