Best British moments from the ATP Finals
• 4 minute read
Bringing together the very best men’s singles and doubles players from across the year, the Nitto ATP Finals is one of the biggest events in the tennis calendar and marks the end of another season on the ATP Tour.
Over the years, British players have left their mark on the ATP’s flagship tournament, including four titles since 2016.
We take a look back at the top five moments for British players at the ATP Finals.
Murray wins title & seals world No.1 spot
Andy Murray’s 2016 season is one of the most impressive campaigns in recent memory. The British star won nine titles, including a second at Wimbledon and an Olympic gold medal, won 78 matches, and rounded off the season on a 24-match win streak.
The three-time major champion capped off his incredible season by clinching his first and only ATP Finals title – securing the year-end world No.1 position as well.
Murray reached world No.1 after lifting the Paris Masters title the week before, but needed to outperform Novak Djokovic to cement his place.
Murray reached world No.1 after lifting the Paris Masters title the week before, but needed to outperform Novak Djokovic to cement his place.
The Brit battled past Marin Cilic, Kei Nishikori and Milos Raonic in the group stage, before saving three match points to beat Milos Raonic 5-7, 7-6(5), 7-6(9) in an epic semi-final.
For the first time in history, the world No.1 spot came down to the final match of the season – Murray vs Djokovic.
Playing in front of a home crowd at London’s O2 Arena, Murray defeated the Serbian 6-3, 6-4 to become the first British winner at the year-end Finals.
British battle in the doubles final
In 2025, five British players qualified for the Nitto ATP Finals doubles draw in Turin – the most in history – and the Brits certainly didn’t disappoint.
Joe Salisbury and Neal Skupski won the first all-British semi-final against the No.1-ranked duo Julian Cash and Lloyd Glasspool 6-7(3), 6-3, 10-8 in one of the matches of the tournament to seal a place in the final.
There, they met Britain’s Henry Patten and Harri Heliovaara – the in-form pair towards the end of the 2025 season.
Salisbury and Skupski had won their group-stage meeting, but in the final rematch, the then-reigning Australian Open champions were too strong.
Patten and Heliovaara clinched their 50th match win of the season 7-5, 6-3 to take the first-ever Finals championship decider between two teams featuring British players.
Salisbury’s title defence
Only one British player has won the ATP Finals multiple times – former doubles world No.1 Salisbury.
Salisbury’s record at the year-end championships was nothing short of impressive. He reached the final in four straight appearances and finished his career with a 21-6 winning record in the tournament.
The British star won back-to-back titles in 2022 and 2023, winning 10 consecutive matches in Turin.
Coming into the 2023 event as the reigning champions and having won their third straight US Open title, Salisbury and partner Rajeev Ram were the side to beat.
The British, American duo rose to the occasion again – winning three of their first four matches in deciding match tie-breaks, before claiming a 6-3, 6-4 final victory over Marcel Granollers and Horacio Zeballos.
They were the first team to defend the title since the Bryan brothers in 2003 and 2004.
Murray beats Federer in Finals debut
Murray made his debut at what was then known as the Tennis Masters Cup in 2008, after winning five titles that season, including his first ATP Masters trophies in Cincinnati and Madrid.
The Brit made a statement in his first appearance at the year-end Finals, reaching the semi-finals for the first time and knocking out former world No.1 Roger Federer.
Federer had won four of the last five Finals titles heading into the competition and had never failed to get out of the group stage in all seven previous campaigns.
Murray produced one of his matches of the season against the former world No.1, who had beaten him in the US Open final just a few months before.
Federer saved seven match points before the Brit got over the line with a 4-6, 7-6(3), 7-5 victory.
Murray became only the third player at the time to defeat Federer three times in one season – joining Rafael Nadal and Nikolay Davydenko.
Two Brits in singles draws
Only four British players have competed in the singles event of the ATP Finals, and only twice has there been more than one player in the same draw.
In the 1997 and 1998 ATP Tour World Championships, both Tim Henman and Greg Rusedski featured in the singles tournament.
Rusedski gained automatic qualification in 1997 coming off the back of reaching the US Open final but lost both his opening matches before withdrawing with a hamstring injury.
Meanwhile, Henman came in late to replace Spain’s Sergi Bruguera and managed to beat eventual runner-up Yevgeny Kafelnikov. However, Bruguera’s previous losses meant that he bowed out in the group stage.
A year later, the roles were reversed. Henman qualified on his own ranking and became the first British player to reach the semi-finals – recording wins over second seed Marcelo Rios and eventual champion Alex Corretja in a 7-6(4), 6-7(4), 6-2 epic.
In the final four, Henman eventually lost out to former world No.1 Carlos Moya 6-4, 3-6, 7-5.
Rusedski, on the other hand, came in to replace the injured Andre Agassi after two matches. He played Henman in the final match of the White Group and the only all-British singles match in Finals history – defeating his compatriot 6-4, 6-2.
It was an historic achievement for both Brits to feature in the singles in consecutive years and one deserving of a place on this list.
