The 2014 ATP World Tour Finals (also known as the 2014 Barclays ATP World Tour Finals for sponsorship reasons) was a men's tennis tournament played at the O2 Arena in London, United Kingdom, between 9 and 16 November 2014. It was the season-ending event for the best singles players and doubles teams on the 2014 ATP World Tour. The Bryan Brothers won the title at the doubles tournament, while Novak Djokovic successfully defended his single title for the second time after Roger Federer withdrew from the final, the first walkover in a final in the tournament's 45-year history.[1]
The 2014 ATP World Tour Finals took place from 9 to 16 November at the O2 Arena in London, United Kingdom. It was the 45th edition of the tournament (40th in doubles). The tournament was run by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) and was part of the 2014 ATP World Tour. The event took place on indoor hard courts. It served as the season-ending championships for players on the ATP Tour.
The eight players who qualified for the event were split into two groups of four. During this stage, players competed in a round-robin format (meaning players played against all the other players in their group).
The two players with the best results in each group progressed to the semifinals, where the winners of a group faced the runners-up of the other group. This stage, however, was a knock-out stage. The doubles competition used the same format.[2]
Format
The ATP World Tour Finals had a round-robin format, with eight players/teams divided into two groups of four. The eight seeds were determined by the ATP rankings and ATP Doubles Team Rankings on the Monday after the last ATP World Tour tournament of the calendar year. All singles matches were best of three tie-break sets, including the final. All doubles matches were two sets (no ad) and a Match Tie-break.[3]
Points and prize money
Stage
Singles
Doubles1
Points
Champion
RR + $1,455,000
RR + $226,000
RR + 900
Runner-up
RR + $475,000
RR + $76,000
RR + 400
Round robin win per match
$155,000
$30,000
200
Participation fee
$155,000
$76,000
—
Alternates
$85,000
$30,000
—
RR is points or prize money won in the round robin stage.
1 Prize money for doubles is per team.
Qualification
The top eight players (or teams) with the most countable points accumulated in Grand Slam, ATP World Tour, and Davis Cup tournaments during the year qualify for the 2014 ATP World Tour Finals. Countable points include points earned in 2014, plus points earned at the 2013 Davis Cup final and the late-season 2013 Challengers played after the 2013 ATP World Tour Finals.
To qualify, a player who finished in the 2013 year-end top 30 must compete in four Grand Slam tournaments and eight ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournaments during 2014. They can count their best six results from ATP World Tour 500, ATP World Tour 250 and other events (Challengers, Futures, Davis Cup, Olympics) toward their ranking. To count their best six, players must have fulfilled their commitment to 500 events – four total per year (at least one after the US Open).
Additionally, commitment players will no longer need to enter the 500 events 12 weeks in advance but instead go back the normal six-week entry deadline. If eligible to play in one of the Grand Slam or ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournaments, a player must count the points from these tournaments, even if it is 'a zero pointer' because he missed the event. If a player does not play enough ATP 500 events and does not have an ATP 250 or Challenger appearance with a better result, the Davis Cup is counted in the 500s table (if the player entered or achieved better results). If a player does not play enough ATP 250 or Challenger events, the World Team Championship is counted in the 250s table (if the player entered or achieved better results). If a player could not be present in all required tournament classes (i.e. because of an injury), all uncounted ATP 250 or Challenger results are eligible to be included in his 18 valid tournaments. In teams rankings, Challenger points are excluded.
The 2014 ATP World Tour Finals counts as an additional 19th tournament in the ranking of its eight qualifiers at season's end, while the 2014 Davis Cup Final points count towards the next year's race.[4]
If a player (or team) wins one of the four Grand Slams during the year but finishes outside the top eight (and within the top 20) in the year-end rankings, they will qualify ahead of the player (or team) ranked eighth. If two players (or teams) are in this situation, the lower-ranked will be given the first alternate position ahead of the player (or team) ranked eighth.[5]
Novak Djokovic began the year by failing to defend his title at the Australian Open, losing to the eventual champion, Stanislas Wawrinka in a five-set upset, thus ending his 25-match winning streak at the event and his streak of 14 consecutive semi-final appearances at the grand slams.[8] He recovered from the loss by winning back-to-back Masters 1000 titles at the BNP Paribas Open and Sony Open Tennis for the second time in his career, defeating Roger Federer[9] and Rafael Nadal[10] respectively. During the clay court season, Djokovic won the Internazionali BNL d'Italia for the third time, defeating Nadal in three sets before reaching his second French Open final, but once again lost in four sets.[11] The following month, he ended his Grand Slam title drought by defeating Federer in a five-set final at Wimbledon Championships to claim his second title at the event and his seventh Slam singles title overall.[12] He also returned to world no. 1 in the ATP rankings as a result of the victory.[13] Djokovic did not enjoy a successful US Open Series however, as he lost in the third round in both Canada and Cincinnati, marking the first time since 2009 where Djokovic has failed to reach the quarterfinals of consecutive Masters events. At the US Open, he was upset by Japan's Kei Nishikori in the semi-finals. Although he rebounded by winning his fifth title of the year at the China Open, his 28-match winning streak in China was snapped by Federer at the Shanghai Rolex Masters. However, the Serbian recovered by defending his title at the BNP Paribas Masters defeating Canadian Milos Raonic in the final. Djokovic is set to make his eighth consecutive appearance at this year's year-end championships.
Rafael Nadal won his 14th Slam singles title at 2014 French Open
On 14 July, Rafael Nadal became the second player to qualify for the event.[7]
Rafael Nadal began the season at the Qatar Open, where he won the title after defeating Gaël Monfils in the final.[14] At the Australian Open, he reached his 19th Grand Slam final. Nadal lost the final in four sets to Stanislas Wawrinka, against whom he entered the match with a 12–0 record. Next, Nadal won the title at the Rio Open after defeating Alexandr Dolgopolov in the final, extending his record of ATP 500 titles to 15. Nadal reached the final of the Sony Open Tennis before falling to Novak Djokovic in straight sets. Nadal won the Mutua Madrid Open, after Kei Nishikori retired in the third set. Nadal then reached the final of the Internazionali BNL d'Italia losing to world no. 2 Novak Djokovic. At the French Open, Nadal defeated Novak Djokovic in four sets to win his ninth French Open title and a fifth straight win at Roland Garros. Nadal equaled Pete Sampras' total of 14 Grand Slam wins, the second highest number of single Grand Slam titles after Roger Federer. Nadal then entered the Wimbledon Championships in a bid to win the tournament for the third time and to win his 15th Grand Slam title overall, but he lost in the fourth round to the Australian teenager Nick Kyrgios (ranked no. 143), marking the third consecutive time he has failed to reach the quarterfinals of the said slam.[15] Nadal then skipped the entire US Open Series due to a right wrist injury. He came back in the Asian swing and Swiss Indoors Basel but didn't have much success falling before the semifinals in the events he entered. Nadal then withdrew from the BNP Paribas Masters. Nadal has qualified for the tenth consecutive time for the event, however on 24 October, he pulled out of the tournament, stating that he will undergo appendix surgery in November.[16]
Federer had a resurgent 2014 season
On 18 August, Roger Federer qualified for a record 13th straight year after clinching his 80th career title at the Cincinnati Masters.[17]
Roger Federer opened his season at the Brisbane event, losing the final to Lleyton Hewitt. At the Australian Open, Federer lost to Rafael Nadal in the semifinals. He won the title in Dubai. Next, Federer reached the final at the Indian Wells Masters, losing to Novak Djokovic in three sets. In Miami, he reached the quarterfinals before losing to Kei Nishikori. Federer began his clay season with a wildcard entry into the Monte-Carlo Masters, where he lost the final to his compatriot Stan Wawrinka. At the French Open, Federer was upset in the fourth round by Ernest Gulbis. Federer began his grass season in Gerry Weber Open, winning a record seventh title, this time over Alejandro Falla. Roger Federer reached his 25th Slam final at Wimbledon, his first slam final since winning the same event in 2012, however he was defeated by Novak Djokovic in a five-set epic match. On the US Open Series, Federer reached another final in the Rogers Cup losing to Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. He won his 80th career title the following week at the Western & Southern Open defeating David Ferrer in three sets, his first Masters title, since the same event in 2012. At the US Open, Federer reached the semifinals before losing to eventual champion Marin Čilić. During the Asian swing of tournaments, Federer won his first Shanghai Masters title, defeating two-time defending champion Novak Djokovic in the semifinals before beating Gilles Simon in the final for his second Masters 1000 title of the season. Federer then won his fifth title of the year at his home tournament Swiss Indoors Basel defeating David Goffin in straight sets. Federer has qualified for the thirteenth consecutive year for the Tour Finals, an all-time record.
Stan Wawrinka had his best ever start to an ATP World tour season, winning the Aircel Chennai Open defeating Édouard Roger-Vasselin in straight sets in the final before going on to clinch his maiden Grand Slam trophy at the Australian Open, defeating Djokovic in a 5-set thriller in the quarterfinals, followed by a win over Nadal in the final. His 13-match winning streak was eventually ended in the fourth round of Indian Wells, losing to Kevin Anderson in three sets. After helping Switzerland to the Davis Cup semifinals, Wawrinka won his first ever Masters 1000 title, defeating countryman Roger Federer in the final of the Monte-Carlo Masters. Following this win, he suffered a dip in form, only winning one of his next four matches, including a first round loss to Guillermo García López at the French Open. He had his best ever grass court season, making the semifinals of the Queen's Club championships before reaching his first ever Wimbledon quarterfinal, losing to eventual finalist Federer in four sets. Wawrinka reached the quarterfinals at the US Open, losing to eventual finalist Kei Nishikori in five sets. He and countryman Federer then combined to reach the Davis Cup final for only the second time in the country's history, Wawrinka winning his singles and the doubles rubbers. However, Wawrinka suffered a three match losing streak, losing his first matches at the Asian swing and Swiss Indoors Basel, he snapped the losing streak at the BNP Paribas Masters defeating Dominic Thiem but lost in the next round. This is the second time Wawrinka has qualified for the ATP World Tour Finals, having made his maiden appearance in 2013.
On 18 October, Marin Čilić became the fifth player to qualify.[19]
Marin Čilić had a difficult start to the year, having had to serve a suspension at the back end of 2013, losing early in the event he entered in Australia, including a second round loss at the Australian Open to Gilles Simon in five sets. Čilić won his first title of the year, defending his title at the Zagreb Indoors against Tommy Haas, followed by recording victories over Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Andy Murray to reach the final in ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament, where he ultimately lost to Tomáš Berdych. He reached his third final in as many weeks in Delray Beach, defeating Kevin Anderson in the final to win the 11th Tour title of his career. Čilić made the third round at the French Open, losing to eventual runner-up Novak Djokovic in four sets. After a first round loss at Aegon Championships, Čilić rebounded to make his first Grand Slam quarterfinal since 2012 at Wimbledon, and despite taking a two sets to one lead against Djokovic, he ultimately lost to the eventual champion in five. After consecutive third round losses in Rogers Cup and Western & Southern Open, Čilić went on to win his maiden Grand Slam title, defeating Kei Nishikori in the final in straight sets to win the 2014 US Open men's singles title. This launched him into the top 10 for the first time since 2010, achieving a career high ranking of world number 8 in October following the Shanghai Rolex Masters. Čilić won his fourth title of the year at the Kremlin Cup defeating Roberto Bautista Agut. This is the first time Čilić has ever qualified for the season finale.
Andy Murray reached the semifinal of the French Open for the 2nd time
Andy Murray began the year in Qatar ExxonMobil Open, in his first tournament since returning from back surgery at the end of the previous season losing to Florian Mayer in the second round. At the Australian Open, Murray reached the quarterfinals where he faced Roger Federer, losing in four sets. He then lead Great Britain to the quarterfinals of the Davis Cup, the first since 1935 for a Great Britain team. At the Italian Open, Murray faced Rafael Nadal in the quarterfinals, the first meeting between the two since 2011. Murray took the first set for the loss of one game, however went on to lose in three tight sets. Murray made it to the semifinals at the French Open, matching his best result from 2011. He again faced Nadal, but lost in straight sets. Murray was unsuccessful in his defence of his Wimbledon title, losing in the quarterfinals against Grigor Dimitrov, his first loss prior to the semifinals in the said event since 2008. He lost in the quarterfinals in Rogers Cup, Western & Southern Open and the US Open, however managed to find form during the Asian swing, winning his first title of the year at the ATP Shenzhen Open defeating Tommy Robredo after saving five match points. Murray then took wildcards into tournaments in back-to-back Erste Bank Open and Valencia Open 500, defeating Ferrer and Tommy Robredo respectively in the finals to win both titles. Murray once again saved five match points in his match against Robredo. This is the 7th straight season Murray has qualified for the year-end championships, set to make his 6th appearance after missing 2013 due to injury.
Tomáš Berdych opened his season in Doha, where he lost his opening match against Ivo Karlović in straight sets, however he rebounded well at the Australian Open, reaching only his fourth Grand Slam semifinal and first in Melbourne, which also meant he has reached the semifinal of each slam at least once. He lost to eventual champion Stan Wawrinka in four sets. At the BN AMRO World Tennis Tournament, Berdych ended a run of 16 months without a title, defeating Marin Čilić in the final. He then reached his second final in three weeks in Dubai, defeating Novak Djokovic en route to the final, where he lost to Roger Federer in three sets, his performance in the first two months of the season earned him a career high ranking of number 5 in the world. Berdych reached the semifinals in Sony Open Tennis, however withdrew before his match with Rafael Nadal, citing gastroenteritis. He reached his third final of the year at the Portugal Open losing to Carlos Berlocq, despite winning the first set in a bagel. At the French Open, he made it to the quarterfinals before losing to Ernest Gulbis in straight sets. He lost to Čilić at the third round of the Wimbledon Championships. Despite failing to win back-to-back matches in events he entered at the Series, the Czech was able to reachthe quarterfinals of the US Open, losing to eventual champion Čilić in straight sets, his second straight loss to the Croatian at a Grand Slam tournament. He lost both his singles and doubles rubbers in the Davis Cup semifinals, ending the Czech Republic's 10-tie winning streak. Berdych reached his fourth final of the year in China Open, his third of the year at ATP 500 level, however he was dominated by Djokovic in the final, winning just two games. After losing in the quarterfinals in Shanghai, Berdych won his second title of the year, beating defending champion Dimitrov to the Stockholm Open title in three sets. He sealed his place in London by reaching the semifinals in Paris, where he was defeated by Milos Raonic. This is the 5th straight year Berdych has qualified for the ATP World Tour Finals.
Kei Nishikori reaches his maiden slam final at the US Open.
Kei Nishikori began the year in Brisbane, where he reached the semifinals before losing to eventual champion Lleyton Hewitt. At the 2014 Australian Open, he reached the fourth round for the third year in a row before losing to Rafael Nadal in straight sets. He won his first title of the year and first in two years at the U.S. National Indoor Tennis Championships, defeating Ivo Karlović in the final in straight sets. He reached the semifinals of the Sony Open Tennis, withdrawing before his match with Novak Djokovic due to a groin injury. Nishikori won his second title of the year in Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell, defeating Santiago Giraldo in the final in straight sets. He made it to his first ever Masters 1000 final in Mutua Madrid Open, where he faced defending champion Nadal, winning the first set for the loss of two games before retiring in the third round with a back injury. His run in Madrid launched him to a career high ranking of 9th in the world. He returned at the French Open, however lost his opening match against Martin Kližan. At Wimbledon, he made it once again to the fourth round where he lost to Milos Raonic. A foot injury caused him to withdraw from both Toronto and Cincinnati, however he had his best run at a Grand Slam event at the US Open defeating Djokovic in the semifinals to reach his first ever Major final, where ultimately he lost in straight sets to Marin Čilić. In the Asian swing, Nishikori won back-to-back titles at the Malaysian Open and his home tournament in Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships, defeating Julien Benneteau and Raonic respectively. At the Paris Masters, he reached the semifinals to cement his place at the World Tour Finals, where he is set to make his debut appearance.
Milos Raonic qualifies for the first time
Milos Raonic had a breakthrough season. He made it to the third round at the Australian Open, losing to Grigor Dimitrov. He exited at the quarterfinals at the BNP Paribas Open, the Sony Open Tennis, and the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters. Raonic made it to his first semifinal of the year, losing a tight three set battle against Novak Djokovic in Internazionali BNL d'Italia. At the French Open, he reached his first ever Grand Slam quarterfinal, where he lost to eventual finalist Djokovic. Raonic went on to reach his first Major semifinal at Wimbledon Championships, where he lost to Roger Federer in straight sets. He won his first title of the year in Washington, defeating fellow Canadian Vasek Pospisil in the final for the loss of just 5 games. He then lost to Feliciano López in the quarterfinals and Federer in the semifinals in Rogers Cup and Cincinnati respectively. At the US Open, Raonic reached the fourth round for the third year in a row, losing to eventual finalist Nishikori in a tight 5-set match that lasted over 4 hours. He reached his second final of the year in Rakuten Japan Open Tennis Championships; however, for the third year in a row he finished as runner-up, losing to Nishikori once again in three sets. He sealed his place at the season finale by reaching the final of the Paris Masters, where he lost to Djokovic in straight sets. This is the first time Raonic qualified for the year-end championships.
On 8 October, Alexander Peya and Bruno Soares became the third team to qualify. This was their second year in the finals in a row, having reached the semifinals the previous year.[22]
Julien Benneteau and Édouard Roger-Vasselin began a new partnership at the start of 2014. They had good results, but failed to win a title until the Open 13, defeating Hanley and Marray in a match tie-break. They made their breakthrough at the French Open, when they defeated Granollers and López in the final, winning their first Grand Slam and becoming the first French team to win at Roland Garros since 1984. The pair also reached the final of the Shanghai Rolex Masters, losing to Bob and Mike Bryan. Bennneteau also reached the final of the China Open with Vasek Pospisil, losing to Rojer and Tecău. This was their maiden appearance in the season finale.
Łukasz Kubot and Robert Lindstedt won only a single title during the year. They won the Australian Open, defeating Butorac and Klaasen. This was their first Grand Slam title as a pair and as individuals. They also reached the quarterfinals of the French Open, losing to Golubev and Groth. It was the third time Lindstedt had qualified Kubot's third appearance at the season finale. They qualified as the highest ranked Grand Slam champions between 8th and 20th position.[24]
Marcel Granollers and Marc López teamed up for the fourth year in a row. The Spanish duo won only one title in the year, the Copa Claro, defeating Cuevas and Zeballos. However, they reached two Grand Slam finals in the year, the first at the French Open, losing to Benneteau and Roger-Vasselin and the US Open losing to Bob and Mike Bryan. This was their third appearance at the tour finals, having won the event on their debut in 2012.
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