Following a competitive bid process, the ATP has announced that Milan, Italy, will host a new ATP tournament featuring the world’s top 21-and-Under singles players of the ATP World Tour season.
The event, named the Next Gen ATP Finals, will take place over five days at the Fiera Milano stadium from 7-11 November, 2017, and will remain in Milan for a five-year period, through 2021.
A season-long “Emirates ATP Race to Milan”, starting in January, will see the world’s best up-and-coming talents battle to qualify for the tournament. The Top 7 players in the race will qualify automatically, while the eighth spot will be reserved for a wild card.
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ATP Executive Chairman & President, Chris Kermode, said: “We’re delighted to bring this new world class event to Milan, Italy. The next generation of players coming through on the ATP World Tour is gathering huge momentum. This event will provide a platform for the stars of the future to showcase their talents on a global stage. We received significant interest from a number of cities worldwide, and we’re pleased to partner with the Italian Tennis Federation in Milan in this new venture.”
The tournament will trial a number of rule changes and innovations, to be announced in due course, with a view to ensuring continued growth in popularity of men’s professional tennis. “This event will also act as a launch pad for tennis innovation as we bid to make our sport more attractive to the changing consumer habits of the next generation of fans,” said Kermode.
Angelo Binaghi, President of the Italian Tennis Federation, said: “We are proud that the ATP has made the decision to bring such an important and new event to Italy and to Milan. To host the stars who are already shining brightly today and will be the leaders of the circuit in the future perfectly reflects the philosophy of our federation which is to approach the young talents who will be the main actors of the Tour in the near future. With its choice, the ATP has shown its long-term vision: to promote the Next Generation is to ensure the continued success of tennis in years ahead.”
The event will award US$ 1.25 million in prize money, and will follow a similar format to the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, with a round robin group stage followed by knock-out semi-finals and a final. While Emirates ATP Ranking points will serve as the criteria for entry, the tournament itself will not carry points.
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