The Next Gen ATP Finals in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia are now underway, as the top eight youngsters in men’s tennis look to end the year on a high.
Young talent excites fans of any sport, as they eagerly anticipate the next generation of stars coming through the ranks.
In tennis, the Next Gen ATP Finals is a perfect opportunity to witness this talent in the flesh, as the top eight ATP players under 22 compete in the season-ending finals.
There have been plenty of talented winners of the Next Gen ATP Finals in recent years, with some of the best players in the world having ‘graduated’ from the event.
Jannik Sinner won two Grand Slam titles in 2024, having stormed to the title in Milan in 2019, whilst Carlos Alcaraz won the title in 2021, and took home the other two Majors this year.
The format of the event is quite different to what many tennis fans are used to, however, with several rules that you don’t see on the standard tour.
- Best of five sets
- First to four games in each set
- Tiebreak at three-all
- No-AD scoring
- No-lets
The rules certainly help the event standout, but one big tennis name has revealed that he isn’t a fan.
Mark Petchey says the Next Gen ATP Finals format ‘doesn’t make sense’
Speaking on the Tennis Channel Live podcast, Andy Murray’s former coach Mark Petchey gave his thoughts on the event’s format.
“If we are not going to change the game to four games anywhere, why are we keeping it for one standalone event?” he asked.
“It doesn’t seem to make sense. I would love to see these guys who are going to be the stars of the future play the format we are going to see them in week in, week out.
“No ad scoring, no lets. I am not massively into no lets.”
Petchey was pushed back on his disapproval of the no-let rule by co-host Jason Goodall.
“Why are you not into that?” he said.
The former coach then engaged in a back-and-forth discussion with Goodall on the rule.
“I think it’s just luck, why do you want to bring luck into a skill game?” said Petchey.
“It happens in a rally, so what’s the difference between it happening on a serve and in a rally?” replied Goodall.
“You’ve got more chance of it happening more often if you’re going to throw it in on the serve as well,” said Petchey as the pair eventually agreed to disagree.
What happened on day one of the Next Gen ATP Finals?
Whilst Petchey and Goodall disagree over the format of the tournament, what can’t be argued with is that day one brought a lot of exciting action.
Three of the top four seeds suffered shock defeats, leaving them with a lot of work to do if they want to advance to the semi-finals.
In the Blue group, top-20 star Arthur Fils fell to Brazilian wonderkid Joao Fonseca in a five-set battle, whilst 2024 ATP Newcomer of the Year Jakub Mensik lost to Learner Tien in a thrilling fifth-set tiebreaker.
Alternatively, second seed Alex Michelsen got off to a strong start in the Red group, as he comfortably beat fellow American Nishesh Basavareddy, and French youngster Luca Van Assche got the better of Juncheng Shang.
The Saudi Arabian fans witnessed some great action on day one, and there’s even more to come on Thursday.
- Juncheng Shang (0-1) V Nishesh Basavareddy (0-1)
- Alex Michelsen (1-0) V Luca Van Assche (1-0)
- Arthur Fils (0-1) V Jakub Mensik (0-1)
- Learner Tien (1-0) V Joao Fonseca
A top-50 clash between Fils and Mensik is no doubt set to be the match of the day, as the pair both look to get off the mark with a big win.
The Next Gen ATP Finals is set to run from December 18-22.
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