The 2026 ATP Finals will begin Sunday, November 15, with a different look from recent years. World No. 1 Alexander Zverev leads an eight-player field that includes Carlos Alcaraz, two Americans and four first-time qualifiers, while defending champion Jannik Sinner will miss the season-ending tournament because of a knee injury.
The tournament runs through November 22 at the Inalpi Arena in Turin, bringing together the season’s leading players for one of the most prestigious titles outside the Grand Slams. With the field now confirmed, attention turns to Thursday’s group draw and the opening matches this weekend.
Sinner’s absence is the biggest change. The Italian, who won the ATP Finals in 2024 and 2025, has not competed since capturing his fifth Grand Slam title at Wimbledon in July. Speaking at a press conference in Milan on Tuesday, November 10, Sinner said he hopes to return for the 2027 Australian Open but will not rush his recovery. He is following medical advice and wants to protect his long-term career rather than risk returning too soon. His withdrawal means Turin will crown a different champion this year and removes one of the tournament’s leading attractions, particularly for Italian fans.
Zverev enters as the highest-ranked player and one of the most experienced competitors in the field. The German has won the ATP Finals twice, in 2018 and 2021, and will be making his ninth appearance at the year-end championships. Alcaraz arrives with renewed confidence after defeating Ben Shelton in Sunday’s Paris Masters final. The Spaniard, who reached the ATP Finals championship match in 2025, is still chasing his first title at the event.
Daniil Medvedev, the 2020 champion, is the other former winner competing this year. For American tennis, the tournament offers another opportunity to end a long wait for a champion. Shelton and Frances Tiafoe will both compete in Turin, marking the second consecutive season that two Americans have qualified.
Shelton returns for his second appearance, while the 28-year-old Tiafoe makes his debut. No American has won the singles championship since Pete Sampras in 1999. The remaining newcomers bring several compelling stories. Italy’s Flavio Cobolli will make his first ATP Finals appearance in front of a home crowd after a breakthrough season that included reaching the French Open final.
France’s Arthur Fils becomes the first Frenchman to qualify for the tournament since Gael Monfils in 2016. Fils won titles in Barcelona and Cincinnati during a season that established him among the leading young players on the ATP Tour. Perhaps the most unexpected qualifier is Spain’s Rafael Jodar, who was still playing college tennis at the University of Virginia a year ago.
Jodar, 20, began the season outside the established elite but climbed high enough in the ATP Race to secure the final position in Turin. He follows Alcaraz in progressing from the Next Gen ATP Finals to the season-ending championship the following year. The ATP Finals use a format different from regular tournaments. The eight singles players are divided into two groups of four, with each competitor playing three round-robin matches. The top two players from each group advance to the semifinals.
The format allows a player to lose a match during the group stage and still compete for the championship. There is also considerable prize money at stake. The tournament carries a total purse of $15.75 million, with an undefeated singles champion eligible to earn $5.171 million. The group draw is scheduled for Thursday, November 12, and will determine the opening matchups. Round-robin play begins Sunday, November 15, followed by the semifinals on November 21 and the championship match on November 22.
With Sinner sidelined, Zverev seeking a third title, Alcaraz chasing his first and half the field making its debut, this year’s ATP Finals offer a different mix of established champions and emerging contenders.
