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| Venue of events: O2 Arena, London Date: November 15-22 |
| Coverage: Watch live on BBC Two, BBC iPlayer, the BBC Sport website and mobile app; Follow BBC radio and text commentary live online on selected matches |
Rafael Nadal began his bid for the biggest title missing from his vast collection with an ATP Finals win over Russian rookie Andrey Rublev.
Spanish second seed Nadal, 34, won 6-3 6-4 when the season-ending event started in London for the last time.
Earlier in the opening day, third seed Dominic Thiem avenged his loss to Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas in last year’s final with a victory in three sets.
US Open champion Thiem won 7-6 (7-5) 4-6 6-3 in an empty O2 Arena.
Nadal’s success in straight sets put him above the Austrian at the top of the London 2020 Group, named in tribute to the event’s 50th anniversary, after the opening matches.
Seeing Rublev in good shape, who has won more games and more titles than anyone on the ATP Tour this year, was the perfect start for Nadal.
“I’m very satisfied with the victory, it changes the perspective of the tournament a bit,” said Nadal, who lost in the 2010 and 2013 finals.
“I know I have a super difficult match against Dominic, but a two-set win helps build confidence.”
Only one of the left-hander’s 86 career titles has come on an indoor hard court, but he switched a gear from his exhibits under similar conditions at this month’s Paris Masters, where he lost in the semifinals, to frustrate Rublev.
Eighth seed Rublev struggled with his serve in the first set, admitting it was a sign of nerves on his Finals debut, and was punished when Nadal got the decisive break for a 4-2 lead, which did not yield. .
Rublev showed his annoyance at his performance by slamming his racket against the court and further distress came to the 23-year-old when Nadal broke in the opening game of the second set.
“When he broke me in the second set I started to relax, but by then it was too late,” Rublev said.
From that point on, it seemed almost inevitable that the 20-time Grand Slam champion would clinch a straight sets victory and he did so without ever facing a break point.
“My serve worked very well, that always helps on this surface and I had some opportunities on the return, which I converted,” added Nadal, who won 81% of his service points and converted two of the five break points.
Same players, on different occasions when London starts a spooky farewell
When Tsitsipas and Thiem met in last year’s final, Tsitsipas celebrated winning the biggest title of his career with a large contingent of boisterous Greek fans inside an atmospheric O2 Arena.
Twelve months later, the replay of that memorable match could not have been played in more contrasting circumstances.
Fans are not allowed inside the nearly 18,000-seat stadium due to coronavirus restrictions, meaning London cannot bid farewell to the tournament as it would have liked before moving to Turin, Italy, next year.
Without the spectators, there was an eerie atmosphere as only players, officials, ball boys and journalists were allowed to enter the dark arena.
When asked what the main difference was for him between the two matches, Tsitsipas sighed and said: “People in the stands.”
Initially, the lack of atmosphere did not dilute the intensity level of each player in a tight opening set.
Both men found their rhythm early on in strong service games, leading to a tie-break Thiem achieved after coming back 5-3 against with four straight points.
Sixth-seeded Tsitsipas had not won a break point in the first game, but he seized his opportunity decisively in the third game of the second set and went on to tie the game.
Like their meeting 12 months ago, he put together another decisive set, but this time it was Thiem who took control.
The Austrian raised his level to go 3-0 up front and, after struggling to a break point and overcoming six deuces in the fifth game, sealed what could be a crucial victory for his hopes of reaching the semi-finals.
“You can’t get off to a slow start here,” said Thiem, who made 11 winners in a dominant third set.
“I have experienced in the last four years how important it is to get off to a fast start and I am happy I did.”
Djokovic celebrates equaling Sampras’ number one record
Before the first singles match, Novak Djokovic received the trophy for finishing as the world number one at the end of the year on the ATP Tour.
The 33-year-old Serbian finished the year as the top-ranked player for the sixth time, equaling the record set by the great American Pete Sampras.
“It is very gratifying and I am proud. I am overwhelmed by happy emotions,” Djokovic said of matching the feat of his childhood idol.
Djokovic’s biggest win of the year came when he won his 17th Grand Slam at the Australian Open in January and enters the ATP Finals after losing just three of his 42 matches in 2020.
