How do the ATP and WTA finals work?

Hi loves,

As we approach the end of the tennis season, nights are getting darker, the air is getting colder, and there is little left to play for in the world of tennis. The grand slams are over for another season, and players are starting to end their seasons. But the main thing still left to come before the off season are the year end finals. Both the ATP and WTA finals hold their finals in November, and end the season here (aside from the Davis Cup. Oh, and the Next Gen finals, but who really cares about the Next Gen finals?). Let’s talk about all things year end finals; how they work, why we have them, and who will be there this year.

What is it and how does it work?

The year end finals are the climax of the tennis season, on both the WTA and ATP. It is the week where the 8 best singles players and 8 best doubles pairs of the year come together and battle it out for the right to call themselves the best. We will focus on the singles competition for simplicity. Now, the best 8 players of the year doesn’t necessarily always mean the top 8 players in the rankings by this time of the season. It is the 8 players who earned the most points throughout the season who make it to the finals. The tennis rankings system does not set back to zero at the start of the year - it is a 52 week rolling system. The ‘race’ to the finals, as it is called, does reset to zero at the start of each year. At the time of writing, the current ATP top 8 in the ‘normal’ rankings looks like this:

The ‘Race to Turin’, or race to the finals, however looks like this:

Notice how Novak Djokovic is number 5 in the rankings, but number 3 in the race? A small difference but a difference nonetheless!

The format of the tournament is the same for singles and doubles; it is round robin, followed by semi-finals and the final. The eight players are split into two groups, with each player then having three best-of-3 set matches. The winner of group A will play the runner up in group B in the semi-final, and vice versa. There are also ranking points up for grabs, with the ATP finals ranking points listed below (I cannot find any information on the WTA finals ranking points, but I assume they are very similar if not the same. Point number 148 why the WTA website is not up to scratch):

The concept is an interesting one, and one I do enjoy, as it gives an underlying story to the entire season - especially at this time of year. There is no obligation to play the tour finals, so players in 9th and 10th spot in the race will be kept on their toes in case of any withdrawals. Last year, in the WTA finals Jessica Pegula, who had already been eliminated, withdrew before her final group match and was replaced by Daria Kasatkina. Kasatkina ended up losing her one and only match at the finals to Iga Swiatek 6-1 6-0…at least she got a run around!

This year, the ATP finals will be held in Turin for a fifth consecutive year. The ATP has also announced the finals will continue to be held in Italy until 2030 - although a city is yet to be announced for the 2026 finals.

The WTA finals will again be held in Saudi Arabia (controversially).

Who will be there?

Last year, the finals were won by Coco Gauff and Jannik Sinner. At the time I write this, all eight WTA players have been finalised with the eight qualified women listed below taking part, in this ranking order:

1. Aryna Sabalenka

2. Iga Swiatek

3. Coco Gauff

4. Amanda Anisimova

5. Jessica Pegula

6. Elena Rybakina

7. Madison Keys

8. Jasmine Paolini

The ATP finals line-up is far from finalised. At the time of writing, the only players who are confirmed to have qualified are Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic and Alexander Zverev. There are still four more players to be confirmed.

What is the point of the year end finals?

Now, this is a question with many possible answers. Some say there isn’t really a point. Some say it is a nice final hurrah to end the year. And some say it means a lot. Honestly, I sit in the ‘there isn’t really a point’ category - but entertainment wise, I enjoy them. I have to admit, I enjoy the ATP finals much more than the WTA finals. This has far more to do with the crowds and atmosphere than it does the actual tennis. Last year, the crowds in Saudi-Arabia were sometimes…non-existent. The venue for the finals is the King Saud University Indoor Arena, which has a capacity of 5000, yet during some matches there were only 400 people in attendance. I have to say it is extremely disappointing to see the WTA fall victim to ‘sports-washing’. I will be watching carefully this year to see how this has changed - if at all. There was widespread criticism regarding attendance last year, and with the tournament due to be held there in 2026 also, an improvement is needed. Bringing tennis to new territories and inspiring the next generation is always a positive, but protecting the integrity of the sport is equally as important. We want to step forwards, not backwards. The ATP finals have far less controversy and negatives surrounding it. With Italy being the host country and also being a huge tennis nation there are always large crowds for the matches, making it much more enjoyable to watch on TV. A certain Jannik Sinner helps attendance numbers, too.

Aside from pride and bragging rights, the money and ranking points will be the main motivation for players to play this tournament. With it being the final tournament of the year for the WTA players and for those ATP players not involved in the Davis Cup Finals, it is the final push at the end of the season. As always hindsight is a wonderful thing, and if there are shock results or drama then I am all for it. But if they are fairly predictable and just amble along, as it were, then no I don’t think these finals mean anything in the grand scheme of things.

Who will win the year end finals?

I see Jannik Sinner winning the ATP finals. Carlos Alcaraz is in good form, but he does not favour playing indoors (despite his indoor title in Rotterdam earlier this year). Sinner likes playing indoors, he is playing in front of a home crowd and he is defending champion - a recipe for success, I think.

The WTA finals are far harder to call, however. Multiple players are in good form. Gauff is the defending champion and just won a title in Wuhan, so that might make her the favourite. But it is virtually impossible to call. I am going with Gauff, but not confidently. This is wide open, making for a very interesting tournament.

When are the WTA and ATP finals?

The WTA finals are taking place from 1-8 November with the ATP finals following the next week from 9-16 November 2025.

So, ladies and gentlemen, that is the rundown of the year end tour finals with a sprinkling of opinions in there too. As the year winds down we need to be looking ahead to 2026, but we can have a little teeny tiny breather first and just enjoy the conclusion to the 2025 season. 

Until next time, keep serving!

El x