Rolex Paris Masters 2018
This is it. The ninth and final ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event that will decide who will become the World No.1 and who will make it to the O2 in London for the ATP Finals.
Rafael Nadal returns after a two-month absence due to injury, and he will be ready to defend his position as the top-ranked men’s tennis player in the world in the French capital. However, Novak Djokovic—unarguably the best player on tour this year—will be keen to end the Spaniard’s supremacy and make a long-overdue comeback to the summit.
The battle of the two players will be the main storyline of the Paris Masters 2018, though that won’t be the only development to watch in the tournament. Not with the fight for the remaining spots in the ATP Race to London entering its final stretch in the so-called final battleground.
Talking Points
Battle for No.1
Nadal and Djokovic are in a tight fight for the men’s top ranking, and the math is simple: the player who finishes one round better than the other will become No.1 come November.
Nadal is coming off a knee injury that forced him to retire in the US Open semi-final against Juan Martin del Potro in early September. He hasn’t been in action since then, most notably missing Spain’s Davis Cup semi-final against France, as well as the Shanghai Masters that featured some of the highest-rated players in the world.
Djokovic, on the other hand, has been on a tear since May and has already added two major titles to his long list of accomplishments this year. He won the championship in Wimbledon and followed it with an impressive performance in the US Open.
The Serbian juggernaut is undoubtedly the hottest player on tour right now, and with only 215 points separating him from Nadal in the rankings, he is well in position to surpass the 17-time Grand Slam winner.
The advantage is probably on Djokovic given his form and recent exploits, but it’s always unwise to count out Nadal on big moments. With the year-end tournament in sight, Nadal will certainly be eyeing for a good result here as he aims to prove his fitness before the London spectacle.
It remains to be seen how the two will fare in the tournament, though a meeting in the final between Novak and Rafa would certainly be a perfect and dramatic ending!
Two spots remaining in ATP Race
There are still two places up for grabs in the ATP Race to London, and that only means more intense games throughout as the remaining chasers go all out in hopes of securing the final spots.
Nadal, Djokovic, Del Potro, Roger Federer, Alexander Zverev and Kevin Anderson have already secured their places for the tour’s curtain-closer this November, but the likes of Marin Cilic (seventh), Dominic Thiem (eight), Kei Nishikori (ninth) and John Isner (10th) still have a chance to join the five.
Sure enough, the likes of Isner and Nishikori need to reach the final at the least to have any shot at qualifying, but it’s not wrong to expect some last-minute drama and surprises. After all, Jack Sock took the tournament by storm in 2017 as he made an impressive run to the title to claim the eighth spot for the ATP Finals.
Surprise, surprise…champion?
The Paris Masters has seen a lot of surprise winners and performances at the turn of the century, and Sock is the prime example of that. In fact, in the 2017 edition of the event, the final four featured Filip Krajinovic and Julien Benneteau, alongside Isner and Sock—players who weren’t even expected to make it that far in the competition.
Sock eventually won it all, continuing the trend of underdogs shining in what was supposed to be an arena for the best.
The likes of Tomas Berdych (2005), Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (2008), Robin Soderling (2010) and David Ferrer (2012) have won the title in Paris as well, so seeing another unlikely player step up and grab the Paris Masters 2018 news headlines isn’t far-fetched at all.
History
Although 13 different players have won the Paris title since 2000, there’s one name that stands out among them: Djokovic.
Yes, the in-form Serb is the winningest player in the competition, and only a few come close to his four titles. Retired players Marat Safin and Boris Becker have three each.
Djokovic won the event in three straight years, from 2013 to 2015. He bagged his first title in the tournament way back in 2009 before his dominant run that would see him return to the pinnacle of the sport.
What are the odds?
Based on the Paris Masters 2018 odds at SBOBET, Novak Djokovic is the firm favourite to win at 2.00. Interestingly, both Federer and Nadal are given the same odds, albeit at a far-off 6.50.
Zverev has a good chance too at 11.00, though ATP Finals hopefuls Nishikori (19.00), Cilic (23.00) and Isner (26.00) are not really expected to make it to the finals.
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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