Agonizing end to ATP World Tour Finals in London
By Alex Hyman
The ATP World Tour Finals will go ahead in November without fans as London’s O2 Arena acts as the host for the final time. Here are the key takeaways from this announcement.
The ATP World Tour Finals will move to the Pala Alpitour Arena in Turin from 2021. The behind closed doors event means that the best-case scenario for the concluding event in London will be a very limited number of fans in the stadium.
London’s O2 Arena has played host to the ATP World Tour Finals since 2009. Before London, the event was known as the ‘Tennis Masters Cup’, and was held in locations such as Sydney (2001), Houston (2003, 2004), and Shanghai (2002, 2005 – 2008).
Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Dominic Thiem have already qualified for the season-ending finale having already secured enough points before the coronavirus hit and the tour was suspended.
Five more spots are up for grabs, and with Roger Federer out for the remainder of 2020, it’s all to play for.
Players often praise the tournament for its first-class hospitality and organization. Competing in a 17,500 capacity arena, the second largest on the ATP Tour behind Arthur Ashe Stadium is just one feature of the tournament that sparks great interest from all the players.
2021 marks the end of a truly remarkable venue for the staging of the World Tour Finals. It comes with huge regret that the final staging will not have a packed stadium for the week of tennis.
As reported by atptour.com:
"“The fans have played such an incredible part in the success of the Nitto ATP Finals over the years and there’s no question the capacity crowds will be deeply missed this year,” said ATP Chairman Andrea Gaudenzi."
Qualifying for the ATP World Tour Finals is a common goal for the world’s top 20 male players. In securing a spot, it reflects a hugely successful and consistent year on the tour. Not only this, the superbly run event where the spotlight is all on the 8 male players can be seen as a reward for the excellent year they have had.
It is hoped that the Pala Alpitour Arena will live up to its predecessor in strong fashion. The 12,350 capacity indoor arena has big shoes to fill after a very successful 12 years for the O2 Arena in hosting the tournament.
The Pala Alpitour has staged numerous sporting events and concerts for stars such as MIKA (pictured below).
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The Pala Alpitour has most notably hosted the ice hockey at the 2006 Winter Olympics and will now host tennis’ premier event from 2021-2025.