There are 12 of the Top 16 seeds in the third round at the BNP Paribas Masters on Thursday, with the top two players in the Emirates ATP Rankings, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray, leading the way. Four Frenchmen are also remaining among the final 16, including 2008 champion Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. In the opening match on Court Central, Marin Cilic will clinch one of the remaining two spots for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London if he defeats David Goffin, who has won the previous three meetings. The top Belgian won in four sets on clay in a 1R Davis Cup tie in March, then followed with straight-set wins at ATP Masters 1000 Indian Wells (QF) and Tokyo...
DAY 3 PREVIEW: The No. 1 and 2 players in the Emirates ATP Rankings, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray, headline a big Wednesday schedule at the BNP Paribas Masters. Overall, there are eight of the Top 10 seeds in second round action. Four Frenchmen are also on the order of play, including 2008 champion Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. All eyes will be on reigning three-time (four overall) BNP Paribas Masters champion Djokovic and Murray, who is the hottest player on the ATP World Tour since May. Murray, who lost to Djokovic in last year’s final, has reached the final in 10 of the 11 tournaments he has played in the past six months, winning a career-best seven titles. Now Murray is within...
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...
Last Stop Before London: The final tournament of the regular season on the ATP World Tour takes place in Bercy with the BNP Paribas Masters. Seven players are in contention to battle for the final two spots at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London. The 48-player draw includes four former winners, led by three-time reigning champion (four overall) Djokovic (2009, 2013-15), David Ferrer (2012) Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (2008), and Tomas Berdych (2005). Djokovic is the only four-time winner in the history of the tournament. Two Spots Left in London: Seven players are within mathematical reach of Marin Cilic, who holds the eighth and final spot with 3,090 points, 210 points ahead of Tomas Berdych. The seven players still alive...
It’s been one of the great reigns in the history of the Emirates ATP Rankings. A total of 223 weeks, including the past 122 consecutive weeks. But now Novak Djokovic finds his hold on No. 1 on the line this week in Paris. Djokovic will need to hold off a surging Andy Murray at the BNP Paribas Masters. The Brit is within touching distance of the Serbian, and can take over top spot by winning Paris if Djokovic does not reach the final, but the Serbian will come into the event physically rested and mentally refreshed after taking two weeks off following his semi-final loss to Roberto Bautista Agut in Shanghai. “I feel good right now,” Djokovic said. “The last couple...
