With only three weeks remaining until the Nitto ATP Finals, who is positioned to make a strong late-season push in the PIF ATP Live Race to Turin?
Seven of the leading 12 players in the Live Race are in ATP 500 action this week on European indoor hard-courts. Casper Ruud (seventh) and Andrey Rublev (eighth) lead the field at the Swiss Indoors Basel, where Stefanos Tsitsipas (12th) will also hope to boost his hopes of qualifying for the prestigious season finale with a deep run.
“When you’re in this position, you think about [the Nitto ATP Finals] quite a lot, of course,” Ruud said in Basel. “It’s a fun chase and it’s exciting… It’s good to have something to really motivate yourself with.”
Alexander Zverev, who is third in the Live Race and has already secured his Nitto ATP Finals spot, headlines the draw at the Erste Bank Open in Vienna. Alex de Minaur (ninth), Tommy Paul (10th) and Grigor Dimitrov (11th) will seek success in the Austrian capital as they bid to stay within touching distance of the qualification spots.
There will be an emotional tinge to the atmosphere this week in Vienna, where home fans will have the chance to say farewell to former World No. 3 Dominic Thiem. The 31-year-old, who lifted one of his 17 tour-level titles in Vienna in 2019, faces an opening-round clash with Luciano Darderi in his final event before retirement.
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