Novak Djokovic: Will star recover to reach ATP Finals after US Open as he falls outside of qualifying places
Published 11/09/2024 at 07:12 GMT+1
Novak Djokovic is a seven-time winner of the Nitto ATP Finals and has only missed the season-ending tournament once since 2007 - but could he miss out on qualification this year? Djokovic has not won a Grand Slam title in 2024 and was beaten in the third round of the US Open. With a few months of the season remaining he is outside the Race to Turin qualifying places.
Highlights: Djokovic crashes out of US Open in shock third-round defeat
Video credit: SNTV
Novak Djokovic has been an almost permanent feature at the Nitto ATP Finals since first qualifying in 2007.
The only year Djokovic hasn’t qualified for the end-of-season tournament was in 2017, while he has lifted the trophy a record seven times.
But could Djokovic miss out on qualification this season?
The 37-year-old will end the year without a Grand Slam trophy for the first time since 2017 and has slipped down to No. 4 in the world rankings.
He’s also currently out of the qualification spots for a place at the eight-player ATP Finals in Turin.
Will Djokovic qualify for ATP Finals?
“It’s a fact that this is my worst season in terms of results in the last 15 years, I feel that way too, but it is what it is.”
Djokovic has not shied away from the fact that 2024 has not been a good year overall for him.
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'The best feeling I've ever had' - Djokovic basks in fan celebrations after gold
Video credit: TNT Sports
The highlight has been winning Olympic gold for Serbia, but there has been little success elsewhere.
Djokovic has accrued 3,260 ranking points this season, mostly from reaching the final at Wimbledon and semi-finals of the Australian Open.
After his shock third-round exit at the US Open he sits ninth in the Race to Turin standings, having fallen behind US Open runner-up Taylor Fritz and Alex de Minaur.
Djokovic is 45 points behind De Minaur, who occupies the final qualification spot. The only two players to have qualified so far for the finals are world No. 1 Jannik Sinner and new world No. 2 Alexander Zverev.
Race to Turin standings w/c September 9
| Player | Points |
| Jannik Sinner | 9,000 |
| Alexander Zverev | 6,115 |
| Carlos Alcaraz | 6,010 |
| Daniil Medvedev | 4,420 |
| Taylor Fritz | 3,890 |
| Casper Ruud | 3,795 |
| Andrey Rublev | 3,480 |
| Alex de Minaur | 3,305 |
| Novak Djokovic | 3,260 |
| What’s the difference between ATP rankings and Race to Turin? |
| The ATP rankings work on a rolling 12-month period, so players gain points from tournaments and hold them against their ranking for 12 months, then they are dropped |
| The Race to Turin is based on the amount of points accrued in a calendar year |
Will Djokovic gain ground?
There are plenty of points left on the board this season for Djokovic to get into the top eight, but will he take them?
He is playing Davis Cup this week and then will be heading to China to play the Shanghai Masters. As an ATP 1000 event that is an opportunity for Djokovic to add points to his tally, but where else will he gain points?
Djokovic is not currently playing anywhere else in Asia and his schedule for the rest of the season remains uncertain; it is not even clear if he will play the Paris Masters, which starts on October 28.
The Paris Masters along with two ATP 500 events the week before in Vienna and Basel are the best opportunities for ranking points before the ATP Finals, which start on November 10.
Djokovic to play Davis Cup
Djokovic will be back in action this week playing for Serbia in the Davis Cup.
The 37-year-old will be playing for his country in a Davis Cup World Group I tie in Belgrade against Greece, who are without Stefanos Tsitsipas.
The winners will secure a spot in the 2025 Davis Cup qualifiers.
Watch and stream the 2024 Laver Cup live on Eurosport and discovery+
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