The upcoming BNP Paribas Masters has the potential to become one of the greatest tournaments in history as nine players battle to achieve crucial milestones in their careers. At the top of the draw there is Andy Murray bidding to dethrone Novak Djokovic from the top of the rankings and create British tennis history. Then further down the field is seven players battling for the two remaining places left for the prestigious end-of-year championships in London.
Wimbledon champion Murray embarks on the final Masters tournament of the year with a 15-match winning streak on the ATP Tour. His latest triumph occurred in Austria, where he downed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in straight sets. In light of his recent trio of titles, Murray could become the first British man to top the ATP rankings if one of two scenarios occur. If the Brit wins the title and Djokovic fails to reach the final, the accomplishment is achieved. The other winning scenario is if Murray reaches the final and Djokovic falls before the semifinals.
“I get a step closer with every win but it’s still a long way from here,” Murray recently said about becoming world No.1. “From two to one seems a small jump in a way, but it’s the hardest one to make. To go from 100 to 50 is more spots but is a lot easier.”
Murray’s jubilation comes as Djokovic struggles to locate the form that he dominated the tour with throughout 2015. Hindered by injury issues during the summer, Djokovic’s latest disappointment occurred at the Shanghai Masters when he was knocked out of the tournament by Roberto Bautista Agut. After suffering various setbacks, top seed Djokovic is confident that he has regained some of his renowned mental strength in time for Paris.
“I had to kind of rediscover that feeling of being on the court and keep pushing myself,” Djokovic said during a Sunday press conference in Paris.
“I guess it took a little bit of time, more time, and I’m just — I’m in a better state of mind at the moment than I was some months ago.”
Djopkovic will start his campaign against either Nicolas Almagro or Swiss Open semi-finalist Gilles Muller. Meanwhile, Murray will start against the winner of the first round match between Robin Haase and Fernando Verdasco.
The final push for London
Besides the Murray-Djokovic battle to the top, seven other players will be battling to grab the two remaining places to play in the $7 million ATP Finals. Leading the contenders will be Main Cilic, who won his second title of the year at the Swiss Indoors in Basel. Currently in the final qualifying spot, the former US Open champion needs to reach the final to qualify for London without relying on the performances of other players. It is a scenario that also applies to Dominic Thiem, who recently suffered a shock early loss in Vienna.
“I’m going to Paris with a very good cushion,” Thiem said earlier this week about his qualifying chances. “It was a super season, and it would be the absolute crown. If it does not work out in spite of the very good starting position, I will not be so sad.”
Despite suffering three consecutive first round defeats within the past month, Tomas Berdych still has everything to play for at the AccorHotels Arena (formerly known as the Bercy Arena). The 2005 champion is required to at least reach the semifinals of the tournament if he wishes to travel to London. Since 2011, Berdych reached the last four in Paris twice (2011 and 2013). He then has to hope that his close rivals exit the tournament earlier than him.
Further down the list of contenders, the task gets harder. David Goffin is required to reach his maiden Masters final to even get within the mix. Finally, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Roberto Bautista Agut and Lucas Pouille need to win the tournament as well as their rivals to suffer early exits.
The full draw
