Holger Rune out of the race for ATP finals after semifinals defeat in Paris

Denmark’s Holger Rune has now been officially eliminated from the race to play in the ATP Finals this year. The last major event in men’s tennis in the singles category will be played later this month in Turin, where eight top players will participate to showcase their talent and secure the ultimate prize.

Denmark’s Rune became the latest casualty in the race to play in the ATP Finals. The 21-year-old, often regarded as one of the most talented players currently playing in the men’s tennis circuit, lost to Germany’s Alexander Zverev in the semifinal of the ongoing Paris Masters on Friday with a score of 6-3, 7-6.

After that result, five out of the eight spots for the competition have been sealed, whereas there is serious competition for the remaining three spots. World number one Jannik Sinner, number two-ranked Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz, Germany’s Zverev, Russia’s Daniil Medvedev, and 2024 US Open runner-up Taylor Fritz are the five players who are certain to take part in the competition.

For the three remaining spots, four players are battling it out. Those include the former world number one Novak Djokovic with 3,910 points, Norway’s Casper Ruud with 3,855, Australia’s Alex de Minaur with 3,745 points and Russia’s Andrey Rublev with 3,720 points. Three of the four players are set to feature in the last events before the ATP Finals. Ruud and Rublev participate in the Moselle Open, whereas De Minaur is set to feature in the Belgrade Open. Only Djokovic will not take part in any competition before the mega-event. His last appearance was in the Shanghai Masters, where he lost to Sinner in the final in straight sets with a score of 7-6, 6-3. The Belgrade-born star is also the defending champion of the ATP Finals this year. He lifted the trophy last year after beating Sinner in the final in straight sets with a score of 6-3, 6-3.