Major ATP Finals rule change confirmed as tournaments rocked by withdrawals

The qualification rules for the ATP Finals are set to change in 2026, with players now having less time to secure their place at the year-end championships. This year, the race will go down to the wire, with players able to compete in next week's ATP 250 events in Metz and Athens to earn extra ranking points for the race to Turin.

Those who are still in contention for the ATP Finals often enter the smaller tournaments to fight for a place. But once they are eliminated from the race, they often withdraw from the events.

The men's tour is now trying to prevent late withdrawals and has brought forward the deadline to qualify for the season-ending Finals. From next season, the cut-off will now come at the end of the Paris Masters.

The ATP's Simon Higson confirmed the change in a post on X (formerly known as Twitter).

"Reminder of an update coming into play from 2026: points in the week following Paris will only count towards the Race for the following year. So the Race for qualification will finish in Paris," he tweeted.

Asked why the qualification cut-off was moving forward, he replied: "Combination of reasons...

"Some entry/withdrawal issues in recent years in the week after Paris, the change will provide a 'cleaner' finish line in Paris for fans and players, and also allows all qualified players to arrive and prepare in Turin in the same manner."

The withdrawal issues have already cropped up this year. Daniil Medvedev took a wildcard into next week's Moselle Open in Metz and was placed in the bottom half of the draw as the No. 2 seed, receiving a bye into the second round.

However, when he lost in the Paris Masters quarter-final, and ultimately was eliminated from the race to the ATP Finals, he travelled to Metz and withdrew citing an injury.

"Following his impressive run at the Rolex Paris Masters, Daniil Medvedev unfortunately showed up today at the Arenes de Metz to have a diagnosis made of an injury sustained during his match against Alexander Zverev last night," the tournament tweeted.

The ATP 250 tournaments in Metz and Athens could well face further withdrawals in the coming days. Felix Auger-Aliassime and Lorenzo Musetti are currently fighting for the eighth and final place in the ATP Finals.

Musetti took a late entry into Athens to fight for his spot, while Auger-Aliassime is set to compete in Metz. But Auger-Aliassime can qualify for the year-end championships by winning the Paris Masters on Sunday.

Should he qualify, he'd likely withdraw from the Moselle Open to give himself more time to rest before heading to Turin. Musetti may also pull out of the Hellenic Championship in Athens if it becomes mathematically impossible for him to qualify.

The eight players who have earned the most ranking points in a single season are granted a place at the ATP Finals. So far this year, Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev, Taylor Fritz, Ben Shelton, and Alex de Minaur have already qualified.