With only four weeks remaining in the Emirates ATP Race To London, the Shanghai Rolex Masters is shaping to be a critical battleground for remaining contenders.

Asia’s signature ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event has traditionally played a pivotal role in deciding the elite eight that will appear at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals. This year is no exception. Less than 1,000 points separate Gael Monfils, currently in sixth place, from Marin Cilic at No. 10, with Rafael Nadal, Dominic Thiem and Tomas Berdych sandwiched in between. Sunday’s Tokyo finalists David Goffin and Nick Kyrgios, in 11th and 12th respectively, are also in hot pursuit.

Runner-up in 2009, Nadal is back in Shanghai and eager to confirm his place at the season finale for the ninth time. “After Beijing, I add 90 points,” Nadal said. “That’s something that can help for the [Barclays ATP] World Tour Finals.”

Seeded fourth, the Spaniard will face either Viktor Troicki or a qualifier in the second round, as the top-eight seeds receive opening byes. A blockbuster quarter-final clash against Cilic is in the cards, laden with significant London implications. The Croatian is poised to face a gauntlet, with either surging #NextGen star Alexander Zverev or big-serving John Isner awaiting in the second round. Ninth seed and 2015 finalist Jo-Wilfried Tsonga is another threat in their quarter of the draw.

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A mere 320 points ahead of Cilic is Tomas Berdych, who is eyeing a strong performance in the Chinese metropolis to bolster his quest of qualifying for a seventh straight year. The Czech will be made to work in Shanghai, with Tokyo finalist and fellow contender Kyrgios a potential third round opponent and longtime rival Novak Djokovic looming large in the quarter-finals.

Another early-round match-up that could decide season finale berths features Monfils and Goffin. The Frenchman, currently in sixth position with 3,535 points, boosted his chances with a semi-final showing in Tokyo, but could face a hungry Goffin in the third round, as the Belgian will look to carry the momentum from a run to the final in the Japanese capital. He is at No. 11 in the Emirates ATP Race To London.

Meanwhile, eighth-placed Thiem will look to punch his ticket for the first time upon his return at the Erste Bank Open 500 in Vienna in two weeks, having withdrawn from Shanghai due to illness. Also out of action is No. 5 Kei Nishikori with a left leg injury.

Top seed Novak Djokovic and second seed Andy Murray, who sit comfortably atop the Emirates ATP Race To London standings, are the lone former champions in the draw. Djokovic is seeking a record fourth title after prevailing in 2012-13 & 2015, while Murray lifted the trophy in both 2010 & ’11. No. 3 Stan Wawrinka has also qualified, with No. 4 Milos Raonic opening against either Guillermo Garcia-Lopez and Paolo Lorenzi.

The Barclays ATP World Tour Finals has established itself as the biggest indoor tennis tournament in the world since moving to London in 2009. Tickets to the tournament, which takes place from 13-20 November, can be purchased at: www.BarclaysATPWorldTourFinals.com.

Some players discuss an injury layoff as a blessing in disguise, a chance to spend time at home with friends and family while working to become stronger than ever. #NextGen star Noah Rubin doesn’t quite have those same views.

“It was a pain,” he laughed. “I hurt my ankle training in Florida, flew to Florida for the grass-court season thinking it would be okay and then it wasn’t. Two-and-a-half months later, I played a Challenger and couldn’t really move, so I had to take another few weeks off. I’ve played a couple of tournaments now, so this is basically my start back and trying to get my [Emirates] ATP Ranking up to where it was.”

After a largely frustrating summer, Rubin is healthy again and showing the form that has seen him jump nearly 150 spots this year in the Emirates ATP Rankings to his current standing of No. 192. Competing at this week’s $100,000 ATP Challenger Tour event in Stockton, California, the 20-year-old American showed his ankle has fully healed by weathering three consecutive three-set matches to reach his first Challenger semi-final since Maui in January.

“This is probably my first tournament back where I’m feeling myself and my game again. If I continue this and keep focused, I can break into the Top 100,” said Rubin. “That said, the thought of the Top 100 probably ruined my game for a couple of months, so I’m trying not to think about it too much or have any specific goals. I’m just trying to enjoy myself.”

Rubin made headlines at the end of last year by winning his first ATP Challenger Tour title in Charlottesville, Virginia, earning him the USTA Pro Circuit wild card into the Australian Open. Arriving in Melbourne ranked No. 328, he took full advantage of the opportunity with a straight-sets win over No. 17 seed Benoit Paire.

Although Rubin acknowledged that his ankle injury came at a bad time since he was on a run of form, he refused to feel sorry for himself.

“There are people with way worse luck than me, people who have surgery after surgery and can’t seem to get healthy,” said Rubin. “This was luckily just a sprained ankle, so hopefully it doesn’t come back if I do everything to stay healthy.”

The American will compete in four more Challengers after Stockton before wrapping up his season. He’s making the most of a long stretch on the road by staying with host families that USTA Pro Circuit tournaments often offer to players as a way to truly experience the communities they’re in.

“I’m staying with a local family and they’ve treated me incredibly well. I couldn’t ask for anybody better, so it makes the tournament a lot easier and more fun,” said Rubin. “They’ve come to all my matches, so it’s really nice to have that support.”