Next Gen chief hails swift progress of foursome

Chief player officer Ross Hutchins says four former Next Gen stars have qualified for the 2019 ATP finals impressively. Daniil Medvedev, Alexander Zverev, Stefanos Tsitsipas and Matteo Berrettini have all competed in Milan since Next Gen’s inception, but they will make up half the field for the upcoming annual showpiece event in London. Tsitsipas won the ‘junior’ tournament last year and the 21-year-old is one of the rising stars to use it as a launching pad for further success on the ATP Tour. Zverev, the 2018 Nitto ATP Finals champion, never competed in Milan, but the 22-year-old German was a key part of the #NextGenATP campaign until this year and is returning to The O2 for the third consecutive year. Medvedev, 23, will be making his Nitto ATP Finals debut and finished in third place at the inaugural Next Gen ATP Finals in 2017. Berrettini lost in qualifying in Milan during the same year. But he thrust himself into Nitto ATP Finals qualifying contention late this season with semi-final runs at the US Open and the Rolex Shanghai Masters and captured the eighth and final qualification spot. “The way they’re moving up is so impressive. They’re accustomed to playing the big events, being a part of all the hype and promotion of the sport, which the Next Gen ATP Finals gave them,” said Hutchins, who also acts as Next Gen ATP Finals Tournament Director.