ATP Finals Preview: Alcaraz Chases First Year-End Title in Turin

The 2026 ATP season comes down to one last trophy, with the top eight singles players and eight doubles teams contesting the ATP Finals in Turin, Italy. Round-robin play begins Sunday at the tournament, staged in Turin for the sixth straight year under a deal extended through at least 2030. A record $15.75 million in prize money is on the line, and the singles champion can collect up to $5,171,000 and 1,500 ranking points when play wraps on Nov. 22.

The field is missing two of the sport's biggest stars. Jannik Sinner, the two-time defending champion who qualified as the No. 2 seed, has not played since winning Wimbledon in July because of a right knee injury. The five-time major champion hopes to return for the Australian Open but was noncommittal. "I have to respect the protocols at the moment because if we rush things we could have more serious problems," he said.

Novak Djokovic is also absent. The 39-year-old could have clinched one of the final berths at last week's Paris Masters but lost in the round of 32, missing out on what would have been a record 19th appearance. The seven-time champion remains tied with Roger Federer for most appearances. Those absences helped four players, Flavio Cobolli, Arthur Fils, Frances Tiafoe and Rafael Jodar, qualify for the first time.

For the second straight year, multiple Americans qualified for the singles draw; last year's occurrence was the first since 2006. Ben Shelton, 24, reached his first major final at the US Open after a late-night marathon win over Carlos Alcaraz, won four titles including the Masters 1000 Canadian Open and is ranked a career-high No. 4. He and Tiafoe each aim to become the first American man to win the title since Pete Sampras in 1999.

Tiafoe, 28, made the Finals a stated goal after overhauling his team before 2026. He won his biggest title at the 500-level Halle Open, reached finals at the Mexican Open and Cincinnati Open, and needed losses from Fritz and Tommy Paul in Paris to secure his berth. "It feels great," Tiafoe told ESPN after qualifying. "Obviously, it's a testament to the year I've had."

Nobody arrives with more momentum than Alcaraz. After a five-month absence with a lingering wrist injury, the Spaniard returned at the US Open and has since won three titles, including last week's Paris Masters, riding a nine-match win streak into his fourth straight Finals. A -135 favorite according to DraftKings, he opens Monday against Tiafoe seeking his first title at the event.

Alexander Zverev, the newly crowned world No. 1, has the second-best odds. The 29-year-old German won his first two majors this season at the French Open and US Open but is 3-9 against top-10 players and has yet to beat a top-five opponent this year. He lifted this trophy in 2018 and 2021, has already clinched the year-end No. 1 ranking and is 6-0 against Shelton. He starts Sunday against Jodar.

Jodar might be the week's best story. The 20-year-old began 2026 ranked No. 168 and is now No. 9, becoming the first player to reach the ATP Finals in his first season on tour. A French Open quarterfinalist who won his first tour title this year, he could become the youngest champion since a 19-year-old John McEnroe in 1978.

Daniil Medvedev, at 30 the oldest man in the draw, returns after missing last year's event; the 2020 champion opens Monday against Cobolli, while Fils faces Shelton on Sunday. In doubles, defending champions Harri Heliovaara and Henry Patten lead the field after a five-title season that included Wimbledon, with American Christian Harrison and Neal Skupski, winners of the Australian and US Opens in their first season together, also in contention. The week unfolds amid backlash over the ATP's planned cuts to doubles prize money and field sizes.