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Should the ATP finals move back to its previous best of 5 format?

By Myre Aberdan

LONDON, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 19: Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria lifts the trophy as he celebrates victory following the singles final against David Goffin of Belgium during day eight of the 2017 Nitto ATP Finals at O2 Arena on November 19, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Linnea Rheborg/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 19: Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria lifts the trophy as he celebrates victory following the singles final against David Goffin of Belgium during day eight of the 2017 Nitto ATP Finals at O2 Arena on November 19, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Linnea Rheborg/Getty Images) /
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The ATP Finals are almost the pinnacle of the tennis. Besides winning majors, it is the best athlete defeating the best athletes that year. The trophy is one of the grandest you will ever see in professional sport. It is a shiny and tall behemoth. Most have to hold the base while holding the neck of the trophy with the other hand.

However, what is surprising though is that none of the big 3 have won the trophy in 6 seasons. You will have to go all the way back to 2015 to see a member of the big 3 win the Tour Finals. In that edition. Novak Djokovic defeated Roger Federer in straight sets.

What is even more surprising is that Nadal has never tasted success at this event. It is a real headscratcher, considering it is one of the most prestigious tournaments on the tennis calendar, with 1500 points up for offer. That is almost equivalent to winning a major.

Over the past 6 years, next gen have won the tournament numerous times over, Zverev leads the pack, with 2 wins from 2 finals made. Tsitsipas and Medvedev have also won the Tour Finals. Thiem on the other hand, has lost every final he has been a part of.

But with Novak Djokovic unable to enter the US or Canada, and with a no Shanghai Masters taking place this year, it is a golden opportunity for Novak Djokovic to enter the winners circle once again. After the North American hard court swing, Djokovic will be starving for competitive tennis to play. The newly upgraded 500 tournament in Nur Sultan, Kazakhstan, is 500 points for the taking. With his limited schedule over the next 2 months, it is not out of the realms of possibility that Djokovic will likely be playing tournaments he has never previously played before. What a treat that would be. But the question remains- why have the big 3 not won the ATP Finals in more than half a decade, and has the ATP Finals lost its prestige to the big 3?

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