ATP Next Gen Finals 2023: When is it, who is playing and what is the prize?

November 24, 2023

ATP Tennis Players, Tennis News, Tennis Tournaments

ATP Next Gen Finals 2023 Preview: When is it, who is playing and what is the prize money?

The ATP Next Gen Finals have spawned champions in the form of Carlos Alcaraz, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Jannik Sinner over the years, but who will be the next young star to claim victory at the exciting year-end tournament?

We, at Tennishead, have everything you need to know about the tournament, as it relocates to a new destination on the ATP Tour:

What are the ATP Next Gen Finals?

The ATP Next Gen Finals is a season ending exhibition tournament organised by the ATP Tour, pitting the top seven 21-and-under singles players from the year, plus a wildcard.

It began back in 2017, with South Korean Chung Hyeon beating Andrey Rublev to win the inaugural tournament in Milan.

How do the ATP Next Gen Finals work?

Much like the senior ATP Finals, the Next Gen Finals begin in a round-robin format with two groups of four.

Each player will play one another in their allotted group, with the top two from each group advancing to the semi-finals, where the top finisher from each group will play the second placed finisher in the other.

However, there are some big differences in how the tournament is played compared to the standard ATP Tour event, with a large focus on being innovative.

The Scoring format is in the best of five tie-break sets, with each set being played as the first to four games. A tie-break will be played at 3-3, and games will be using a No-Ad system with the server choosing the service box for the deciding point.

Some of the other new rules used specifically for this event include having no on-court warm-up prior to the match, reduced time between first and second serves, the umpires chair lowered to increase visibility for spectators and free fan movement around the stadium except behind the baseline.

Where are the 2023 ATP Next Gen Finals?

The ATP Next Gen Finals have been hosted in Milan ever since the inaugural edition back in 2017, however the ATP announced earlier this year that they would be relocating to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

It is the first officially licensed ATP event in Saudi Arabia, that will take place at the King Abdullah Sports City and is expected to do so until 2027.

The future is now ✨ Catch all the action 28 Nov – 2 Dec in Jeddah!#NextGenATPFinals pic.twitter.com/eNsxIRvLdw
— Next Gen ATP Finals (@nextgenfinals) November 1, 2023

When are the 2023 ATP Next Gen Finals?

The ATP Next Gen Finals begin on Tuesday 28th November, with the round-robin stage coming to a conclusion on Thursday 30th November.

Both the semi-finals take place on Friday 1st December, before the final on Saturday 2nd December begins at 8pm local time (5pm GMT).

The draw for the two round-robin groups will be made on Saturday 25th December.

Who is playing at the 2023 ATP Next Gen Finals?

Despite all being eligible and qualifying as the top four seeds for the 2023 Next Gen Finals, Carlos Alcaraz, Holger Rune, Ben Shelton and Lorenzo Musetti all elected to miss the tournament.

This has left Frenchman Arthur Fils as the top seed, who has risen to a career-high ranking of No.36 after a breakout year on the ATP Tour that has included winning his maiden title on the clay of Lyon.

Arthur Fils is Lyon Champion! 🏆
18 years-old Frenchman wins maiden ATP title for his first final beating Francesco Cerundolo 6-3 7-5
BRAVO @ArthurFils1 💪 pic.twitter.com/DWQgmwx4MD
— We Are Tennis (@WeAreTennis) May 27, 2023

Fils is accompanied by his countryman Luca Van Assche, as well as 2022 semi-finalist Dominic Stricker, youngest entrant Alex Michelsen, Flavio Cobolli, Novak Djokovic’s prodigy Hamad Medjedovic and Luca Nardi, who all qualified based off their performances this year.

The wildcard has been awarded to 20-year-old Jordanian Abdullah Shelbayh, who has made history for his nation this year by becoming the first person from Jordan to win an ATP Challenger title and a main ATP Tour match.

Abdullah Shelbayh 🤝 @RafaelNadal
After winning his first #ATPChallenger title, the 19-year-old received congratulations from Rafa at the @rnadalacademy pic.twitter.com/8yn4fPZHsr
— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) October 8, 2023

Alternates in case of withdrawals are Luciano Darderi and Arthur Cazaux.

How many ranking points are on offer at the ATP Next Gen Finals?

There are no ranking points on offer at the ATP Next Gen Finals, and for the winner it is not actually classed as an official title by the ATP. However, matches do go towards official ATP head-to-heads.

What is the prize money for the 2023 ATP Next Gen Finals?

Although players cannot earn any ranking points in Jeddah, they can receive a very nice payday with a total of $2,000,000 on offer.

Here is the full prize money breakdown:

Stage in tournament	Prize Money
Undefeated Champion	$514,000
Final Win	$153,000
Semi-final Win	$113,500
Each Round-Robin Win	$32,500
Participation Fee	$150,000
Alternate Fee	$15,000

Previous winners of the ATP Next Gen Finals

Last year saw Brandon Nakashima beat Jiri Lehecka in the final in Milan, however the American has not quite followed up on that success since.

The same cannot be said for the other previous winners, with Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner and Stefanos Tsitsipas all qualifying for the senior ATP Finals this year.

Here are all five of the previous winners:

Location	Year	Champion
Milan	2017	Chung Hyeon
	2018	Stefanos Tsitsipas
	2019	Jannik Sinner
	2020	Tournament cancelled due to Covid-19 pandemic
	2021	Carlos Alcaraz
	2022	Brandon Nakashima