Four of the top 10 in the Live Race are chasing their first appearance at season finale

The Nitto ATP Finals lineup could have a different feel to it in 2026.

A host of ATP Tour stars who have never previously competed at the prestigious season finale have battled themselves into a strong position to qualify with nearly nine months of the season done. In fact, as they prepare for the Asian hard-court swing across September and October, six of the top 15 players in the PIF ATP Live Race To Turin are chasing their Nitto ATP Finals debut.

The best-placed among them is fifth-placed Flavio Cobolli, who has the extra motivation of attempting to qualify for an event that takes place in his homeland. The 24-year-old, who reached the Roland Garros final and has also won an ATP 500 trophy in Acapulco this year, has earned 3,530 points in the Live Race, 520 behind fourth-placed Carlos Alcaraz.

PIF ATP Live Race To Turin (As of 21 September, 2026)

 Player  Points
 1) Alexander Zverev  8,650 (qualified)
 2) Jannik Sinner  7,950 (qualified)
 3) Ben Shelton  4,430
 4) Carlos Alcaraz  4,050 (qualified)
 5) Flavio Cobolli  3,530
 6) Frances Tiafoe  3,330
 7) Arthur Fils  3,150
 8) Daniil Medvedev  2,780
 9) Rafael Jodar  2,509
 10) Taylor Fritz  2,480
 11) Tommy Paul  2,385
 12) Felix Auger-Aliassime  2,365
 13) Alex de Minaur  2,360
 14) Jakub Mensik  2,355
*Potential Nitto ATP Finals debutants in bold

With the top eight finishers in the Live Race qualifying for Turin, Cobolli knows that a solid Asian swing could be crucial in getting him over the line to a qualification spot. However, right behind the Italian are two more players chasing a debut at the season finale: Frances Tiafoe and Arthur Fils.

After reaching the Cincinnati final and the US Open semi-finals, Tiafoe has surged to sixth with 3,330 points. Can the American maintain his form away from his homeland to ramp up the pressure on Cobolli? Meanwhile Fils, who defeated Tiafoe for the Cincinnati title and is looking to bounce back quickly from a first-round US Open exit, has 3,150 points in seventh.

Cobolli will next take to court in London at the Laver Cup, where he will represent Team Europe at a teams event that does not offer points for the Live Race. He is then scheduled to play the China Open, an ATP 500 in Beijing, and the Rolex Shanghai Masters. Tiafoe is also set to play an Asian ATP 500, the Kinoshita Group Japan Open Tennis Championships in Tokyo, and the Shanghai ATP Masters 1000 event, while Fils is currently only set to play the latter.

Any slip ups from that trio in Asia will no doubt be watched closely by those below them in the Live Race, including three more well-placed potential Nitto ATP Finals debutants: Rafael Jodar (2,509 points in ninth), Tommy Paul (2,385 points in 11th) and Jakub Mensik (2,355 points in 14th).

The 20-year-old Jodar has been the breakout star of 2026. Having competed at the Next Gen ATP Finals last November, he began this season having won just two tour-level matches. Yet he has racked up a 37-15 record for the year, according to the Infosys ATP Win/Loss Index, a tally that includes his first ATP Tour title in Marrakech.

Remarkably Jodar, who like Cobolli will compete at the Laver Cup this weekend, has never played the ATP Tour’s Asian swing before. If he can adapt to his unfamiliar surroundings quickly and forge deep runs in Tokyo (where he is on the entry list) and Shanghai, the Spaniard will be a couple of steps closer to the most unlikely of Nitto ATP Finals qualifications: He would be only the second player to compete in the Next Gen ATP Finals one year and the Nitto ATP Finals the next, after Stefanos Tsitsipas (2018-19).

At 29, Paul is a relative veteran when it comes to navigating the final few months of the ATP Tour season. The American is also set to compete in Tokyo and Shanghai, while the 21-year-old Mensik is currently set to play the same schedule as Cobolli (Laver Cup, Beijing, Shanghai).