2025 Next Generation ATP Finals

The 2025 Next Generation ATP Finals presented by PIF is an elite professional men’s tennis tournament for the best singles players aged 20 and under on the ATP Tour calendar. The event serves as the season-ending championship for the top-performing young players, showcasing not only future stars but also introducing innovative rules designed to enhance the spectacle of the sport. The 2025 edition marks the eighth running of the tournament since its inception in 2017.

Tournament Details

Reigning Champion and Qualification Race

The reigning singles champion is Brazil’s João Fonseca, who claimed the title in 2024 by defeating Learner Tien in the final with a score of 2–4, 4–3^(10–8), 4–0, 4–2. Fonseca was the second-youngest champion in the tournament’s history and finished the event with an undefeated 5-0 record.

Eligible players for the 2025 tournament must be 20 years old or under at the end of the calendar year (i.e., born in 2005 or later). The top seven players in the PIF ATP Live Race To Jeddah qualify, along with one wildcard player.

As of November 1, 2025, the top players in the race are:

João Fonseca is eligible to defend his title in the 2025 event, unlike the 2023 champion, Hamad Medjedovic, who was ineligible to defend in 2024 due to turning 21.

Prize Money

While the official prize money for the 2025 Next Gen ATP Finals has not yet been announced, the event has historically offered significant financial incentives to its young participants. The total prize money for the most recent edition in 2024 was US$2,050,000.

For context, the 2024 prize money distribution was as follows:

• Participation Fee: $150,000
• Round-Robin Match Win: $36,660 (per match)
• Semi-Final Win: $113,500
• Final Win: $153,000
• Undefeated Champion: $526,480

The total prize money for an undefeated champion in 2024 (who would win 3 round-robin matches, a semi-final, and the final) was calculated as: ($150,000) + (3 x $36,660) + ($113,500) + ($153,000) = $526,480$.

Rules and Format Innovations

The Next Gen ATP Finals is renowned for being a testing ground for experimental rules and innovations, many of which have been adopted or refined for use on the main ATP Tour. The 2025 event will continue to feature a unique set of scoring and rule initiatives.

Scoring Format

• First-to-4, Best-of-5 Set Scoring: Each match is the best of 5 tie-break sets. Each set is played first-to-4 games.
  • If the score reaches 3-3 in games, a tie-break is played (first to 7 points with a margin of 2).
  • If the score reaches 4-4 in games, a final tie-break is played.
• No-Ad Scoring: Each game is played using the No-Ad scoring format. At a deuce score (40-40), the next point wins the game (called the deciding point), with the server choosing the service box from which to serve it.

Changeovers and Time Initiatives

• No Change of Ends After First Game: Players remain on the same side for the first two games of a set.
• Shortened Changeovers: Players change ends and sit down for 90 seconds after the first three games (at 3-0 or 2-1), again if the set score reaches 3-2, and at the end of the set. This is a reduction from the standard 120 seconds between sets.
• Warm-up: The on-court warm-up time is limited to 3 minutes.
• Serve Shot Clock: Up to 8 seconds is permitted between the first and second serve, enforced by a shot clock display.
• Reduced Time Between Points: The time between points is reduced from 25 seconds to 15 seconds if a rally contains fewer than three shots (i.e., a point of 1 or 2 shots). Standard 25 seconds applies to rallies of three or more shots.

Rules Initiatives

• “No Let” Rule: Play continues even if the served ball touches the net, provided it lands in the correct service box.
• Ball Change: New balls are introduced every 7 games.
• Umpire Chair: The umpire chair is positioned lower to reduce visual obstruction for spectators in the arena.

Fan and Player Innovations

• Free Fan Movement: Spectators are allowed free movement in the stadium, except for limited areas directly behind the baseline, during the first three games of the match and at the conclusion of any set.
• Wearables: Players are permitted to wear data-tracking wearable devices during matches, with summarised physical performance and stress response data being visualised and available for coaches and internal analysis.
• In-Match Analytics: The Tennis IQ match data platform provides real-time in-match analytics to coaches sitting courtside, while new insights are also visualised in the arena for fan consumption.

Tournament Format

The Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF operates with a round-robin format featuring eight singles players divided into two groups of four.

Group Stage (Round-Robin)

1. Grouping: The top-seeded player is placed in Group A, and the second-seeded player in Group B. Players seeded 3 and 4, 5 and 6, and 7 and 8 are drawn in pairs, with the first drawn player of each pair placed into Group A.
2. Matches: Each player plays the three other players in their group.

Semi-Finals and Tie-Breaker Procedure

The winner of each group (the best overall record) is placed into separate semi-final brackets, with the top player in Group A playing the runner-up in Group B, and vice versa.

The final standings of each group are determined by the first of the following tie-break methods that apply:

• a) Greatest number of wins.
• b) Greatest number of matches played (e.g., a 2-1 record beats a 2-0 record).
• c) Head-to-head results if only two (2) players are tied.
• d) If three (3) players are tied, the following criteria are used in order:
  1. If all three players have one (1) win, a player having played less than all three matches is eliminated. The winner of the match between the two remaining players (tied with 1-2 records) advances.
  2. Highest percentage of sets won.
  3. Highest percentage of games won.
  4. Player positions on the most recent PIF ATP Rankings.
  5. If one player is superior or inferior by criteria (i), (ii), (iii), or (iv), and the two remaining players are still tied, the tie between them is broken by their head-to-head record.

Past Champions

The Next Gen ATP Finals has featured several players who have gone on to achieve significant success at the highest level of the ATP Tour, including multiple Grand Slam champions and World No. 1s.