Credit: Alyssa Ao

WSPN’s Jeffery Zhang discusses the Nitto ATP Finals and his analysis of each athlete.

On Nov. 19, the annual Nitto ATP Finals tournament concluded with a brilliant final match between Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic. Djokovic beat Sinner 6-3, 6-3 and broke a tie with Roger Federer for the most Nitto ATP Finals titles. However, there’s much more to the tournament than Djokokvic’s new record. Let’s break it down.

What are the Nitto ATP Finals?
The Nitto ATP Finals are the year-end climax to the ATP Tour season. The event, which features only the world’s best eight qualified singles players and doubles teams, has been contested in major cities around the world. It has a rich history which dates back to the birth of The Masters in Tokyo in 1970. Arguably the most significant tennis event in the men’s annual calendar after the four majors, it features a group stage and two knockout stages. The format of the tournament functions similarly to a soccer tournament. The eight players are divided into two groups of four, labeled Group Green and Group Red, in which each of the players will play a series of round-robin matches against each other. Then, the runner-up of each group plays the winner of the other group. Finally, the tournament finishes with a grand-finale match between the two winners of the semifinals.

2023 Nitto ATP Finals players
In this year’s Nitto ATP Finals tournament, Group Green featured Novak Djokovic, Jannik Sinner, Holger Rune and Stefanos Tsitsipas (who would later withdraw due to injury and be replaced by Hubert Hurkacz). Group Red featured Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev and Alexander Zverev.

Here’s an analysis of each player’s performance during the tournament.

Novak Djkokovic: Arguably the greatest tennis player of all time, Djokovic got off to a slow start. He placed second in the group with two wins and one loss. With a huge win against Alcaraz in the semifinals, Djokovic proceeded to the finals to rematch Sinner for both the title and a new record. In a brilliant display of skill, Djokovic beat Sinner in straight sets to finish his 2023 season with a bang.

Carlos Alcaraz: Perhaps one of the best in the rising generation, Alcaraz placed first in Group Red with two wins and one loss. Although he would lose to Djokovic in the semifinals, the young Spaniard still has time to accomplish great things.

Daniil Medvedev: Medvedev, a phenomenal player, placed second in Group Red. With two wins and one loss, he was beaten by Sinner in the semifinals in a close three set match. While Medvedev has unorthodox strokes and a strange playstyle, he has certainly proven his skill and his belonging amongst the top players in the world.

Jannik Sinner: An amazing player with a phenomenal performance, the youngster placed first in Group Green and made it to the finals where he would eventually lose to Djokovic. However, he had beaten Djokovic in the Group Stage, so it’s clear he has a bright future ahead.

Andrey Rublev: Rublev had a disappointing performance this year. With zero wins and three losses, he didn’t win a single set the entire tournament. However, with a massive forehand and many more years ahead of him, Rublev is sure to win many things in the future.

Stefanos Tsitsipas: After losing his first match, Tsitistipas suffered an injury in his second match and had to withdraw from the tournament. Hopefully, the injury heals quickly so that Tsitsipas can continue playing tournaments.

Alexander Zverev: Don’t be fooled by Zverev’s group stage exit. His performance was not as bad as it seems. He lost to Alcaraz and Medvedev in very close matches and there’s no doubt that you’ll hear of Zverev in the near future.

Holger Rune: With two losses and one win, Rune exited the group stage without qualifying for semifinals. However, both of his losses were extremely tight and anything could have happened. Keep your eyes peeled for Rune, because he’s sure to come back next year.