Even as the ATP Finals Race heats up, Holger Rune claimed he is not worried about Alexander Zverev closing in on him. At a press conference ahead of the China Open, he said he is not under pressure about his qualification for the final. Instead, Rune commended Zverev for his great performances after returning from injury.
The top 8 singles players in the ATP Finals Race, with the top 8 doubles pairs, qualify for the Finals. Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, and Daniil Medvedev have already qualified for the season-ending tournament. With five spots up for grabs, Zverev and Rune are tussling for two of those. Their battle is even more significant since they are ranked seventh and eighth, respectively, in the ATP Finals Race.
Not thinking about Alexander Zverev and other players, says Holger Rune
Rune arrived in Beijing to play in his maiden China Open. Coming off a shock first-round exit at the 2023 US Open, he will look to make amends in the Asian swing. Before the ATP 500 event, he was asked about his position in the ATP Finals Race in a press conference. Zverev continued his good comeback run and won the ATP 250 Chengdu Open, jumping ahead of Rune on the list. The Dane congratulated the German and said he’s happy for his form.
“Good for Zverev. Congrats to him. He’s been doing very well, coming back from a tough injury. I’m happy that he’s doing well.”
Rune then addressed the question. He said there are still many points at stake and many players in the running for the remaining slots. He touched upon the points up for grabs and said the ATP Finals Race is wide open. Rune stated that he will focus on his performance rather than what others are doing.
“But yeah, I mean, there’s still many tournaments with a lot of points included to end the season. I think I saw like even from, like, 17 or 16 in the Race still open for anybody to make it.
There is 500 points here, 1,000 next week, then 250, 500, 1,000. There is plenty of points, so I’m going to try to focus on what I do instead of what everybody else is doing.”
The ATP Finals Race will see major movements in the Asian swing. Most players in contention will participate at the China Open and the Shanghai Masters later on. As mentioned by Rune, there are a handful of names competing for the remaining positions.
What is going on in the ATP Finals Race?
The ATP Finals is scheduled for November 12-19 in Turin, Italy. The top 3 have locked in their places for the season-end competition. Djokovic, with a massive lead, is followed by Alcaraz and Medvedev at the top of the race rankings. Jannik Sinner is fourth, with a sizeable lead over Andrey Rublev and Stefanos Tsitsipas in fifth and sixth, respectively.
Finally, Zverev and Rune wind up the top 8. However, the likes of Taylor Fritz and Casper Ruud are close on their heels. With two ATP Masters and three ATP 500 tournaments yet to come after the China Open, the ATP Finals Race is sure to see more than a few ups and downs.
Rune has his hands full if he wants to make it to the Finals in Turin. He will have to defend 1000 points at the Paris Masters, having won it last year. Similarly, he will have 250 points to defend at the Stockholm Open. The World No.4 will need to be on his toes if he is to hold off Zverev and other competitors and make it to the ATP Finals.
