Rafael Nadal returns to the China Open in Beijing this week with two goals in mind. The Spaniard, the second seed in the Chinese capital, will try to win his third title of the season, matching his trophy haul of last season and 2011. He also wants to boost his standing in the Emirates ATP Race To London. Nadal is currently in eighth place, prime position because the top eight players qualify for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, to be held 13-20 Nov. at The O2 in London. But with 3,200 points, the left-hander doesn't have his bid locked up just yet. Tomas Berdych, who defended his Shenzhen Open title on Sunday, is in ninth place, 330 points behind Nadal,...
Race To London Continues In Beijing, Tokyo: The Asian circuit on the ATP World Tour continues with 500 level tournaments, the China Open in Beijing and the Rakuten Japan Open in Tokyo. They are two of the 13 ATP World Tour 500 events. Sixteen of the Top 20 players in the Emirates ATP Race To London are in action. In Beijing, Andy Murray, Rafael Nadal and Milos Raonic are the top three seeds. In Tokyo, Kei Nishikori, Gael Monfils and Tomas Berdych are the top trio. Murray has already secured a spot in the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London. Raonic is fourth, Nishikori fifth, Monfils sixth, Nadal eighth and Berdych ninth in the Emirates ATP Race To London....
At the start of the season, Novak Djokovic’s position atop the Emirates ATP Rankings appeared certain for at least another 12 months. The Serb defeated Andy Murray in the Australian Open final to further distance himself from the second-placed Scot and gathered pace in the spring with back-to-back Masters 1000 titles in Indian Wells and Miami. But Murray came roaring back. Between the Mutua Madrid Open in May and the US Open, Murray compiled a 41-4 mark, winning the Rome title, finishing runner-up at Roland Garros, claiming his fifth Aegon Championships crown followed by a second Wimbledon, then later, a second Olympic gold medal in Rio de Janeiro. It was a titanic stretch that saw Murray significantly close the gap...