Why It’s Harder Than Ever To Qualify For Milan

The numbers don’t lie. The depth at this year’s Next Gen ATP Finals, which starts Tuesday at the Allianz Cloud in Milan, is better than ever.

There are 13 #NextGenATP stars currently inside the Top 100 of the ATP Rankings, compared to 10 in 2017 and 2018. Three of them (Tsitsipas, De Minaur, Auger-Aliassime) are inside the Top 20, compared to two last year and one in 2017.

Top 100 #NextGenATP Players

But it’s not just the quantity of players that is making it difficult to qualify. The ATP Race to Milan, which determines who qualifies for Milan, shows that the number of ATP Rankings points required to make the cut is higher than ever.

South Korean Hyeon Chung (2017) and Serbian Miomir Kecmanovic (2019) were both seventh in the Race for their respective years competing in Milan. But Chung, who finished seventh in the 2017 Race with 805 points, would have been tenth in this year’s Race. Meanwhile, Kecmanovic’s current tally of 975 points would have put him at fourth in the 2017 Race.

Seventh In ATP Race to Milan

The difference still holds further down in the standings. Spaniard Alejandro Davidovich Fokina, 11th in the Race (653), is the last direct entrant into this year’s event. He also holds more points than the players in his position for the previous two years.

11th In ATP Race to Milan

After weathering the toughest cut yet with their outstanding results, this year’s competitors will be in prime form as they to look to finish the season with a title in Milan.