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The 2018 edition of the Nitto ATP Finals is all set to take place next week at the O2 Arena in London. The ATP Finals is the most prominent tennis tournament in terms of prize money and viewership after the 4 Grand Slams.
The first edition of the tournament took place in 1970 when it was known as 'The Masters Grand Prix' and was organized by the International Lawn Tennis Federation (ILTF). No ranking points were awarded until 1990 when the organizing and scheduling rights to Men's tour events were bagged by the ATP.
The tournament consists of 8 players divided into 2 groups who play in a round-robin format before the knockout rounds. The top 7 ranked players automatically qualify. It is to be noted that the 8th ranked player is not guaranteed a slot in the draw.
If a player ranked between 9 and 20, after the completion of the last ATP tournament prior to the ATP Finals, has won a Grand Slam in the same year, then he automatically qualifies for the tournament superseding the 8th ranked player. The champion of the 2018 edition will walk away with a cool $2,712,000 in prize money and 1500 ranking points.
We take a look at 5 players who have won the most ATP Finals trophies:
#5 Ilie Nastase
Romanian Ilie Nastase was the first player to be ranked Number 1 when the ATP rankings were announced for the first time in 1973. An accomplished player in both Singles and Doubles, Nastase was a prominent player in the 1970s and was the first player from Romania to win a Grand Slam and rise to the top of the ATP rankings.
He was the first player to win the French Open without dropping a set. With over a 100 titles in Singles and Doubles combined, Nastase was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1991.
Nastase won the season-ending ATP title 4 times in 1971, 1972, 1973 and 1975.
#4 Pete Sampras
For many years, Pete Sampras held the record for the most Grand Slam Singles titles with 14. The American nicknamed 'Pistol Pete' for his quick serves was an expert in the old-fashioned serve-and-volley style of play making him one of the finest grass court players of all-time.
He holds the record for finishing as the Year-end World 1 on 6 consecutive occasions from 1993 to 1998. Sampras won the ATP Finals 5 times in 1991, 1994, 1996, 1997 and 1999 beating fellow winners and legends like Boris Becker and Andre Agassi multiple times in finals.
#3 Novak Djokovic
One of two active players in the list, Serbian Novak Djokovic looks to be in top gear since the start of Wimbledon rising to the top of the ATP rankings, and will start as the favorite at the ATP Finals beginning next week.
Fresh after equaling Pete Sampras' Grand Slam tally of 14, Djokovic will look to avenge his Paris Masters final defeat as he seeks to become the player with the most ATP Finals trophies. The only man in history to hold all 4 Grand Slam titles across 3 different surfaces at the same time, Djokovic is also the only player in the ATP's history to have won all 9 Masters 1000 trophies.
Djokovic won his first ATP Finals trophy in 2008, the same year he grabbed his first Grand Slam title. After that, he won 4 consecutive titles in 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015 making him the only man in the tournament's history to have won 4 in a row. In all, Djokovic has 5 titles till date.
#2 Ivan Lendl
Ivan Lendl is the only man in the list to have enjoyed stupendous success as a player and later as a coach. With 94 Singles titles, he is third in the all-time list of players with the most ATP titles only behind Roger Federer and Jimmy Connors.
Lendl won 8 Grand Slam Singles titles and also was coach of Andy Murray when he became the Number 1 ranked player. Lendl will look to guide Alexander Zverev to victory next week. Lendl like Sampras and Djokovic has won the ATP Finals 5 times.
#1 Roger Federer
Ageless wonder Roger Federer played his first ATP Finals tournament way back in 2003. Fast forward 15 years and he is still one of the favorites to win the tournament. Federer is searching for his 100th ATP title which will make him only the second man to achieve the feat after Jimmy Connors.
The most popular player in the world, Federer at 37 still has found a way to manage his workload and remain a force to reckon with in the big tournaments. Federer has won the tournament a record 6 times and was runner-up on 4 occasions making him the only player to have featured in 10 finals at the season-ending showpiece event.
If Federer wins this year, he will create another unique record of the longest wait in terms of years between the first trophy and latest trophy won at the prestigious tournament. Federer has won the ATP Finals tournament in 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2010 and 2011. He will look to finish the season on a high with another title just like how he started it - winning the Hopman Cup and the Australian Open
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