Jódar and the points difference to qualify for the ATP Finals over the years

Rafael Jódar is already a master. At just 20 years old and in his first year at the elite level, the Spaniard has secured the last spot to play at the ATP Finals in Turin after a season in which he has won one title (ATP 250 in Marrakech), reached two finals (ATP in Washington and Shanghai), made it to the quarter-finals of a Grand Slam (Roland Garros), became a quarter-finalist four times in the nine Masters 1000 events of 2026 (Madrid, Rome, Canada, and Shanghai), and entered the Top 10 of the ATP ranking.

All these achievements have placed the player from Leganés among the eight masters of the year with a total of 3,234 points after a series of coincidences at the Masters 1000 in Paris where all his immediate pursuers lost: Novak Djokovic, Alex de Miñaur, Tommy Paul, and Taylor Fritz. However, with this score, Jódar would not have qualified in any of the last five editions.

Last year, Félix Auger-Aliassime needed one of the highest scores to secure the last qualification spot for the ATP Finals (3,845 points). Meanwhile, in 2024, De Miñaur needed 3,745 points for the last spot, making it the fourth highest score in recent years. In 2023, Holger Rune qualified with 3,460 points, while Andrey Rublev secured the last ticket to Turin with 3,440 points and in 2021 Casper Ruud obtained 3,275 points.

These numbers reflect the high competitiveness that has prevailed in the ATP circuit in recent years within the Top 10, despite Carlos Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner, and Novak Djokovic dominating the circuit with an iron fist in recent times. In fact, the absence of the Spaniard for four and a half months and the subsequent absence of the Italian until 2027, combined with the irregular year of the Serbian, has allowed for a long list of contenders this year.

Jódar would have qualified in 7 of the 10 editions of the ATP Finals in the 2010s

Still, the two highest scores needed to enter the Top 8 in recent years are far away. In 2014, during the Big 3 era, Milos Raonic had to reach 4,440 points. With that amount in 2026, he would have qualified in 5th position. Meanwhile, Kei Nishikori had to reach 4,035 points in 2015 for the last spot.

However, excluding those two years, the 2010s was the decade where the least points were required to secure the last position at the ATP Finals. In fact, Jódar, with his 2026 score, would have qualified for seven of the ten editions of that decade. In 2016, a young Dominic Thiem obtained 3,215 points; five points less was needed by Richard Gasquet (3,210) in 2013.

atp finals 8th spot https://t.co/MIRFScFie1

— enrico maria riva (@enricomariariva) November 6, 2026

In 2018, John Isner had to accumulate a total of 3,155 points, while Janko Tipsarevic gathered 2,990 points. In 2011, the last spot was secured by Mardy Fish with 2,965 points and with 200 fewer (2,765), Jack Sock qualified in 2017. The lowest number of points needed to qualify for the ATP Finals in recent years was achieved by Matteo Berrettini, who entered the Top 8 with 2,670 points. With this last figure, in 2026 he would be in 14th position.

In short, except for this season, each passing year makes it more difficult to secure a spot in the ATP Finals. The numbers are clear: in the last five years, with less than 3,200 points, it is practically impossible to secure the last place to be one of the eight masters.
 

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Jódar y la diferencia de puntos para clasificar a las ATP Finals con el paso de los años