The NextGen ATP Finals is a professional tennis tournament for players under the age of 20. It began in 2017 wherein the age limit for the players were 21. This criteria remained till 2023. While the ATP organizes this event, it does not offer ranking points to the players.
The tournament features a singles event wherein the top seven players that satisfy the age criteria and who have raked up the maximum ranking points in the season face each other. One additional spot is reserved for a wildcard entrant.
The players are divided into two groups of four players each. Each player faces the other in a single round-robin format. The top two players in each group qualify for the semifinals. If two players have the same number of wins, then the number of set wins followed by the number of games won are considered.
The tournament follows a different scoring format compared to the rest of the tour. On a singles-only court, five sets are played. A set is won when a player wins four games with a difference of two. At a set score of three games apiece, a tiebreak is played. If the game score reaches deuce, then the next point is the deciding point.
If a rally lasts less than three shots, then only 15 seconds are given to the server to start the next point. In a longer rally, 25 seconds are given. Players are allowed only one medical timeout in a match and coaches can communicate with players through headsets.
Alex de Minaur is the only player to reach the final of the tournament twice but did not win the event on either occasion. Among the former winners of the tournament, Daniel Medvedev, Jannik Sinner, and Carlos Alcaraz have gone on to win multiple slams and have also reached the summit of the ATP rankings. Alexander Zverev is the only former champion to have won an Olympic gold.
As of 2023, the champion of the NextGen ATP Finals earns $153,000 for a win in the final. If the player remains undefeated, then they are rewarded with $514,000.
