Just three ATP Tour events remain this year before the Intesa Sanpaolo Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan and the Nitto ATP Finals in Turin. Two of those events will be played starting this Monday. The Swiss Indoors Basel and the Erste Bank Open in Vienna will provide some of the final opportunities for players to compete for qualification for the year-end events.
In fact, Milan’s course will be completed after this week’s game. Carlos Alcaraz and Casper Ruud lead the field in Basel, while Daniil Medvedev and Stefanos Tsitsipas are the top seeds in Vienna. FIVE THINGS TO WATCH IN VIENNA: 1) Medvedev returns after injury in Astana: Medvedev played Novak Djokovic earlier this month in the Astana semi-finals, where he was forced to withdraw with an adductor strain in his leg .
He returns as the top seed in Vienna and will be looking to replicate the form he showed in Kazakhstan when he takes on Nikoloz Basilashvili in the first round. Medvedev is fifth in the Pepperstone ATP Live Race To Turin and is looking to seal his place in Turin, where he has already won a Nitto ATP Finals title (2020).
2) Tsitsipas seeks third straight final: The Greek has enjoyed a strong start to the indoor season, reaching finals in Astana and Stockholm. Already confirmed for Turin, Tsitsipas meets Austrian wildcard Dennis Novak in the first round, with Borna Coric a potential second-round opponent.
It would be a rematch of the Cincinnati final, which the Croatian won. 3) A Thiem playing at home: After reaching back-to-back semi-finals in Gijon and Antwerp, Dominic Thiem will look to continue his resurgence in his native Austria.
Tsitsipas is ambitious
Defeated in the final in Nur-Sultan by Novak Djokovic and then in Stockholm by Holger Rune, Stefanos Tsitsipas will try to win the tenth title of his career in Vienna, the third of the year. Before facing Dennis Novak (155th) in the first round, the Greek expressed his lofty ambitions as he struggles to move to the next step, even if he too often shows consistency.
“It is never easy to chain consecutive weeks of competition. Fortunately, I was able to benefit from a rest day and was able to learn from the Stockholm final, allowing me to approach this new event with a fresh mind.
I have a lot of ambition for the next few weeks. I believe in the process I am following, I want to be the best, but I am aware that it takes time and I have to go step by step. I think I have improved mentally this year and I am more regular.
The fact of participating in the ATP finals for the fourth consecutive season is proof of my regularity, but I want more”, said the 5th in the world.
