The ATP Finals is the ATP Tour’s end-of-season championship. The Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) is the governing body of the men’s professional tennis. “The Finals” is the most significant event on the ATP’s annual calendar after the four majors as it features the top eight singles players and the top eight doubles teams based on results obtained during the season. The eighth place is reserved, if necessary, for a player or team that has won a major in the current year and is ranked from 8th to 20th. The tournament is sometimes referred to as a “fifth Grand Slam”, due to the prestige that comes with qualifying and winning the event.
The tournament uses a unique format not seen in other ATP Tour events: players are separated into two groups of four, within which each play three Italian games. The top two players in each group after the Italian group move on to the semifinals, followed by a final to determine the champion. The tournament was first held in 1970, although it was then known by a different name. Roger Federer holds the record for most singles titles with six, while Peter Fleming and John McEnroe together hold the record for most doubles’ titles with seven. In the current tournament format, the champion can earn a maximum of 1,500 points in the standings if he wins the event while remaining unbeaten during the group stage.
The venue for the ATP Finals is not fixed, but varied, and many countries around the world have had the honor of hosting this prestigious tournament. In the recent past, the event was hosted for eleven years, from 2009 to 2020, at the O2 arena in London before moving in 2021 to Turin, Italy, where it will remain until at least 2025.
Like so many sporting events, the ATP finals have close ties to the world of luxury. Indeed, many high-end brands sponsor the event, one above all Rolex. Rolex, as in most ATP events, is one of the main sponsors and places its brand in multiple places on the court. For the thousands of fans who come to watch the matches then there are many temporary shops inside the facility where the event is held, where luxury clothing and accessories can be purchased.
These very days the best eight players of 2022 are competing at the Pala Alpituor, and it will be decided who is the best. Unfortunately, there are no Italians in the draw this year, as was the case in previous years, but there will certainly be no lack of entertainment and a very high level of tennis.