Alex de Minaur will become the first Australian men’s tennis player to compete in the end-of-year ATP Finals since Lleyton Hewitt in 2004.
De Minaur qualifies for ATP Finals
De Minaur secured his invitation to the event in Turin, Italy, as one of the world’s top eight players after world no.6 and defending champion Novak Djokovic pulled out. Djokovic, who has won the ATP Finals a record seven times, cited an ongoing injury as the reason for his withdrawal.
Before Djokovic’s announcement, de Minaur was due to play in the Belgrade Open to earn points in the race with Andrey Rublev and Casper Ruud for the final two spots. The Aussie has since pulled out of the tournament in Serbia and will prepare for the finals, which begin on Sunday. The absence of Djokovic also means that it will be the first ATP Finals without either Djokovic, Nadal, or Federer in over 20 years.
WTA Finals
Meanwhile, at the WTA Finals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Coco Gauff recorded her second career win over Iga Świątek, beating the Polish 5-time grand slam winner in straight sets. Gauff has now won the first two of her three matches in the group stage and secured a spot in the semi-finals.
The 20-year-old American’s defeat of Świątek also means that Aryna Sabalenka is guaranteed to finish the year as the world’s number-one tennis player for the first time in her career.
What they said
De Minaur posted on his socials: “Turiiiiinnnnnnnnnn LFG 😍😍😍😍😍”
How to watch
You can watch the ATP and WTA Finals on beIN Sports.
