The ATP Tour should consider rule change which would make the Paris Masters even more compelling
Follow us on Google Discover
The ATP Tour does a lot of things right, but it’s about time they considered sprucing up the qualification criteria for the ATP Finals.
With a couple of tournaments to play, it’s Lorenzo Musetti who holds the final spot in the Turin-based tournament, although that could change in the next few days.
Felix Auger-Aliassime is playing Jannik Sinner in the Paris Masters final, and a win for him would see the Canadian steal a march on the Italian player.
With just a few weeks to go until the tournament, however, it’s time that the ATP took a little look at how things are done when it comes to qualifying for the ATP Finals.
Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images
The ATP must look at qualification criteria as a matter of urgency
The ATP Finals is one of the stellar tournaments on the ATP Tour. It takes place over a single week in Turin at the end of every year and is essentially a reward for consistency over a 12-month period.
Right now, however, the criteria for getting into the tournament feels somewhat flawed, with points being allowed to be claimed up until weeks before the competition.
Next week, ATP 250 events take place in Metz and Athens and players will be given the chance to continue staking their claim for places at these lesser events.
In reality, the ATP would be wise to make the cut-off after the final ATP 1000 event of the year in Paris and give players the chance to go to Metz and Athens with the intention of winning the tournament, rather than point pinching.
At the moment, it’s great to see so many top players entering these events, but for some of the lower-ranked players, it hampers their chances of actually winning a title.
If the race for Turin ended after Paris, it would give players the chance to truly lock in for that big ATP 1000 event and take it for what it is, rather than be looking at the number of points needed.
The ATP Finals come at the end of a long season, and it would be good if the players competing for the final places knew whether they’d done enough around a month before the tournament rather than scratching around at 250 events trying desperately to get in just weeks before.
How the ATP Finals race currently looks
At the moment, there is just one place left up for grabs in the ATP Finals, and Musetti is now sweating over his place at the event in his home country.
Auger-Aliassime will get into the tournament if he wins the Paris Masters final against Jannik Sinner this afternoon, and that would cap a remarkable season for him.
Updated ATP Race, Auger-Aliassime PASSES Musetti
8. Auger-Aliassime, 3.845 (Paris F) — qualifies to Turin with a title. Plays Metz next week
—
9. Musetti, 3.685 – needs FAA to lose this week to stay alive. Plays Athens.
10. Bublik, 2.870 — will be the 2nd alternate in Turin
— José Morgado (@josemorgado) November 1, 2025
View Tweet
If Sinner wins as expected, the race will continue further into the year. Auger-Aliassime plays in Metz next week, with Musetti due to play at the event in Athens.
Musetti needs the Canadian performer to lose the final in Paris and then he would need to claim the necessary points to jump over Auger-Aliassime and reclaim his place in the competition.
