AFP, London :
Novak Djokovic is bidding to win the ATP Finals for a record-equalling sixth time as Rafael Nadal chases the biggest title missing from his glittering resume at London’s O2 Arena.
The top eight available players in the men’s rankings – with Roger Federer absent – will compete at the end-of-season tournament, which starts on Sunday behind closed doors despite a coronavirus lockdown in England.
The two round-robin groups have been named Tokyo 1970 and London 2020 on the 50th anniversary of the first staging of the event.
World number one Djokovic is in Group Tokyo alongside Daniil Medvedev, 2018 winner Alexander Zverev and Argentine debutant Diego Schwartzman.
Second-seed Nadal will compete against defending champion Stefanos Tsitsipas, Dominic Thiem, and Andrey Rublev, who is appearing for the first time, in Group London. The four best-placed players from the round-robin stage will progress to the semi-finals of the event, taking place in London for the final year before a move to Turin.
Six-time champion Federer, recovering from knee surgery, is the most notable absentee after a global tennis season truncated by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Five-time champion Djokovic, who recently equalled Pete Sampras’s record of six year-end number one finishes, has lost just three matches this season, with one of those his default at the US Open.
The Serbian, who has not won the London event since 2015, said he was looking to end his season on a high at the elite eight-man event. “Coming into the tournament and knowing that I have clinched the year-end number one releases some of the pressure, definitely,” he said.
“But at the same time it doesn’t change what I hope to achieve in this tournament and why I’m here.
“I really want to win every single match that I get to play and try to get my hands on the trophy and I want this trophy as much as anybody.”
Nadal, who pulverised Djokovic in the French Open final last month to pull level with Federer on 20 Grand Slams, has qualified for the ATP Finals for a record 16 consecutive years.
Novak Djokovic is bidding to win the ATP Finals for a record-equalling sixth time as Rafael Nadal chases the biggest title missing from his glittering resume at London’s O2 Arena.
The top eight available players in the men’s rankings – with Roger Federer absent – will compete at the end-of-season tournament, which starts on Sunday behind closed doors despite a coronavirus lockdown in England.
The two round-robin groups have been named Tokyo 1970 and London 2020 on the 50th anniversary of the first staging of the event.
World number one Djokovic is in Group Tokyo alongside Daniil Medvedev, 2018 winner Alexander Zverev and Argentine debutant Diego Schwartzman.
Second-seed Nadal will compete against defending champion Stefanos Tsitsipas, Dominic Thiem, and Andrey Rublev, who is appearing for the first time, in Group London. The four best-placed players from the round-robin stage will progress to the semi-finals of the event, taking place in London for the final year before a move to Turin.
Six-time champion Federer, recovering from knee surgery, is the most notable absentee after a global tennis season truncated by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Five-time champion Djokovic, who recently equalled Pete Sampras’s record of six year-end number one finishes, has lost just three matches this season, with one of those his default at the US Open.
The Serbian, who has not won the London event since 2015, said he was looking to end his season on a high at the elite eight-man event. “Coming into the tournament and knowing that I have clinched the year-end number one releases some of the pressure, definitely,” he said.
“But at the same time it doesn’t change what I hope to achieve in this tournament and why I’m here.
“I really want to win every single match that I get to play and try to get my hands on the trophy and I want this trophy as much as anybody.”
Nadal, who pulverised Djokovic in the French Open final last month to pull level with Federer on 20 Grand Slams, has qualified for the ATP Finals for a record 16 consecutive years.
