中华时报英国讯(朱力安 赵雪湄)2020年ATP年终总决赛将于今天(11月15日)至22日,在伦敦地标性建筑O2体育场举行,今年适逢这项赛事举办第50周年。
由于新冠疫情肆虐,英国第二次封锁令颁布期间,今年的大赛闭门空场进行,现场没有观众。
今年参赛的八强男单选手有:德约科维奇、纳达尔、蒂姆、梅德韦杰夫、小兹维列夫、西西帕斯、施瓦茨曼和卢布列夫。其中后两人首次亮相O2体育场年终总决赛。
1970年首届大赛在东京举行,而今年是在伦敦开赛,因此为纪念赛事举办50周年,组织方别出心裁地将2个小组的名字命名为:“东京1970组”和“伦敦2020组“。东京组由德约科维奇、梅德韦杰夫、小兹维列夫、施瓦茨曼组成;而纳达尔、蒂姆、西西帕斯和卢布列夫分在了伦敦组。
费德勒的缺席使得巨头只剩小德和纳达尔,而小德提前锁定年终第一,也令比赛少了些悬念。但今年在没有现场观众,后生倍出,五十周年的大背景下,比赛依然看点层出:德约科维奇希望夺冠追平费德勒总决赛6冠纪录。纳达尔连续第16年去的总决赛参赛资格,已经创下历史纪录,若本次夺冠他将成为这项赛事最年老冠军。去年的决赛中,;蒂姆击败德约与纳达尔两大巨头挺进决赛,今年还能再续前缘吗,更何况他还是今年的美网冠军。梅德韦杰夫上周刚刚获得巴黎大师赛冠军,势头正盛。小兹维列夫是2018年的总决赛冠军得主;而西西帕斯则是去年的卫冕冠军,二位小将有得一拼,还直接挑战着尔达巨头的地位。卢布列夫首次参赛,但他在ATP巡回赛上的突出表现以及今年度的优秀成绩单,都暗暗预示,这个97新人不能小觑。最后一位入围总决赛资格的选手施瓦泽曼是继2013年同胞胡安.德尔波特罗之后,第二个打进总决赛的南美人,别名”小钢炮“”矮脚虎“的他,有一股坚韧不拔的韧劲儿,蓄势待发。
今天的首场比赛再过一会儿,即将在蒂姆与西西帕斯间展开;伦敦时间晚上不早于八点,纳达尔与卢布列夫进行另一场厮杀角逐。老将新秀轮番登场,鹿死谁手,拭目以待……
1. Djokovic Eyes Record: After clinching No. 1 for a record-tying sixth year, Novak Djokovic looks to tie Roger Federer's mark of six Nitto ATP Finals titles.
2. Nadal’s Title Pursuit: Rafael Nadal, who has qualified for a record 16 straight years, is bidding to become the oldest champion in tournament history.
3. Another Run For Thiem? Last year at The O2, Dominic Thiem defeated Federer and Djokovic in group play en route to reaching the final.
4. Medvedev's Magic: Daniil Medvedev arrives in London with momentum after claiming the Rolex Paris Masters title last week.
5. Zverev Former Champ: Alexander Zverev, the 2018 winner, is one of three former tournament champions in the field.
6. Tsitsipas Soaring: Stefanos Tsitsipas will try to become the first player to retain his title since Djokovic four-peated from 2012-15.
7. Red-Hot Rublev: Perhaps nobody in London will be as confident as Andrey Rublev, who leads the ATP Tour in titles (5) and wins (40).
8. Schwartzman Shining: The last player to qualify, Diego Schwartzman is the first South American to compete here since Juan Martin del Potro in 2013.