MAD DASH FOR LONDON SINGLES, DOUBLES SPOTS
London, England
Spoiler:
With the Emirates ATP Race To London entering its final week, and four berths remaining, all eyes will be on the Palais-Omnisports de Paris-Bercy for the BNP Paribas Masters. The road to the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals is set for a thrilling climax with six contenders jockeying to join Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Stan Wawrinka and Marin Cilic at The O2 from 9-16 November.
One player who is sacrificing blood, sweat and tears to reach the season finale is Andy Murray, who is guaranteed to qualify for London if he reaches the quarter-finals in Paris.
"The others guys behind me will need to play extremely well in Paris to knock me out, so I've done everything I could," Murray said.
Contesting his 20th match in five weeks, the Scot clawed past Tommy Robredo for the Valencia Open 500 crown on Sunday, saving five match points to prevail in three hours and 20 minutes - the longest match of the year on the ATP World Tour. Murray, who has catapulted from 11th position to fifth in the Race standings since the US Open, behind an 18-2 record and three titles in Shenzhen, Vienna and Valencia, is in prime position to punch his ticket for the seventh straight year.
"I just kept fighting as hard as I could and it's going to stand me in good stead for the end of this year," added Murray. "I knew I had to win matches at the start of the tournament to get there and I've won some important ones. I've given myself a good opportunity and a good chance.
"When you have to work hard for something and fight for something, you get more satisfaction from it. I've won a lot of close matches in the finals, saving match points and last week (in Vienna) when David (Ferrer) was serving for the match as well."
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The 27 year old surged 30 points clear of Japan's Kei Nishikori for a total of 4,295. Nishikori is guaranteed to become the first Asian-born player to qualify for the season finale if he reaches the semi-finals in Paris.
Eighth-placed Czech Tomas Berdych, hoping to qualify for a fifth straight year, failed to press his claim last week when he lost in the first round in Valencia. But Berdych has performed consistently well in Paris, where he won the title in 2005, and is guaranteed to qualify if he reaches the semi-finals.
Ninth-placed Spaniard David Ferrer needs to reach the final in Paris to guarantee his place in London. But having won the tournament in 2012 and finished runner-up last year, he will be hopeful of making it to the finale for a sixth straight year.
Milos Raonic (10th) and fellow young gun Grigor Dimitrov (11th) are seeking to become the first players born in the 1990s to join the elite eight in London. Both would need to hoist their first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 trophy in order to guarantee qualification. Dimitrov has no chance of qualifying if he does not reach at least the semi-finals.
The Rankings vs. The Race To London
Last week Rafael Nadal, who had already qualified, announced his withdrawal from London due to an impending appendectomy.
The Barclays ATP World Tour Finals has welcomed more than 1.25 million fans to The O2 arena over the past five years, establishing itself as the biggest indoor tennis tournament in the world since moving to London in 2009. Tickets to the tournament, which takes place from 9-16 November, can be purchased at: www.BarclaysATPWorldTourFinals.com.
Barclays ATP World Tour Finals - The Contenders
Based on the calendar-year Emirates ATP Race To London standings as of Sunday, 26 October 2014. The top eight eligible players will qualify.
Pos. Name YTD Points
In Action This Week?
1. Novak Djokovic
9,010 Paris
2. Roger Federer
8,520 Paris
3. Rafael Nadal
6,835 No
4. Stan Wawrinka
4,805 Paris
5. Andy Murray
4,295 Paris
6. Kei Nishikori
4,265 Paris
7. Marin Cilic
4,150 No
8.
Tomas Berdych
4,105 Paris
9. David Ferrer
3,865 Paris
10. Milos Raonic
3,840 Paris
11. Grigor Dimitrov 3,555 Paris
Four Doubles Spots Also On Offer In Paris
The final four doubles spots will also be settled in Paris. After claiming their eighth title of the season on Sunday in Valencia, Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau have a firm hold on fifth place and are guaranteed to qualify if they reach the quarter-finals. Sitting in the sixth position are 2012 champions Marcel Granollers and Marc Lopez, who also are guaranteed to qualify if they reach the quarter-finals.
In the seventh spot, hoping to clinch their place are Ivan Dodig and Marcelo Melo, who must win the title to be guaranteed a place in London. Australian Open finalists Eric Butorac and Raven Klaasen, currently in eighth spot, also must win the title to be guaranteed a place in London.
Wimbledon winners Jack Sock and Vasek Pospisil occupy 9th position but will qualify in the spot reserved for the highest-ranked Grand Slam champions ranked between 8th and 20th provided they reach at least the same around as Australian Open champions Lukasz Kubot and Robert Lindtsedt. The 10th placed Kubot and Lindstedt will be guaranteed a London berth reserved for a Grand Slam champion team if they can advance one round further in the tournament than Sock and Pospisil.
One player who is sacrificing blood, sweat and tears to reach the season finale is Andy Murray, who is guaranteed to qualify for London if he reaches the quarter-finals in Paris.
"The others guys behind me will need to play extremely well in Paris to knock me out, so I've done everything I could," Murray said.
Contesting his 20th match in five weeks, the Scot clawed past Tommy Robredo for the Valencia Open 500 crown on Sunday, saving five match points to prevail in three hours and 20 minutes - the longest match of the year on the ATP World Tour. Murray, who has catapulted from 11th position to fifth in the Race standings since the US Open, behind an 18-2 record and three titles in Shenzhen, Vienna and Valencia, is in prime position to punch his ticket for the seventh straight year.
"I just kept fighting as hard as I could and it's going to stand me in good stead for the end of this year," added Murray. "I knew I had to win matches at the start of the tournament to get there and I've won some important ones. I've given myself a good opportunity and a good chance.
"When you have to work hard for something and fight for something, you get more satisfaction from it. I've won a lot of close matches in the finals, saving match points and last week (in Vienna) when David (Ferrer) was serving for the match as well."
Buy Your Tickets
The 27 year old surged 30 points clear of Japan's Kei Nishikori for a total of 4,295. Nishikori is guaranteed to become the first Asian-born player to qualify for the season finale if he reaches the semi-finals in Paris.
Eighth-placed Czech Tomas Berdych, hoping to qualify for a fifth straight year, failed to press his claim last week when he lost in the first round in Valencia. But Berdych has performed consistently well in Paris, where he won the title in 2005, and is guaranteed to qualify if he reaches the semi-finals.
Ninth-placed Spaniard David Ferrer needs to reach the final in Paris to guarantee his place in London. But having won the tournament in 2012 and finished runner-up last year, he will be hopeful of making it to the finale for a sixth straight year.
Milos Raonic (10th) and fellow young gun Grigor Dimitrov (11th) are seeking to become the first players born in the 1990s to join the elite eight in London. Both would need to hoist their first ATP World Tour Masters 1000 trophy in order to guarantee qualification. Dimitrov has no chance of qualifying if he does not reach at least the semi-finals.
The Rankings vs. The Race To London
Last week Rafael Nadal, who had already qualified, announced his withdrawal from London due to an impending appendectomy.
The Barclays ATP World Tour Finals has welcomed more than 1.25 million fans to The O2 arena over the past five years, establishing itself as the biggest indoor tennis tournament in the world since moving to London in 2009. Tickets to the tournament, which takes place from 9-16 November, can be purchased at: www.BarclaysATPWorldTourFinals.com.
Barclays ATP World Tour Finals - The Contenders
Based on the calendar-year Emirates ATP Race To London standings as of Sunday, 26 October 2014. The top eight eligible players will qualify.
Pos. Name YTD Points
In Action This Week?
1. Novak Djokovic
9,010 Paris
2. Roger Federer
8,520 Paris
3. Rafael Nadal
6,835 No
4. Stan Wawrinka
4,805 Paris
5. Andy Murray
4,295 Paris
6. Kei Nishikori
4,265 Paris
7. Marin Cilic
4,150 No
8.
Tomas Berdych
4,105 Paris
9. David Ferrer
3,865 Paris
10. Milos Raonic
3,840 Paris
11. Grigor Dimitrov 3,555 Paris
Four Doubles Spots Also On Offer In Paris
The final four doubles spots will also be settled in Paris. After claiming their eighth title of the season on Sunday in Valencia, Jean-Julien Rojer and Horia Tecau have a firm hold on fifth place and are guaranteed to qualify if they reach the quarter-finals. Sitting in the sixth position are 2012 champions Marcel Granollers and Marc Lopez, who also are guaranteed to qualify if they reach the quarter-finals.
In the seventh spot, hoping to clinch their place are Ivan Dodig and Marcelo Melo, who must win the title to be guaranteed a place in London. Australian Open finalists Eric Butorac and Raven Klaasen, currently in eighth spot, also must win the title to be guaranteed a place in London.
Wimbledon winners Jack Sock and Vasek Pospisil occupy 9th position but will qualify in the spot reserved for the highest-ranked Grand Slam champions ranked between 8th and 20th provided they reach at least the same around as Australian Open champions Lukasz Kubot and Robert Lindtsedt. The 10th placed Kubot and Lindstedt will be guaranteed a London berth reserved for a Grand Slam champion team if they can advance one round further in the tournament than Sock and Pospisil.
. Kei ma wspaniałe perspektywy, ale reszta Jego równolatków to zupełnie inna bajka