ATP Finals 2026 explained: the Turin format, who qualified and how the groups are decided

The 2026 Nitto ATP Finals begin in Turin on Sunday 15 November and run to 22 November at the Inalpi Arena. The field was settled in Paris, where Rafael Jodar took the last place, and the draw ceremony is on Thursday 12 November at about 12:45 CET.

Who is in

Eight singles players have qualified: Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz, Ben Shelton, Daniil Medvedev, Flavio Cobolli, Arthur Fils, Frances Tiafoe and Rafael Jodar. Alex de Minaur and Taylor Fritz are the reserves. Jannik Sinner, the defending champion, is out for the rest of the season.

Zverev arrives as the new world No. 1 and makes his ninth appearance at the season-ending event. He won the title in 2018 and 2021. Medvedev, the 2020 champion, is the only other former winner in the field. The other four places went to first-time qualifiers: Cobolli, Fils, Tiafoe and Jodar. That means four debutants in a single edition.

Jodar’s route is the most unusual. Twelve months ago he was a college player at the University of Virginia ranked No. 166. He is the first player since Alcaraz in 2021 and 2022 to qualify for the Finals the year after playing the Next Gen ATP Finals. Zverev’s run to No. 1 has been the story of the autumn, and we covered the debate around it in Zverev’s response to the doubters.

How the format works

The tournament uses a round-robin. The eight players are split into two groups of four, and each player faces the other three in his group. The singles groups are named after John McEnroe and Ivan Lendl; the doubles groups are named after Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde. All singles matches, including the final, are best of three sets, with a tie-break in every set including the third.

The top two players in each group advance to the semi-finals. The winner of one group plays the runner-up of the other, and the semi-final winners meet in the final.

How ties are broken

When players finish level, the group order is decided by criteria applied in this order:

1. Most wins.
2. Most matches played (so a 2-1 record beats a 2-0 record, because the player has played more).
3. Head-to-head result between tied players.
4. Highest percentage of sets won.
5. Highest percentage of games won.
6. ATP ranking after the last tournament of the year.

The head-to-head rule only applies to a two-way tie. In a three-way tie, criteria four to six are used, and if one of them separates a player from the others, the remaining two are ranked by their head-to-head result.

What is at stake

The prize money pool is US$15,750,000. An undefeated champion can earn up to $5,171,000. Ranking points are awarded per match: 500 for a win in the final, 400 for a semi-final win, and further points for each round-robin win.

Because the groups are decided by wins first, one bad day can be survived. A player who loses an opener can still reach the semi-finals by winning his next two matches.