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From innovations to the #NextGenATP stars putting on a show all week in Milan, the inaugural Next Gen ATP Finals has been a resounding success. But the tournament is not over quite yet, and a lot is at stake on Saturday.

Only one man can walk away with the ATP World Tour title — for Hyeon Chung, it would be his first, and Andrey Rublev, his second (Umag).

It will be the second time the pair meets this week alone. On Wednesday, Chung won 4-0, 4-1, 4-3(1) in the second match in Group A play. The 21-year-old South Korean comes into the final with a 4-0 record in the event after beating Daniil Medvedev in a five-set classic in the semi-finals, while the 20-year-old Russian is 3-1, suffering his only loss against Chung.

Overall this is their third FedEx ATP Head2Head battle. Chung won 5-7, 6-1, 6-1 in the second round of the Winston-Salem Open in August prior to the US Open, where Rublev reached the quarter-finals.

Chung is appearing in his first ATP World Tour final and is trying to become the first player from South Korea to win a tour-level singles title since Hyung-Taik Lee captured the 2003 Sydney title (d. Ferrero). He has won his last two matches in five sets (d. Quinzi, Medvedev) after dropping only one set in his first two Group A matches. Chung has a 28-18 match record on the season and his 28 wins is the most in the field.

The right-hander has dominated on return of serve this week, breaking opponents a tournament-high 16 times (16 of 45 games). He also leads in break points saved (77%, 27 of 35). If Chung wins, he will take home $390,000 as an undefeated champion.

"I have to focus on the match," Chung said. "After winning the match I can think about prize money and [the] trophy, [if] I get my first trophy in the ATP. So I have to finish the match first and nothing else."

Rublev, who is the top seed in the tournament, needed only 62 minutes to beat Borna Coric in the semi-finals. Rublev has been broken 11 times in 42 service games this week (26%), but he saved the only break point faced on Friday. The Russian lifted his first ATP World Tour trophy in Umag in July (d. Lorenzi) as a lucky loser.

He beat third-seeded Denis Shapovalov 4-1, 3-4(8), 4-3(2), 0-4, 4-3(3) on Thursday in his final Group A match to earn a spot in the semi-finals. Rublev has a 21-17 match record on the season and he reached a career-high No. 35 in the Emirates ATP Rankings on 9 October. He is No. 37 this week, and can claim $335,000 if he earns the trophy.

"This was my best tennis in the whole week. I'm really happy, and I hope tomorrow I can show even better game," Rublev said after beating Coric. "I'll try, like always I will try to play my game to try to dictate, because the first match here, I wasn't playing that aggressive. I didn't play that good. I was missing a lot. So I hope tomorrow I can show a better game."

In the third-place match, Medvedev and Coric square off for the second time this week. On Wednesday, Coric won 4-3(5), 2-4, 4-1, 4-2 in their second Group B match. Medvedev was a finalist in Chennai (l. to Bautista Agut) in the opening week of the year, while Coric won his first ATP World Tour title in Marrakech in April.

Koreańczyk Hyeon Chung pokonał Rosjanina Andrieja Rubliowa w finale pierwszej edycji Next Gen Finals w Mediolanie. Turniej - eksperyment, w którym brali udział najlepsi młodzi gracze na świecie (poniżej 21 lat), okazał się sukcesem organizacyjnym i marketingowym. Czy taki będzie tenis przyszłości?
Tomaszewski: Laboratorium w Mediolanie. Za nami pierwsza edycja Next Gen Finals
fot.PAP/EPA

Testowano siedem nowych elementów: przy stanie 40:40 nie było gry na przewagi - co stosuje się od dawna w deblu; do zwycięstwa w secie wystarczały 4 wygrane gemy, przy remisie 3:3 rozgrywano tie-break; z pomocą widocznego zegara mierzono 25 - sekundowe przerwy pomiędzy punktami; zawodnicy mieli prawo tylko do jednej przerwy medycznej (medical time out); była możliwość coachingu za pomocą słuchawek i tabletu; publiczność mogła swobodnie poruszać się wokół kortu; nie było sędziów liniowych, o wszystkim decydował system Hawk - eye.



Nieprzypadkowo na miejsce rozgrywania Next Gen Finals wybrano Mediolan - miasto biznesu, sztuki i mody. Zresztą stolica Lombardii ma też bogate tradycje tenisowe. To tutaj w staromodnym Tennis Club Milano odbyły się pierwsze cztery edycje Internazionali d’Italia (1930-1934), które wygrywał legendarny Bill Tilden. W klubie tym co roku rozgrywany jest prestiżowy turniej dla młodzieży Trofeo Bonfiglio. W tym roku grała tam w finale Polka Iga Świątek, a w 1973 roku 21 - letni Wojtek Fibak pokonując w finale Corrado Barazzuttiego odniósł pierwszy znaczący sukces.

Mediolan to także słynne turnieje w hali Palasport di San Siro, której dach zawalił się pod ciężarem śniegu w 1985 roku. Do historii tenisa przeszedł finał z roku 1981 w którym 22-letni John McEnroe wygrał z 26 - letnim Bjoernem Borgiem, co było zapowiedzią pierwszego triumfu Maca nad Icebergiem w Wimbledonie parę miesięcy później. W Mediolanie pierwsze tytuły ATP zdobywali 18 - letni Stefan Edberg oraz 19- letni Roger Federer.

Inna hala, Palalido było sceną Mondiale Pro w 1966 roku. W finale Rod Laver pokonał Andresa Gimeno. W tym roku Palalido jest w remoncie, Next Gen Finals rozegrano w miejscu targów - Milano Fiera w Rho. Ale już od przyszłego roku turniej zainstaluje się właśnie w Palalidio - do roku 2021.

Mediolan to także scena słynnych meczów o Puchar Davisa, w których grali legendarni włoscy gracze lat 50 - tych: Fausto Gardini, Beppe Merlo, Orlando Sirola i Nicola Pietrangeli. A w czasach nam bliższych Włosi (Davide Sanguinetti i Andrea Gaudenzi) grali w finale Pucharu Davisa ze Szwecją (i przegrali 1:4).

Mediolan ubiega się o organizacją turnieju ATP Masters 1000. Miałby odbywać się w lutym (rywalem jest Paryż niezadowolony z listopadowego terminu turnieju w hali Bercy, tuż przed londyńskim Masters).

Dwie kluczowe postaci będące za kulisami sukcesu Next Gen Finals to dawni gracze: Włoch 71-letni Sergio Palmieri i Anglik 52-letni Chris Kermode. Ten pierwszy to Rzymianin, geniusz marketingu sportowego, przez 20 lat agent Johna McEnroe, twórca sukcesu marki Sergio Tacchini, dyrektor Internazionali d’Italia na Foro Italico (majowy turniej w Rzymie) i prezes Związku Tenisa w bogatej Lombardii. Szykowny Kermode to mówiacy z oxfordzkim akcentem wizjoner i świetny administrator sportu, dawny dyrektor turnieju w londyńskim Queen, Clubie i następca Australijczyka Brada Drewetta na czele ATP. Debel Kermode - Palmieri chce zreformować tenis, może osiągnąć sukces, choć na razie są i błędy (ceremonię losowania media skrytykowały za seksizm). Obecność modelek nawiązywała do tego, że Mediolan to stolica mody, lecz przedstawienie było trochę w złym guście. Autorem pomysłu był nowy sponsor, znany w świecie Formuły 1 producent napojów energetycznych. Wejście smoka okazało się jednak wizerunkową klapą.

Zadziwiająca była estetyka kortu utrzymana w kolorach Atp World Tour Finals, tego prawdziwego Masters. Włosi dodali szczyptę czerwieni w kolorze londyńskich autobusów piętrusi. Po jednej stronie kortu zbudowano właśnie w tym kolorze makietę mediolańskiej La Scali. Przypomniały mi się spaghetti westerns. Kto widział słynne filmy Sergio Leone z Charlesem Bronsonem, Henry Fondą czy Clintem Eastwoodem wie, że były piękniejsze niż najlepsze westerny amerykańskie. No i ta muzyka Ennio Moriccone.

Wywiady z Sergio Palmierim, Chrisem Kermode, a także z legendą włoskiego tenisa, z Nicolą Pietrangellim już wkrótce w Polsatsport.pl

The Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan tested a plethora of new rules and innovations
As soon as 2019, tennis fans could see some of the innovations that were the hallmark of the Next Gen ATP Finals on the regular ATP World Tour, says Chris Kermode, the ATP Executive Chairman and President.
The 25-second shot clock, reduced warm up and one medical time out have been earmarked as possible changes for as soon as 2019.
“Those three things, I think we could do for 2019. I really, really do,” Kermode said in an interview.
He was discussing the new rules as the inaugural Next Gen ATP Finals, an idea 20 months in the making, came to a close in Milan. South Korea's Hyeon Chung beat Andrey Rublev of Russia on Saturday night for the inaugural title.
The tournament welcomed eight of the world's best 21-and-under players to Italy, and, for the first time, tested a plethora of new rules and innovations that have been talked about for decades but never trialled.
“The whole thing has been quite a journey,” Kermode said.

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The innovations featured changes that diehard traditionalists might question, including a shorter format – best of five set matches, first to four games sets and no-ad scoring – along with in-match coaching.
But Kermode reassured all fans, from the traditionalists to the new-age crowd who would like to see no second serves, to stay calm amidst the talk of change.
“Don't panic. We're not rushing into doing mad stuff but what I do want to do is to test things that maybe five, 10 years down the line can be used, and we'll see whether they work,” he said.
Any changes to regular ATP World Tour play would have to go through an extensive review process and ultimately be approved by the ATP Board of Directors. Kermode and others also want to continue studying many of the ideas, including the shorter format, before even thinking about implementing them on the ATP World Tour.
“This is obviously going to be the most dramatic one because you could argue that it fundamentally changes who wins the game,” Kermode said of the format change.
“Say if you trialled this for a year at a certain level, you may find that actually it's only the big hitters who win, or the guys with big serves or the guys who are coming to net. I think you'd have to analyse that. So that's why there's no way this format will happen quickly.”
Kermode was, however, surprised by just how intense the shorter matches were in Milan. Players commented throughout the week on the how the shorter format felt more taxing than the regular best of three set matches, six games sets.
“It's at full volume,” Kermode said.
“Hawk-Eye Live”, the electronic line calling system, was used instead of line judges during the Next Gen ATP Finals. Only the chair umpire, ball kids and the players were on the court.
The system could be used in the future throughout the tour, but, for now, it, like a lot of the ideas that were tested in Milan, will need to be further studied.
“I'm fairly mixed opinion on it. I love the clean, visual, modern look of it,” said Kermode, referring to no lines judges on the court. “But does it lose some of the human interest? Possibly. But we'll see.”