Pete Sampras defeated the defending champion Boris Becker in the final, 3–6, 7–6(7–5), 7–6(7–4), 6–7(11–13), 6–4 to win the singles tennis title at the 1996 ATP Tour World Championships. It was his third Tour Finals title. Andre Agassi withdrew after the first round robin match to be replaced by Thomas Enqvist because of health issues.
Seeds
A champion seed is indicated in bold text while text in italics indicates the round in which that seed was eliminated.
Draw
Finals
Red group
Standings are determined by: 1. number of wins; 2. number of matches; 3. in two-players-ties, head-to-head records; 4. in three-players-ties, percentage of sets won, or of games won; 5. steering-committee decision.
White group
Standings are determined by: 1. number of wins; 2. number of matches; 3. in two-players-ties, head-to-head records; 4. in three-players-ties, percentage of sets won, or of games won; 5. steering-committee decision.