The 2025 ATP season’s final event of the year, the Next Gen ATP Finals, is all set to take place from Dec. 17-21. The event will take place in Jeddah, with eight of the top-ranked 20-and-under players in the world. Let’s take a look at the format and rules along with the lineups of the event.
Next Gen ATP Finals — Format And Rules
Following the round-robin format, eight players at the Next Gen ATP Finals are divided into two groups of four players each. Each player in their group plays against the other three opponents, with the top two players from each group advancing to the semifinals. From there, the two winners proceed to the final.
The rules differ slightly from those of regular Tour-level matches. The matches are all best-of-five sets, but the player who wins four games in a set first wins that set, instead of six games. If the set is at 3-3, then the set is decided by a traditional seven-point tiebreaker. There’s no ad-scoring as a deciding point when a game reaches deuce.
There are a few other rule changes as well, such as reducing the shot clock in cases of short rallies. The usual shot clock allows the player 25 seconds to serve, but in case the following rally is less than three shots. The player gets 15 seconds for the next serve. Additionally, players benefit from direct communication with their coaches and teams on the sidelines, receiving information in real-time.
Next Gen ATP Finals – Lineup And Schedule
The two groups at the Next Gen ATP Finals have been named the Red Group and the Blue Group. The Blue Group comprises Learner Tien, Spain’s Rafael Jódar, Martin Landaluce, and Nicolai Budkov Kjaer from Norway.
The Red Group comprises Alexander Blockx of Belgium, along with Dino Prižmić of Croatia, Nishesh Basavareddy of the USA, and Justin Engel of Germany.
More: Next Gen ATP Finals Groups Featuring Learner Tien Announced as Jakub MenÅ¡Ãk Missing
There are two notable omissions from the lineup, as defending champion João Fonseca is not taking part due to an injury, despite being eligible to defend his title. The other major player missing is world No. 19 Jakub MenÅ¡Ãk, who also withdrew from the event due to injury concerns.
The round-robin matches will take place from Dec. 17 (Wednesday) to Dec. 19 (Friday). The four qualified players will play their respective semifinal matches on Dec. 20 (Saturday), with the winners ready to face off in the final on Dec. 21 (Sunday).
