Schwartzman Qualifies For First Time To Complete 2020 Nitto ATP Finals Singles Field
(November 6, 2020) LONDON — The eight-player singles field for the 2020 Nitto ATP Finals is set. Diego Schwartzman clinched the final spot at the prestigious season-ending tournament, to be held from 15-22 November at The O2 in London, following results at the Rolex Paris Masters on Friday.
The 28-year-old Schwartzman will be the first Argentine player to compete at the Nitto ATP Finals since Juan Martin del Potro in 2013. Schwartzman is the eighth singles player from Argentina to feature in the 50-year history of the tournament, following in the footsteps of 1974 titlist Guillermo Vilas (1974-77, ’79-82), Jose-Luis Clerc (1980-83), Guillermo Coria (2003-05), 2005 champion David Nalbandian (2003, ’05-06), Gaston Gaudio (2004-05), Mariano Puerta (2005) and 2009 runner-up Del Potro (2008-09, ’12-13).
Schwartzman joins fellow debutant Andrey Rublev of Russia, alongside former qualifiers Novak Djokovic of Serbia, Spain’s Rafael Nadal, Dominic Thiem of Austria, Russia’s Daniil Medvedev, defending champion Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece and Germany’s Alexander Zverev in the 2020 singles field. There will be four players aged 24 and under at the Nitto ATP Finals for the second straight year. The last time this happened in back-to-back years was in 2008-09.
Andrea Gaudenzi, ATP Chairman, said: “This has been a season unlike any other and all the players that have qualified for the season finale deserve huge credit. In its 50th anniversary year, the event will once again showcase the top ATP players and will also bring an incredibly successful twelve year stay in London to a close. While we wish our fans could be with us for the final year at The O2, we thank them for their passionate support via broadcast and digital channels, and look forward to a thrilling week of tennis.”
Schwartzman broke into the Top 10 of the FedEx ATP Rankings for the first time at No. 8 on 12 October after a run to his first Grand Slam championship semi-final at Roland Garros (l. to Nadal). A few weeks earlier, the Buenos Aires resident beat Rafael Nadal en route to his first ATP Masters 1000 final at the Internazionali BNL d’Italia in Rome (l. to Djokovic).
As the first Argentine in the Top 10 since Del Potro in May 2019, Schwartzman also finished runner-up at two ATP 250 events in a reduced 2020 season — at the Cordoba Open (l. to Garin) in February and at the bett1HULKS Championship runner-up in Cologne (l. to Zverev) in October. At 5’7”, Schwartzman is the shortest player in the Top 10 since 5’6″ Harold Solomon, whose last week in the Top 10 began on 27 July 1981.
