Novak Djokovic faces a fierce battle to secure one of the remaining spots for the ATP Finals next month.
Djokovic lost to Hubert Hurkacz in his opening match at the Shanghai Masters, but remains in contention for the ATP Finals thanks to his efforts elsewhere this season. That includes one title, with Djokovic having won the China Open just before heading to Shanghai.
The legendary figure is, however, one of many players set to fight it out for the last five places at the ATP Finals. The tournament is scheduled to take place in Turin this time next month, with former ATP players John Isner and Steve Johnson now predicting whether Djokovic will make the cut.
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John Isner and Steve Johnson make Novak Djokovic ATP Finals prediction
Discussing who they think will qualify for the ATP Finals, former player Sam Querrey said on the Nothing Major Show: “Meddy (Daniil Medvedev) is in.” Johnson then concurred: “I think Meddy is in. Meddy, [Arthur] Fils, Novak.” And Isner added: “I think Fils is going to get in, also.”
Querrey then commented: “Fils gets the Masters series in Paris,” with Isner noting: “Exactly! That helps.” Johnson continued the discussion: “Hold on, I think Fils is, this is going to sound a little strange, he’s got a little [Adrian] Mannarino in him. There’s a tournament in Brussels going on right now and one in Lyon, he’s playing in Brussels. Mannarino never played one in France, maybe he doesn’t want to play in France.”
Isner then said: “I think he wants to play the 1,000 in France,” with Johnson noting: “I know, but I’m just saying, he’s one of those guys who thrives elsewhere.” Isner replied: “Could be, TBD, fair enough. It’s something to look at,” with Querrey saying: “The Americans, [Tommy] Paul and [Taylor] Fritz, on the outside looking in right now, 11 and 12.”
Johnson asked the question: “Do either one of those guys get in?” Isner responded: “No. They would need to win a 1,000, so no. Novak is playing Basel, I think Demon (Alex de Minaur) is out, something tells me Novak is sneaking in at that number nine spot.” And Johnson agreed: “He’s going to get in, right? He’s just going to get in.”
Tell us the five names you think will qualify for the ATP Finals and why 👇
There’s not many tournaments left to play…
It is indeed a thrilling race for the ATP Finals, and it is anyone’s guess who will be there in Italy. Alexander Zverev, Carlos Alcaraz and Ben Shelton are, of course, the exceptions here, having already secured their spots. But adding to the intrigue, one spot has been freed up after Jannik Sinner ended his 2026 season because of a knee injury.
But time is running out for the leading contenders to secure the necessary points to make the cut, which will come after the Paris Masters. For now, many are involved in ATP 250 events in Almaty, Brussels and Lyon, which are followed in the calendar by ATP 500 tournaments in Vienna and Basel. The schedule then moves on to Paris. And plenty of the big names are making their intentions clear on possible ATP Finals qualification in light of the busy calendar, with Djokovic accepting a wildcard for Basel, after Fritz did so for Lyon.
