Tennis Channel to Air ATP Next Gen Finals for First Time
LOS ANGELES, Oct. 29, 2019 – For the first time in ATP Next Gen Finals history the event will be televised, with more than 30 hours of live matches on Tennis Channel. The network will have live coverage of men’s tennis’ best players under the age of 21 in Milan each day from Nov. 5-9 as part of its annual “Chase for the Championships” swing. Tennis Channel’s telecast begins Tuesday, Nov. 5, at 8 a.m. ET (a complete schedule is below).
The on-air talent team will feature veteran broadcasters Steve Weissman (@Steve_Weissman) and Russ Thaler (@RussThaler) calling matches during the week. Coach Paul Annacone (@paul_annacone) and former World No. 5 Jimmy Arias (@ariastennis) will provide analysis. Thaler and Arias will call the morning matches with Weissman and Annacone covering the rest of the action. Former player Prakash Amritraj (@PrakashAmritraj) will offer daily updates and player interviews as well.
Like the year-end ATP Finals and WTA Finals, the ATP Next Gen Finals is an exclusive event that rewards 2019 consistency among players 21 and under. There are seven qualifiers, determined by the points they earned throughout the year, and one wild card. The event is structured in a round-robin format with the players split into two groups. After competing with every other player in their group, the top two players in each will play in the semifinals with the winners meeting in the final. This year’s ATP Next Gen Finals has a total purse of $1.4 million.
Unlike most tournaments, the ATP Next Gen Finals has slightly different rules to hasten play and create a more robust fan experience. Matches are best-of-five sets, each having only four games and no ad scoring. There are no line judges, with calls made by Hawk-Eye Live, commonly used as a replay system during the season, and fans can move freely during the matches in areas other than the baselines.
Former World No. 20 Denis Shapovalov leads the group eight players that will play in Milan. Three-time ATP tournament winner Alex de Minaur, 2019 Australian Open quarterfinalist Frances Tiafoe, World No. 61 Casper Ruud, 2019 BNP Paribas Open quarterfinalist Miomi Kecmanovic, World No. 63 Ugo Humbert and World No. 74 Mikael Ymer have all punched their tickets to Milan, along with 2019 European Open semifinalist Jannik Sinner, who was given the tournament’s wild card.
Tennis Channel’s 2019 ATP Next Gen Finals schedule (all matches are live):
Date Time (ET) Event
Tuesday, Nov. 5 8 a.m.-12 p.m. Round-Robin Singles
1:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Nov. 6 8 a.m.-12 p.m. Round-Robin Singles
1:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m.
Thursday, Nov. 7 8 a.m.-12 p.m. Round-Robin Singles
1:30 p.m.-5:30 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 8 1 p.m.-5 p.m. Semifinals
Saturday, Nov. 9 1 p.m.-5p.m. Final
