Jakub Mensik was supposed to be the star of this year’s Next Gen ATP Finals. Instead, he pulled out just a week before the tournament started.
The Czech player was the highest-ranked qualifier for the event. His withdrawal is just the latest example of a pretty big problem that’s been plaguing this tournament since it began.
The timing is all wrong
This year’s Next Gen ATP Finals runs from December 17th to 21st in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
| Name | Age | Points | Stats 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jakub Mensik | 20 | 708 | 10 - 6 |
That’s a really weird time for a tennis tournament. It’s way after the last official ATP event of the year, but it’s also ages before the new season kicks off. Basically, it’s right in the middle of players’ off-season.
For young players trying to make their mark on tour, that timing creates a tough choice.
Most players want to use their off-season to rest up and get in peak shape for the new year. Plus, there are no ATP ranking points up for grabs at the Next Gen Finals.
Joao Fonseca, who was the second-highest-ranked qualifier, announced his withdrawal ages ago. Mensik seemed more interested in playing, but then surprised everyone with his last-minute decision.
"Jakub Mensik has withdrawn from the 2025 Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF on medical grounds. We wish Jakub the best in his recovery and in his preparations for the 2026 ATP Tour season."
The tournament cited medical reasons for his pullout.
With both top seeds gone, the field now includes Learner Tien, Alexander Blockx, Dino Prizmic, Martin Landaluce, Nicolai Budkov Kjaer, Nishesh Basavareddy (who recently hired Daniil Medvedev’s ex-coach), Rafael Jodar, and Justin Engel, who replaced Mensik.
The best young players just aren’t interested
Here’s the thing about the Next Gen ATP Finals – it sounds great in theory. In practice? The top young players keep skipping it.
Since there are no ranking points and the prize money isn’t exactly life-changing, the most talented youngsters often decide it’s not worth their time.
This has been a problem from day one. Back in 2017, Alexander Zverev was ranked fourth in the world but pulled out of the inaugural tournament. He was ranked an incredible 31 spots higher than the second-best qualifier, Andrey Rublev.
2018 wasn’t much better. Zverev skipped it again, along with Denis Shapovalov.
In 2019, three of the four highest-ranked young players said no thanks. Stefanos Tsitsipas, Felix Auger-Aliassime, and Shapovalov all withdrew.
The tournament didn’t happen in 2020 because of COVID. But when it came back in 2021, the top two seeds – Jannik Sinner and Auger-Aliassime – both pulled out again.
2022 was particularly brutal for the tournament’s credibility.
Carlos Alcaraz was the world No. 1 at the time but still young enough to qualify. He didn’t show up. Neither did second-seeded Holger Rune or third-seeded Sinner.
But 2023 might have been the worst year yet. All four of the highest-ranked young players skipped the event. Alcaraz, Rune, Ben Shelton, and Lorenzo Musetti were all no-shows.
Finally, in 2024, something changed.
For the first time in the tournament’s history, the highest-ranked qualified player actually participated. Arthur Fils competed last year, though he was eliminated in the round-robin stage.
That made Mensik’s withdrawal this year even more disappointing for organizers who were hoping the trend might continue.
The Next Gen Finals was created to give rising stars a chance to shine on a big stage. But if those same rising stars keep deciding they’d rather spend time preparing for the "real" tour, the tournament might need to rethink its approach.
Maybe it’s time to offer ranking points. Or move the dates. Or both.
Because right now, it seems like the better a young player gets, the less interested they become in playing.
