The doubles action at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals has provided no shortage of excitement in years past, and the drama will be just as palpable this week in London.
For the second straight year, the year-end No. 1 position in the Emirates ATP Doubles Rankings is in play at The O2, with top seeds Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut looking to hold off the surging tandem of Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares. Last year, it was Horia Tecau and Jean-Julien Rojer ending the six-year reign of Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan with a thrilling semi-final victory, en route to clinching the title.
"It would be a huge achievement, to finish the year as the best team," said Soares. "We knew we could win the big ones, once we started playing together. It's a good feeling to have. We came on pretty strong at the beginning. Our goal now is to win the whole thing here."
This week, with just 575 points separating the French duo from the British-Brazilian pair, the battle for the top spot is poised to come down to the wire once again. Herbert and Mahut are bidding to become the first Frenchmen to finish as the year-end No. 1 tandem, having sat atop the Emirates ATP Doubles Rankings since claiming the Wimbledon title in early July.
Herbert and Mahut, also the champions at the Aegon Championships and the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 events in Indian Wells, Miami and Monte-Carlo, are appearing at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals for a second time. Murray and Soares, meanwhile, are one of five duos making their team debuts. Partnering for the first time this year, they hoisted three trophies, in Sydney and at the Australian Open and US Open.
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The London storylines don't end there, with Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan seeking a staggering fifth crown at the season finale. Champions in 2003 & '04, when the tournament was held in Houston, and 2009 & '14 in London, the American twins are seeded third at this week's edition. With only three titles (Houston, Barcelona, Rome) this year, they are looking to cap their 2016 campaign on the highest note.
"We've been on the verge of having a breakthrough, but haven't been able to get over that hump," Bob told the assembled media during Saturday's doubles media day. "We've had a coaching change this year and are very happy with Dusan Vemic as our new coach. We've been working hard on a lot of new things and are waiting for it to pay off. We have been putting in the time and the work.
"It's tougher to be here competing for the No. 1 spot, but at the same time it's nice to be the underdog and take the guys by surprise. I feel like we're moving in the right direction and good things are coming on the horizon. Hopefully sooner than later."
Making their London team debut are fourth seeds Feliciano Lopez and Marc Lopez. The Spaniards defeated the Bryans for the Roland Garros crown and also emerged victorious at the season-opening ATP World Tour 250 event in Doha. Feliciano is making his first appearance at the season finale, while Marc is here for a fourth time, having lifted the trophy alongside Marcel Granollers in 2012.
Fifth seeds Henri Kontinen and John Peers, winners in Brisbane, Munich and Hamburg, will look to carry the momentum from their title at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 title in Paris last week, while sixth seeds Ivan Dodig and Marcelo Melo are appearing for the fourth straight year in London. They finished runners-up in 2014 to the Bryans.
Rounding out the doubles field are first-timers Raven Klaasen and Rajeev Ram, titlists in Halle and Chengdu, and Treat Huey and Max Mirnyi, winners in Acapulco. Mirnyi is making his 10th appearance at the year-end championships, carrying a 20-15 record. He claimed victory in 2006 with Jonas Bjorkman and in 2011 with Daniel Nestor.