The draw ceremony for the second edition of the ATP Next Gen finals has taken place at the Nhow Hotel in via Tortona, Milan.
Eight players under the age of 21 will fight it out in the penultimate event on the ATP World Tour calendar this year. The group has been split into two for the round robin competition. Unlike other events, the Next Gen finals feature a series of special rules. The sets will be the first to four games with a tiebreaker at 3-3, there will be no ad-scoring and players will be allowed to communicate with their coaches via headsets.
“Milan is a great event,” top seed Stefanos Tsitsipas recently told the ATP. “We can face each other in a single tournament. This competition is very, very good for our confidence because we are the future of the game. We can face each other from a very young age, and that’s very good. We can develop together and experience things together.”
World No.16 Tsitsipas has been drawn in Group A. The Greek player will be seeking to win his second title of the season following his triumph at the Stockholm Open last month. Becoming the first player from his country to win a title on the men’s tour. He has been draw in the same group as Frances Tiafoe, Jaume Munar and Hubert Hurkacz. Out of the trio, Tiafoe is the only player to have won a ATP trophy in 2018. Meanwhile, Minaur and Hurkacz both claimed a duo of titles on the Challenger circuit.
Say hello 👋 to the amazing guys of Group A:
🇬🇷 @StefTsitsipas
🇺🇸 @FTiafoe
🇵🇱 Hubert Hurkacz
🇪🇸 @jamunar_38#NextGenATP pic.twitter.com/jB8ZfYF2vX— Next Gen ATP Finals (@nextgenfinals) 4 November 2018
Group B features second seed Alex de Minaur. The Australian has contested twe finals on the tour this season, but lost to Daniil Medvedev and Alexander Zverev. This year he has been nominated in two categories for the ATP World Tour Awards Presented by Moët & Chandon. Most Improved Player and Best Newcomer.
“Today, being 19 years old, he remains the same as before, nothing has changed,” said de Minaur’s coach Adolfo Gutiérrez. “Winning matches, having fame, people knowing him… But everything is still the same. He is very humble.”
Also in the second group is 2017 runner-up Andrey Rublev, Taylor Fritz and Italian underdog Liam Caruana. Caruana peaked at a high of 375th in the world rankings earlier this year. He booked his spot in the tournament after winning the play-off tournament, defeating the top seed Raul Brancaccio in the final.
Let’s make some noise 🙌 for the stunning guys of Group B:
🇦🇺 @alexdeminaur
🇺🇸 @Taylor_Fritz97
🇷🇺 @AndreyRublev97
🇮🇹 Liam Caruana pic.twitter.com/kFIbDMK2Wl— Next Gen ATP Finals (@nextgenfinals) 4 November 2018
The ATP Next Gen Finals will get underway on Tuesday. The opening match will be between Tsitsipas and Munar.
Tuesday’s order of play
14:00 CET
Tsitsipas v Munar
Fritz v Rublev
19:00 CET
Tiafoe v Hurkacz
De Minaur v Caruana
List of rules
- Shorter Format: First to Four games sets (Tie-Break at 3-All), Best-of-Five sets, with No-Ad scoring
- Shorter Warm-Up (Matches begin precisely four minutes from the second player walk-on)
- Shot Clock (for players to make sure they stay within the 25-second rule)
- No-Let Rule
- Medical Time-Outs (one per match)
- Player Coaching (Players and coaches will again be able to communicate at certain points in the match)
- Towel Rack (at the back of the court)
Groups
| Group A | Group B |
 Stefanos Tsitsipas |
 Alex de Minaur |
 Frances Tiafoe |
Taylor Fritz |
 Hubert Hurkacz |
 Andrey Rublev |
 Jaume Munar |
 Liam Caruana |
