Some of the world’s best 20-and-under players will compete at the Next Gen ATP Finals in the King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah, where eight players will vie for the final major trophy of the 2025 campaign.
The eight-man playing field is divided into two groups of four, with the top two from each group advancing to the knockout semi-finals. Matches are played at best-of-five sets and first-to-four games. The participants include: Jakub Mensik, Learner Tien, Alexander Blockx, Dino Prizmic, Martin Landaluce, Nicolai Budkov Kjaer, Nishesh Basavareddy, and Rafael Jodar, who effectively replaces Joao Fonseca, as the No. 2 seed has pulled out of the competition.
The Jeddah draw will be made on Sunday, and huge money prizes are up for grabs, with the winner expected to receive at least $2 million. On the other hand, reaching at least the semi-finals could win you at least $100,000.
Without further ado, here are some of the Next Gen ATP Finals 2025 updates, courtesy of SBOTOP.
Fonseca withdraws from the year-end tournament
As mentioned, Joao Fonseca has withdrawn from this year’s Next Gen ATP Finals, which is a shame because he was supposed to defend his crown. Last year, Fonseca became the third man to win the Next Gen ATP Finals at age 18, joining current ATP stars Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, going undefeated throughout the year-end tournament.
Fonseca recently confirmed he’s out this year due to an injury. Instead of trying to play through pain, the 19-year-old is prioritising his preparations for the 2026 season.
Either way, no one can take away the fact that Fonseca had another great campaign. This year, he will finish with a 26-16 win-loss record and has won ATP trophies in Canberra, Buenos Aires, Phoenix, and Basel.
His win in Basel was his most impressive thus far, as this was Fonseca’s second tour-level title and first at the ATP 500 level. In the biggest match of his life, the 19-year-old earned a 6-3, 6-4 victory against Davidovich Fokina, becoming the first Brazilian to win a title above the ATP 250 level since Gustavo Kuerten won the ATP Masters 1000 in Cincinnati in 2001. Fonseca is also the third-youngest player to win an ATP 500 title since the series began in 2009.
Mensik and Tien are the top seeds left
With Joao Fonseca out of the picture, the Next Gen ATP Finals 2025 odds favour Jakub Mensik and Learner Tien to make a deep run, as they’re the top-seeded players in the tournament.
Mensik enters the competition as the No. 1 seed with a 33-20 win-loss record. He won his first ATP Masters 1000 title at the Miami Open, stunning Novak Djokovic in the final to become the second-youngest titlist in tournament history behind Carlos Alcaraz and only the fifth teen to defeat the Serb on the ATP Tour.
He has qualified for the Next Gen ATP Finals for the second time after earning four Top 10 wins in 2025. Besides Djokovic, Jack Draper, Taylor Fritz, and Casper Ruud also fell victim to the 20-year-old Czech star. Mensik also reached the quarter-finals in Madrid, Brisbane, Auckland, Eastbourne, and Beijing, and the fourth round in Rome.
Tien enters the competition as the third seed with a 32-23 win-loss record. The 20-year-old American reached the China Open final, losing to Jannik Sinner, before winning the Moselle Open, beating Cameron Norrie in the final. Last year, Tien lost to Fonseca in the Next Gen ATP Finals title match, so he’s out for redemption. Like Mensik, Tien will bring confidence of a Top 30 breakthrough, and he has also defeated a handful of Top 10 players.
Budkov Kjaer achieves historic feat
Nicolai Budkov Kjaer is among the lower-seeded players in this year’s Next Gen ATP Finals, but it would be foolish for anyone to underestimate the 19-year-old, given his historic campaign.
The Norwegian youngster was one of six players to capture a season-leading four Challenger titles (Glasgow, Tampere, Astana, and Mouilleron le Captif), becoming the fourth-youngest player to do so, alongside Richard Gasquet, Holger Rune, and Guillermo Coria. Budkov Kjaer also secured his maiden ATP Tour win in Bastad, where he came through the qualifying before beating Thiago Monteiro and eventually losing to Sebastian Baez in the Round of 16.
“You always want to believe you have the level to beat the guys at the top and I always had the belief that I’m a very dangerous opponent,” Budkov Kjaer said, who is currently No. 136 in the ATP rankings.
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