Tsitsipas, Shapovalov lead Milan field

The qualifiers for the second edition of the Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan are now official, and this year's field features Stefanos Tsitsipas, the biggest new star in the game, as well as two highly ranked teenagers, two up-and-coming Americans and a whole lot of personality.

The event is extra unique for adjusting the traditional rules. Like last year, the matches will be best-of-five short sets to four games (with a tiebreak at 3-3), no-ad scoring, no lets and there will be a 25-second shot clock and in-match coaching with head-sets. New this year will be a one-minute shorter warm-up and a towel rack.

Last year's champion Hyeon Chung has aged out, as players need to be 21 or under to compete. Alexander Zverev, having made the ATP Finals in London, will miss this event for the second year, but there's still plenty of famous faces to attract a big crowd in Milan.

Here are the Next Gen title contenders:

1

While the 20-year-old made a name for himself in 2018 with consistently solid play throughout the year, he really announced himself in Toronto, where he defeated Dominic Thiem, Novak Djokovic, Alexander Zverev and Kevin Anderson, before falling to Rafael Nadal in the final. He recently won his first career ATP title in Stockholm.

2

At the beginning of the season, Shapovalov's name was a bit of tongue twister:

Now, the name of the youngest player in the Top 100—19 years old and ranked No. 29—is a bit more well known. He's reached three ATP semifinals this season, including at the ATP Masters 1000 in Madrid.

3

The only other teenager in the Top 100 is an electric one. De Minaur wowed his way to the final in both Washington and Sydney this year, and he also won an ATP Challenger title in Nottingham.

4

The 20-year-old American has had high expectations placed on him for a long time. He picked up his first title in Delray Beach, in February, beating Shapovalov, Juan Martin del Potro and Chung along the way.

5

Fritz just cracked the Top 50 for the first time, and sits at a career-high ranking of No. 49. Like Shapovalov, Fritz is still prone to having his name mispronounced. He was known at the Boodles exhibition as "Taylor Swift."

The Newport Beach Challenger champion is in his last year of Next Gen eligibility, having turned 21 on Sunday.

6

Rublev, also 21, actually saw a rankings dip in 2018, having missed the middle three months of the season. Still, he racked up enough to points to make Milan for the second year in a row. In last year's tournament, he made it all the way to the final, losing to Chung.

7

Munar just entered the Top 100 in June after winning two ATP Challenger titles in two straight weeks. The 21-year-old Spaniard now sits at No. 80 in the ATP rankings.

The remaining spot will go to a wild card entry who has still yet to be announced. The Next Gen ATP Finals will get started on Nov. 6.

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