Alexander Zverev enters the ATP Finals in Turin as the new world No. 1, giving the season-ending event a different look before the first ball is struck. With Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner absent, the tournament begins without two of the biggest names in the sport and with a field that is now built around the players who earned their place over the course of the year.
The ATP Finals are the season-ending event for the best eight singles players and eight doubles pairs of the year. In singles, the seedings are based on the ATP Race to Turin, which counts only points earned in 2026. That makes this event a clear snapshot of the season rather than a long-term ranking race, and it is one reason Zverev’s position at the top carries extra weight entering the tournament.
What the field looks like
The singles field includes Zverev, Flavio Cobolli, Arthur Fils, Frances Tiafoe, Rafael Jódar, Ben Shelton and Daniil Medvedev, along with the other qualifiers in the eight-player draw. There are also eight doubles pairs in the event, including Harri Heliövaara and Henry Patten, Marcelo Arévalo and Mate Pavić, Theo Arribage and Albano Olivetti, Christian Harrison and Neal Skupski, Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos, and Simone Bolelli and Andrea Vavassori.
The tournament also features four debutants, adding another layer of interest to a field that already looks different without Alcaraz and Sinner. For players making their first appearance, the ATP Finals offers a chance to measure themselves against the year’s most consistent performers in a short, demanding format.
How the ATP Finals work
The singles competition begins with three round-robin matches for each player. That means every singles competitor gets three matches in the opening stage, giving the event a format that rewards both fast starts and steady form. The doubles draw follows the same broad season-finale structure, with two doubles matches in the group stage before the knockout rounds.
The tournament runs for six days, with the schedule beginning on Nov. 15. Semifinal day is set for Nov. 21, and the singles championship match starts at 12 p.m. on Nov. 22. The source says the schedule and results will be updated as the tournament gets underway from Nov. 15, so the field and order of play will continue to take shape once action begins.
Zverev’s arrival as the top-ranked singles player gives the event a clear headline, but the bigger picture is just as notable: the ATP Finals are opening with a reshaped field and a chance for others to take advantage of the absence of two major stars. In a tournament that is meant to crown the best of the season, that changes the competitive balance from the start.
