TOURNAMENT PREVIEW: Since becoming the World No. 2 on August 17, 2009, Andy Murray has trailed only one other player in the Emirates ATP Rankings for a total of 76 weeks. During 72 of those 76 weeks, the World No. 1 has been Novak Djokovic. One week younger than Murray, Djokovic has battled the Brit on the biggest stages in tennis, including the finals of all four Grand Slams and seven of the nine ATP Masters 1000 events. Djokovic has dominated the rivalry, winning 13 of his last 15 meetings with Murray to maintain his lead in the rankings. But after sweeping his 15th straight match of the fall on Sunday in Vienna, and tying Djokovic with his seventh title of the season, Murray is in position to end his seven-year wait and rise to No. 1 this week at the BNP Paribas Masters.
To do so, Murray needs to reach the Paris final for the second straight year with Djokovic losing before the semi-finals. Murray can also pass Serbian superstar by winning the Paris final over any opponent other than Djokovic. It won’t be easy: Djokovic is a four-time BNP Paribas Masters champion with three titles and 15 consecutive wins over the last three years. He defeated Murray in straight sets en route to the 2014 and 2015 Paris titles.
While Djokovic and Murray have secured their spots at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, two vacancies in both singles and doubles will be filled this week at the AccorHotels Arena. Dominic Thiem and Marin Cilic are the favourites in singles, but five other players are in contention: Tomas Berdych, David Goffin, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Roberto Bautista Agut and Lucas Pouille. Cilic could meet Goffin and Berdych could meet Bautista Agut in the third round. Thiem, Goffin, Bautista Agut and Pouille are trying to qualify for their first year-end championships.
In doubles, reigning Barclays ATP World Tour Finals champions Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau are on the outside looking up at the Top 8 teams in the Emirates ATP Doubles Race to London. Rojer and Tecau must reach the semi-finals in Paris to have any chance of defending their title at The O2. They will benefit from Monday’s first-round match between the No. 7 and No. 8 teams in the race: Henri Kontinen and John Peers against Treat Huey and Max Mirnyi. Colombians Juan Sebastian Cabal and Robert Farah and Frenchmen Julien Benneteau and Edouard Roger-Vasselin are also capable of qualifying for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals.
DAY 1 PREVIEW: Six players who’ve won ATP World Tour titles this season will be in action Monday at the BNP Paribas Masters. First up, Umag champion Fabio Fognini meets Winston-Salem and Moscow champion Pablo Carreno Busta. Later on Court Central, Bucharest champion Fernando Verdasco faces Robin Haase and Båstad champion Albert Ramos-Vinolas takes on Stephane Robert. On Court 1, Nottingham champion Steve Johnson faces Guido Pella before Kitzbühel champion Paolo Lorenzi battles Benoit Paire. Four doubles matches are scheduled, including Novak Djokovic and Nenad Zimonjic against Quentin Halys and Adrian Mannarino.