Nitto ATP Finals starts Sunday in Turin with Zverev and Shelton
The Nitto ATP Finals begins on Sunday, 15 November 2026, at the Inalpi Arena in Turin, Italy, with world No. 1 Alexander Zverev among the main names on the opening day. The tournament runs until 22 November.
Zverev, from Germany, plays Rafael Jodar, who is making his debut at the event, in the afternoon. Ben Shelton closes the night session against Arthur Fils. Zverev is competing at the Finals for the ninth time.
Zverev opens against Jodar, Shelton closes the Nitto ATP Finals night
Zverev has risen to the top of the ATP ranking and enters the tournament as its current leader. The Finals, held in Turin, bring together the best players of the season, and Sunday’s line-up gives the first crowd two of the most watched names on the circuit.
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Since the ATP ranking was created in 1973, 30 players have reached the No. 1 position. Zverev is one of the names on that list now, and his place at the top is the reason he is one of the central figures of this year’s event in Italy.
Zverev becomes new world No. 1 before his ninth Finals
The ATP No. 1 Club held its gala at the Inalpi Arena on Friday night, the day before the tournament starts. The event brought together 12 former and current No. 1 players, and Jannik Sinner attended it.
Keep reading: Jannik Sinner surpasses Alexander Zverev and wins the 2026 Wimbledon trophy in London
The ATP No. 1 Club was launched in Turin two years ago and celebrates all the players who have reached the top of the ATP ranking. The gala on Friday night, 13 November 2026, placed 12 former and current No. 1 players in the same venue as the Finals, which begin two days later. The gathering was held in the city where the Finals take place, and it is the reason the club’s event appears in this report as background to the tournament.
Sinner will not play the Finals this year, so he will not defend the titles he won in 2024 and 2025. Zverev and Daniil Medvedev are the two former champions of the Finals on the court in Turin. Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz and Medvedev are the three members of the No. 1 Club currently in the field.
Sinner’s absence from the Finals has been reported with different explanations. The French publication We Love Tennis attributed his absence to a knee injury, while Tennisuptodate said he cannot play this year’s Finals but did not give a reason. The sources do not agree on the cause, so this report does not confirm either version. Sinner, a member of the No. 1 Club, nonetheless took part in the Turin gala on Friday night.
Sinner misses the Nitto ATP Finals but attends the Turin gala
Shelton and Frances Tiafoe are seeking to become the first American champion of the Finals since Pete Sampras, in 1999. Shelton is in the opening night session and will face Fils in the last match of Sunday.
- Opening day: Zverev vs Rafael Jodar, in the afternoon
- Opening day: Ben Shelton vs Arthur Fils, last match of the night
- Draw: held on Thursday, 12 November 2026, before the pre-tournament press conference
- Venue: Inalpi Arena, Turin, Piedmont, Italy
- Zverev’s appearances at the Finals: 9
- Players who reached world No. 1 since 1973: 30
- ATP chairman: Andrea Gaudenzi
Nitto ATP Finals: exact match times for Sunday not confirmed
The exact start times of Sunday’s matches and the full order of play have not been confirmed. The sources consulted only confirm that Zverev and Jodar play in the afternoon and that Shelton and Fils close the night.
No match results are available yet, because the tournament starts on Sunday, 15 November.
