Doubles Take: Previewing the ATP Finals

Doubles Take looks at the teams set to do battle in the ATP Finals.

Even though they’re not in the field, the recently retired Bryan brothers will be at the season-ending championships in spirit this year as the teams competing at the O2 Arena in London will be split into groups named after Bob and Mike—a fitting tribute to the tournament’s most prolific champions, who retired this year.

They’re not the only top team that isn’t in the field this year. In fact, only three teams from 2019 have returned. Though the 2020 campaign was shortened, it was a grind, and the teams that have landed at the tournament have definitely earned their spots.

Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut, the defending champions, didn’t qualify this year, and none of the current teams have won the title. Here’s a look at the duos that will try to claim the last top prize of the season. (Seeds in parentheses)

Mate Pavic and Bruno Soares (1)

Joining together last year after splitting with their respective partners Oliver Marach and Jamie Murray, Pavic and Soares soon won their first title, the Shanghai Masters, near the end of 2019. They came in first in Montpellier, France, in the first half of 2020, then post-shutdown, claimed their biggest title yet, the US Open. They come into London with some momentum, having reached the final at the Paris Masters.

Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos (4)

The Spanish/Argentinean duo was on fire on the clay in the first half of the year, with two titles. They later added a third in Rome when play resumed. That didn’t translate into a deep run at the French Open, however, and they’ve only competed once indoors, losing their opening match in Paris. Still, Granollers is a former ATP Finals champion—with Marc Lopez in 2013—and both he and Zeballos are a tough out on any surface.

John Peers and Michael Venus (6)

Peers, the only other former ATP Finals champion in the field, teamed up with Venus this year and the move proved to be a good one. They won three titles under three different playing conditions, showing how versatile they are. Three appears to be a magic number for Venus: The New Zealander is in London for the fourth year in a row—with a third different partner.

Jurgen Melzer and Roger-Vasselin (8)

Melzer made the decision before last year to leave behind a very successful singles career to solely focus on doubles, and since that time, he’s won four titles—including St. Petersburg this year with Roger-Vasselin. A strong run to the final in Sofia clinched their spot in the field.

Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury (2)

Arguably at their best on hard courts, the American-English duo kicked off 2020 in near-perfect fashion with victory at the Australian Open, the first men’s Slam title for either of them. They almost added another at the US Open, where they reached the semifinals. They’ve only played one indoor tournament this fall, but the conditions in London suits their attacking style.

Kevin Krawietz and Andreas Mies (3)

Last year, Krawietz and Mies shocked the tennis world with a run to the French Open title as an unseeded team. Though they were seeded this year, they weren’t considered a clear favorite for a title defense, but they had another surprise in store as they claimed their second major together. The Germans have had a solid run indoors this year and could do some damage in London.

Wesley Koolhof and Nikola Mektic (5)

Probably the most underrated team in the field, despite their fairly high seeding, the duo reached the final of the US Open, then followed that up with a semifinal at the French Open. Aside from the runner-up finish in New York, Koolhof and Mektic reached the final in Marseille. indoors in the first half of the year.

Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo (8)

The veterans have been among the best in the world since teaming up in 2017. Though they struggled at the majors this year, they still managed to land a spot in London for the fourth year in a row on the strength of two titles, one of which just came a couple of weeks ago in Vienna. Their winning streak ended in the semifinals of the Paris Masters, but they’re peaking at just the right time.