These five cities will now be assessed alongside London in the final phase of the bidding process for the ATP Tour’s flagship event.

The announcement of the final shortlist follows an extensive bid application process that began in August 2018 in which more than 40 cities worldwide expressed an interest in hosting the prestigious season-ending event

The final phase of the process will see the ATP visit the candidate cities to further review their respective visions for the ATP Finals, with a decision on the successful candidate to be made not before March 2019.

The tournament is to be held up to 2020 at The O2 in London, where it has been staged to wide acclaim since 2009.

The event has successfully established itself as one of the major annual sporting events worldwide, broadcast in more than 180 territories with global viewership figures reaching an average of 95 million each year.

Chris Kermode, ATP Executive chairman and President, said: "The level of interest we have received worldwide throughout the bid application process reflects the rich heritage of this unique tournament, as well as the success of the event at The O2 since 2009."

Kermode added: "It has been a highly competitive process, and the candidate cities on the shortlist deserve huge credit for the passion and creative vision they have shown in their respective plans to continue the growth of our showpiece event.

"The ATP Finals have never stood still, remaining vibrant and relevant to fans, sponsors and media worldwide at every turn.

"There’s no question that London has set a very high benchmark and, with the final shortlist announced today, we believe we will be well-placed to determine the next exciting chapter of a tournament that has come to represent the absolute pinnacle in men’s professional tennis."

The ATP Finals were first held in Tokyo in 1970 and have been staged in some of the major cities around the world, including New York City, Sydney, and Shanghai.

The season finale’s longest stay in a single venue was across 13 consecutive editions at Madison Square Garden from 1977  until 1989.

The tournament has been won by many of the all-time greats, including Björn Borg, John McEnroe, Pete Sampras, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.

The season-ending event features only the world’s best eight qualified singles players and doubles teams.