Closing Shot: Game, Set, Match

The ATP Finals’ move to literally put the focus on the players with a well-lit court and darkened stands will work well this year with no crowd allowed.getty images

Just reaching the Nitto ATP Finals in 2020 feels like a victory of sorts for men’s professional tennis. The ATP Tour was frozen from March to mid-August by the pandemic, and tournaments held in the months since — some amid COVID flare-ups and others whipped together on the fly — have only underscored the achievement of organizing an international sport in difficult conditions. 

This year’s ATP Finals were already extra special, the 50th anniversary of a season-capping tournament first played at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium in 1970. The event has been held in many of the world’s great cities and played on carpet, grass and hard court, though not clay — sorry, Rafa. It’s been known as the Masters Grand Prix, the ATP Tour World Championship, the Tennis Masters Cup, and the ATP Tour World Finals. 

This year’s event will be the last edition held at London’s O2 Arena, ending a successful and lucrative 12-year run at the venue. The Finals move to Turin, Italy, next year.  

This year’s event, set for Nov. 15-22, features the top eight singles players and doubles teams in the FedEx ATP Rankings. It’s an important exclamation point to end the ATP Tour season and has become known in recent years for a specific moody aesthetic — a well-lit court surrounded by darkness, enhanced by light shows. The spotlight, as ATP Chief Tour Officer Ross Hutchins points out, is literally on the players.  

That look may be more useful this year since it’s almost certain that the darkened stands that normally hold 18,000 fans will be empty due to COVID’s resurgence across Europe and another lockdown in the U.K.  

“We will be going more digital this year than we have done before; it gives us this opportunity to try to use this avenue in a positive way,” said Hutchins. “In terms of showcase, it will look similar, but I think it will be a better TV product, despite not having fans. We’re still going to create this amazing environment.” 

Revenue from the ATP Finals won’t match normal years, but it still should bolster the tour’s bottom line. According to ATP Tour financials reviewed by Sports Business Journal, the Finals produced gross revenue of $16.8 million in 2018. And there was the positive news earlier this year that Nitto extended its deal with the tour to title sponsor the event until 2025 and become a year-round Gold Partner, joining Rolex in the ATP’s third-highest sponsorship tier.

Plenty of attention has been paid to the pandemic wiping out about half of the ATP calendar this year, but it’s worth noting that two Grand Slams, 12 ATP tournaments and now the ATP Finals will have been held since the tour suspension in March, despite the seemingly endless stream of obstacles.

“The finance is important,” said Hutchins, “but for me it’s more important about the showcase, trying to make sure tennis is back up and running and making sure that we are able to tell that story and finish as we would in a normal year.”