Australia's Alex de Minaur is on the verge of missing out on the ATP Finals in November if he continues skipping tournaments from now until the prestigious event.
The ATP Finals contains the top-eight performing players/teams from the calendar year in singles and doubles, with the tournament winner accumulating 1500 rankings points.
It will be a nervy wait concerning de Minaur's fitness and whether he will qualify for his maiden ATP Finals in Turin, let alone be in a position to compete.
The 25-year-old currently sits in eighth position with 3305 points, only 45 points ahead of Novak Djokovic and 470 clear of Grigor Dimitrov.
Importantly, players cannot lose points in the race to the ATP Finals - the points tally is based on what they have amassed throughout the year.
Due to Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz winning two Grand Slams apiece and having automatically qualified for the Finals already, the scenario of the eighth spot being reserved for a player who wins a Grand Slam in the current year but is ranked from No.9 to No.20 is impossible.
Likely absences from the Shanghai Masters, Tokyo Open and the Paris Masters at the end of October could see his opportunity blow up in smoke.
Earlier this week, Australia Davis Cup captain Lleyton Hewitt omitted de Minaur from the provisional squad for the Finals in Malaga 11 days after the ATP Finals commences as he still battles a hip injury.
Although the entry list can be changed until the tie against America in the quarter-finals, everything will seemingly need to go right for de Minaur.
The cartilage tear suffered at Wimbledon this year means the Sydneysider continues to recover and could take the rest of the year off to prepare for the Australian summer.
De Minaur climbed to a career-high world No.6 mid-year after cracking into the top-10 for the first time in February.
The ATP Finals take place between November 10-17.
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