Race to the Nitto ATP Finals heating up in Asia

With less than two months left the 2024 tennis calendar, the race to Turin for the Nitto ATP Finals is heating up in a big way on the Asian swing. Three have clinched spots: Jannik Sinner, Alexander Zverev, and Carlos Alcaraz. That means five place remain. have clinched, so five spots remain

Here are the current standings:

1. Jannik Sinner – 9100 points
2. Alexander Zverev – 6115 points
3. Carlos Alcaraz – 6110 points

4. Daniil Medvedev – 4520 points
5. Taylor Fritz – 3890 points
6. Casper Ruud – 3795 points
7. Andrey Rublev – 3520 points
8. Alex de Minaur – 3305 points

9. Novak Djokovic – 3260 points
10. Grigor Dimitrov – 2835 points
11. Tommy Paul – 2785 points
12. Stefanos Tsitsipas – 2735 points

How important is the Asian swing, despite being relatively short? Well, there are two ATP 500 events currently underway in Beijing and Tokyo. They are followed immediately by the Rolex Shanghai Masters. In other words, a player could rack up as many as 1500 points in the next two weeks. The late October schedule is similar, with a pair of 500 events in Basel and Vienna leading into the Paris Masters.

Medvedev is almost a lock to qualify for Turin, while the last four spots are relatively up in the air. Fritz, Ruud, and Tsitsipas are among the current leaders, but all three lost in the Tokyo first round. Paul also lost early in Tokyo. Zverev, De Minaur, Djokovic, and Dimitrov did not play in either ATP 500.

Ricky contributes to 10sballs.com and also maintains his own tennis website, The Grandstand. You can follow him on Twitter at @Dimonator.