Doubles Take: The best of 2021 come together in Turin for ATP Finals

From near-historic feats to remarkable demonstrations of resilience, the teams that qualified for the ATP Finals in Turin, Italy, impressed throughout the year. With the tournament under way, here’s a look at the eight duos that got there. (Seeds in parentheses)

Nikola Mektic-Mate Pavic (1)

In their first year playing together, the Croatians experienced one of the best eight-month stretches to start a season in the Open Era. Among their nine titles heading into the ATP Finals, Mektic and Pavic won three Masters events, Wimbledon and the Gold Medal at the Olympics. However, they hit a rough patch during the late summer that stretched into the fall. Mektic and Pavic won their first match in Turin, which could be an early indication of a turnaround.

Rajeev Ram-Joe Salisbury (2)

While Mektic and Pavic were the story for most of the year, Ram and Salisbury caught fire during the summer hard-court stretch, beating that duo in the Canada final and going on to win the US Open, their second major in two years. Those were the only two titles for the American-English duo in 2021, but they did reach four other finals, among them the Australian Open and most recently in Vienna.

Pierre-Hugues Herbert-Nicolas Mahut (3)

In 2019, the French duo closed out the regular season with the Masters title in Paris, with that momentum carrying over to the ATP Finals, where they won the tournament for the first time. This year, they fell short at the Paris Masters final, ending their bid to for a perfect run in the French capital after a second Roland Garros win. They haven’t played together as much as Herbert makes a singles push, but have routinely proven that they can rise to the occasion on the biggest stages, even after time apart.

Marcel Granollers-Horacio Zeballos (4)

With only two years together as a team, the Spanish-Argentinean duo has shown they’re a threat on every surface. Their Wimbledon final this summer was their second appearance in a major championship match after their US Open run in 2019. They won two Masters titles this season, in Madrid and Cincinnati, but recently dropped their opener in Indian Wells. Their spirit is high, though, as they fought off four match points to kick off their Turin run.

Juan Sebastian Cabal-Robert Farah (5)

In 2019, “Colombian Power” was the team to beat, with few on the ATP Tour able to do so, as they won two Grand Slam titles and finished the year atop the rankings. They held onto it through most of a difficult 2020, but were definitely lapped up this year. Cabal and Farah do have some momentum on their side, winning their third title of 2021 in Vienna and going on a deep run in Paris.

Ivan Dodig-Filip Polasek (6)

Over the past couple of years, Polasek’s comeback has been one of the most impressive in the game. The veteran Slovak returned from an injury-forced retirement to play better than ever, and at the beginning of 2021, he and Dodig triumphed at the Australian Open. However, a rough stretch in the summer forced the duo to go its separate ways. Having qualified for Turin with the Melbourne win, Dodig and Polasek have reunited, but are off to an 0-1 start.

Jamie Murray-Bruno Soares (7)

Reuniting as a team this year, the former No. 1-ranked duo experienced a roller-coaster ride of a season. They won two titles—one of which was their first tournament together in more than a year—and reached the final of the US Open. They also had to spend some time apart when Soares was injured, and experienced multiple opening-round losses. They come into the ATP Finals, though, on an upward swing, with a 7-1 record over their prior two tournaments.

Kevin Krawietz-Horia Tecau (8)

Coming into 2021 with consecutive French Open titles, expectations were high for Krawietz and Andreas Mies. Unfortunately, Mies was sidelined for much of the year due to injury, but Krawietz soldiered on, partnering with the veteran Tecau. The pair went on to reach four finals—winning one title—and two Grand Slam quarterfinals, spurring them onto Turin. They lost their first match, but will look to bounce back and send the retiring Tecau off with a solid run.