By winning the 2024 Next Gen ATP Finals in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Joao Fonseca secured his place among the rising stars of men’s tennis. The tournament, created to showcase the most promising young players on the ATP Tour, has often served as a glimpse into the future of the sport.
It’s always fascinating to look back and see who has lifted this trophy since its inception — and how their careers have developed afterward. From the first champion Hyeon Chung to current stars like Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz, many of these names have gone on to make a major impact on the ATP Tour.
HYEON CHUNG (2017)
The champion of the inaugural Next Gen Finals held in Milan in 2017 was Hyeon Chung from South Korea. In a strong field that included Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev, Denis Shapovalov, and Borna Ćorić, Chung defeated Rublev 3–1 in the final.
Hyeon Chung crowned first ever Next Gen ATP Finals Champion with a win over top seed Andrey Rublev in Milan #ATP #NextGenATP https://t.co/zwd0heldMs pic.twitter.com/qYUzaeI2dB
— Tennis View Magazine (@TennisViewMag) November 12, 2017
The following season, Chung reached the Australian Open semifinals, famously beating Novak Djokovic in the round of 16. In April that same year, he achieved his career-high ATP ranking of World No. 19.
Unfortunately, recurring injuries prevented him from reaching his full potential, and he is currently off the tour recovering.
STEFANOS TSITSIPAS (2018)
The 2018 edition, also held in Milan, was won by Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece. The tournament featured Andrey Rublev, Hubert Hurkacz, Frances Tiafoe, Taylor Fritz, Jaume Munar, Liam Caruana, and Alex de Minaur, whom Tsitsipas defeated 3–1 in the final.
Stefanos Tsitsipas
2018 – Next Gen ATP Finals champion
2019 – Nitto ATP Finals champion pic.twitter.com/pTu55vRC3n— Donnelle 🫡 (@iAmNELLEZ_) November 17, 2019
Tsitsipas went on to build a stellar career, reaching World No. 3 in 2021, playing in the finals of Roland Garros (2021) and the Australian Open (2023), and winning the ATP Finals in 2019.
JANNIK SINNER (2019)
Italy got its first Next Gen Finals champion in 2019 when Jannik Sinner lifted the trophy by defeating Alex de Minaur 3–0 in the final — making De Minaur the only player to lose two finals at this event.
Al que le va bien en finales contra 🇮🇹Sinner es a 🇦🇺De Miñaur
❌Next Gen 2019
❌M1000 Toronto 2023
❌Copa Davis 2023 pic.twitter.com/d4OJ4wSl7R— Tenis Sudamerica (@Tenisudamerica) November 26, 2023
Sinner had previously beaten Miomir Kecmanović 3–1 in the semifinals. Other notable players included Casper Ruud, Frances Tiafoe, and Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.
To date, Sinner has spent 65 weeks as World No. 1 and owns four Grand Slam titles.
CARLOS ALCARAZ (2021)
After the 2020 edition was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Carlos Alcaraz from Spain won the 2021 tournament in Milan by defeating Sebastian Korda in straight sets.
Now: Carlos Alcaraz is the NextGen ATP Finals champion after beating Sebastian Korda 4-3(5), 4-2, 4-2 to put the cherry on top after a phenomenal season. https://t.co/bGM1wbL6Bm pic.twitter.com/1FBymUqipZ
— Gaspar Ribeiro Lança (@gasparlanca) November 13, 2021
Other participants included Holger Rune, Lorenzo Musetti, Brandon Nakashima, Sebastián Báez, Juan Manuel Cerúndolo, and Hugo Gaston.
Alcaraz soon became the youngest World No. 1 in tennis history. So far, he has spent 44 weeks at the top and won two titles each at Roland Garros, Wimbledon, and the US Open.
BRANDON NAKASHIMA (2022)
In 2022, the last year the event was held in Milan, Brandon Nakashima from the USA was crowned champion after defeating Czech player Jiří Lehečka in the final. The lineup also included Dominic Stricker, Lorenzo Musetti, Jack Draper, Matteo Arnaldi, Francesco Passaro, and Chun-Hsin Tseng.
🏆Brandon Nakashima is ATP NextGen Champion
In the final, Nakashima defeated Jiri Lehecka 4-3, 4-3, 4-2 #NextGenATPFinals pic.twitter.com/5GjhDjqf3P
— The Net magazine • (@thenet_m) November 13, 2022
Nakashima has since reached World No. 29, the fourth round at Wimbledon and the US Open, and has one ATP title to his name.
HAMAD MEDJEDOVIC (2023)
In the first edition held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Hamad Međedović of Serbia captured the title with a perfect record — five wins in five matches.
Interestingly, Serbia became the first country ever to produce champions of both the ATP Finals (Novak Djokovic) and the Next Gen Finals (Hamad Međedović) in the same year.
𝙄𝘿𝙀𝙈𝙊!
🏆 2023 ATP Finals Champion: Novak Djokovic 🇷🇸
🏆 2023 Next Gen ATP Finals Champion: Hamad Medjedovic 🇷🇸 pic.twitter.com/w31E1vU69x— Cycling on TNT Sports (@cyclingontnt) December 3, 2023
On his way to the title, Međedović defeated Alex Michelsen, Abdullah Shelbayh, Luca Van Assche, Dominic Stricker, and Arthur Fils in the final.
By August 2025, he had reached a career-high ATP ranking of No. 57, made the third round of Roland Garros, and continues to chase his first ATP title.
JOÃO FONSECA (2024)
Due to age restrictions, Hamad Međedović was unable to defend his title in Jeddah in 2024. The previous year’s finalist, Arthur Fils, participated again but was eliminated in the group stage alongside Jakub Menšík, Juncheng Shang, and Nishesh Basavareddy.
The first semifinal featured two Americans — Learner Tien defeated Alex Michelsen 3–2, while Brazilian João Fonseca comfortably beat Luca Van Assche in straight sets in the other.
🇧🇷 Joao Fonseca is 𝑵𝒆𝒙𝒕 𝑮𝒆𝒏! ⭐️
📸Getty #nextgen #nextgenatpfinals #atptour #tiebreaktennis #fonseca #joaofonseca pic.twitter.com/EXcWvuBfWN
— Tiebreak Tennis (@tiebreaktennis_) December 22, 2024
In the final, Fonseca recovered from a set down to win the next three and lift the trophy — proving why he’s considered one of the brightest young talents in world tennis.
In the following season, Fonseca won two ATP titles and climbed to World No. 28.
