The 2024 ATP Finals will take place in Turin in mid-November. The season-ending event tries to present itself as the most important tennis tournament outside the sport’s majors. However, whether it lives up to that billing is debatable. There is a very handsome prize fund up for grabs, with an undefeated singles champion able to earn almost $5m in total. That compares, for example, to the $3.6m the 2024 US Open champions won.
There are also significant ranking points up for grabs, with 1,500 the maximum a player can win if they win every match. Again, for comparison, winning any of the four Grand Slam events would garner a player 2,000 points. The event ticks many of the right boxes but, in our opinion, just isn’t particularly exciting. The limited field, format and fact that it takes place at the end of the season, when players are low on motivation and energy, mean it is just not as important or captivating as some of the bigger ATP Masters 1000 events.
Nonetheless, whatever we think of it, it is just around the corner, as the best eight men in world tennis are set to battle it out in Turin next month. The city, home to Juventus for any football fans, is situated in the north of Italy. It has hosted the Finals since 2021, but when did London last do the honours?
London Enjoys 12 Fine Years
Well, we have given something of a clue in saying that Turin has been the host city since 2021, because before Italy, the Finals were in the UK and indeed London. For many tennis fans who are a little towards the younger end of the spectrum, the tournament will, in fact, be synonymous with London.
This event was first played way back in 1970 but over the years it has changed names several times and venue even more often. It started life as the Masters Grand Prix, with the inaugural tournament played in Tokyo. The most recent name change saw it adopt its shorter title of the ATP Finals in 2017, having been known as the ATP World Tour Finals between 2009 and 2016.
Over the years many different countries and cities have hosted this tournament, whatever its particular name at the time. These include, though are not limited to, Paris, Melbourne, Stockholm, Houston, Lisbon, Shanghai and, for the first time in 2009, London.
To answer this article’s titular question – When did London Last Host the ATP Finals? – the last final held in London was in 2020. That was the 12th edition to be held in the city, running from 2009 to 2020 inclusive, with all stagings being played on hard courts inside the O2 Arena. Over the years the event has typically been played on a hard surface, or carpet, with 1974 the exception, when Melbourne’s grass was used.
Anyway, let us return to London, and take a look back at some of the players that managed to claim glory at the O2, as well as any notable stats or facts (looking only at the singles tournament).
Davydenko Surprising First Champion
When the tournament moved to London for the 2009 championship, Roger Federer had been dominant for some time. The Swiss won in 2003, 2004, 2006 and 2007. He would go on to win in 2010 and 2011 but it was Nikolay Davydenko that was the first winner at the O2. The Russian beat Juan Martin del Potro in straight sets. Davydenko had lost in the final the year before, whilst it would be the only time the Argentine made it to the last two in this event.
Coincidentally, Russian players bookend the event’s time in the UK capital, with Daniil Medvedev winning his first, and currently only, ATP Finals title in 2020, the last time London was the host city. He made the final the following year in Turin defending his title but lost to Alexander Zverev.
London Home to the One-Hit Wonders
As we have said, London hosted this tournament 12 times, and perhaps surprisingly, five editions were won by a player for whom that was their only success in the event. Medvedev may yet add to his title but Davydenko certainly will not, nor will Andy Murray. Grigor Dimitrov could yet claim another title, as could Stefanos Tsitsipas.
This is partly why we feel the ATP Finals lack a little bit of prestige: they are, quite simply, not the best showcase for the game’s very best players. Whilst the list of those with multiple titles reads like a who’s who of the best tennis players of all time, it has also been won several times by players who were not among the best two or three players in the world at the time.
Djokovic the King of London
Given the years this tournament was held in London, and the surface used, it should be no surprise that Novak Djokovic claimed O2 glory more than any other player. The Serbian supremo won the last tournament in Shanghai (before the move to London) and the first two in Turin but in between he also claimed four wins in the UK. Those came in consecutive years too:
- 2012 – Beat Roger Federer in the final
- 2013 – Beat Rafa Nadal
- 2014 – Beat Federer (walkover)
- 2015 – Beat Federer again
Djokovic’s seven titles mean he has won the Finals more than any other player. Federer is next, with six, the Swiss maestro having made it to the last two on 10 occasions, one more than Djokovic and Ivan Lendl (who has five wins to his name).
Murray’s Magnificent Year
Andy Murray appeared just once in the final of this event but he made it count, beating Djokovic 6-3, 6-4. That came in 2016, which must go down as his finest year in the sport. He made the final of every Grand Slam apart from the US Open, winning his second Wimbledon title. He also landed Olympic gold, defending the title he had won in London four years earlier. Winning the ATP Finals was the perfect coda to the season, whilst his amazing form leading into the event saw him become world number one for the only time in his career (though he stayed there for 41 weeks).