Back in 2017, Roger Federer watched the first-ever Next Gen ATP Finals, which featured first-to-four-game sets.
The inaugural Next Gen ATP Finals were won by South Korea’s Hyeon Chung in Milan.
Chung defeated Andrey Rublev in the final, 3-4 (5-7), 4-3 (7-2), 4-2, 4-2.
Having watched and enjoyed some of the action at the Next Gen ATP Finals, Federer was asked for his thoughts on the shorter sets during a press conference at the 2017 ATP Finals.
Roger Federer said tennis needs to be careful with making rule changes
The Swiss star shared why he was hesitant to see the four-game format introduced on the ATP Tour.
“We need to think, take seriously all these rule changes if ever you’re going to do it because once you do it, you don’t want to bounce back and forth with changing something and then you don’t like it later on,” he said.
“I don’t see that much wrong with our Tour right now that it needs that much fixing, especially the shorter sets.
“I know it can be somewhat intriguing, but at the same time, the longer sets allow you to stretch a lead; it’s more comfortable at times.
Is Roger Federer the greatest tennis player of all time?
“You can try different things. You can work on stuff, whereas if every point counts so much… there’s no room for anything anymore.
“There are positives and negatives to it, but I don’t want to see anything change on the Tour that much, to be honest.”
Luckily for Federer, the format wasn’t transferred over, although it remains in use for the Next Gen Finals.
Since Chung’s victory in 2017, six different players have won the title, enjoying success over the shorter format.
Every Next Gen Finals champion
| Year | Champion | Runner-up | Score |
| 2017 | Hyeon Chung | Andrey Rublev | 3-4, 4-3, 4-2, 4-2 |
| 2018 | Stefanos Tsitsipas | Alex de Minaur | 2-4, 4-1, 4-3, 4-3 |
| 2019 | Jannik Sinner | Alex de Minaur | 4-2, 4-1, 4-2 |
| 2021 | Carlos Alcaraz | Sebastian Korda | 4-3, 4-2, 4-2 |
| 2022 | Brandon Nakashima | Jiri Lehecka | 4-3, 4-3, 4-2 |
| 2023 | Hamad Medjedovic | Arthur Fils | 3-4, 4-1, 4-2, 3-4, 4-1 |
| 2024 | Joao Fonseca | Learner Tien | 2-4, 4-3, 4-0, 4-2 |
The 2025 Next Gen Finals are right around the corner, but who will have a chance to add their name to the list of champions?
2025 Next Gen ATP Finals preview
Leading the Race to Jeddah, Jakub Mensik and Joao Fonseca earned their spots in this year’s finals, although the Brazilian has already withdrawn, and question marks remain over the Czech’s participation.
- 1. Jakub Mensik
- 2. Joao Fonseca (Withdrawn)
- 3. Learner Tien
- 4. Alexander Blockx
- 5. Dino Prizmic
- 6. Martin Landaluce
- 7. Nicolai Budkov Kjaer
- 8. Nishesh Basavareddy
- 9. Rafael Jodar (Alternate)
- 10. Justin Engel (Alternate)
The eight players who do make the trip to Jeddah will compete for both the title and a $500,000 prize.
| Performance | Prize money |
| Alternate | $15,000 |
| Participation fee | $154,000 |
| Round-Robin match win | $37,500 |
| Semifinal win | $116,000 |
| Final win | $157,250 |
| Undefeated champion | $539,750 |
There are several players to look out for in Saudi Arabia, but none have enjoyed quite as much success as Learner Tien in 2025.
Breaking through at the Australian Open, stunning Daniil Medvedev in the second round, Tien continued to pick up results on tour and won his maiden tour-level title recently, at the Moselle Open.
He’ll have a chance to become the second American winner of the Next Gen Finals, following in the footsteps of Brandon Nakashima, who won back in 2022.
Winning the Next Gen title often propels players to bigger things in men’s tennis.
The current world number one and two, Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner, are both former champions at the event, as is two-time Grand Slam finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas.
Who knows if any of the eight players competing at this year’s Next Gen ATP Finals will have similar success over the coming years?
The 2025 Next Gen ATP Finals are scheduled to begin on Wednesday, December 17.
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