It’s two minutes before noon in Paris, as Rafael Nadal ties his shoelaces. Novak Djokovic, his hitting partner on Centre Court inside the AccorHotels Arena, playfully taps the Spaniard’s shoulder before making his way to the other side of the court.

For the next two hours, the top seeds engage in a high-energy practice session that includes fierce rallies, masterful shot precision, some match play and even a few laughs as they prepare for their opening matches in the French capital.

It’s not typical for players of their profile and rank, and with so much still up for grabs this late in the season, to be standing across the net from one another outside of official match play. But for Djokovic, the No. 1 player in the ATP Rankings, and Nadal, the current leader in the ATP Race to London, the players are just fine putting their intense rivalry and battle for year-end No. 1 supremacy to the side — for one afternoon, at least.

Overseeing Nadal’s end of the court is his coach, Carlos Moya. The former World No. 1 spoke with ATPTour.com to discuss the practice session with Djokovic and what to expect from the 19-time Grand Slam champion as he returns from a five-week break.

The top two players, both fighting to finish the year at No. 1, have just walked off the practice court. This good-natured show of mutual respect and camaraderie is not so common, perhaps, in other sports, is it?
I’m not sure if we can see this in any other sport, but here we like to keep things simple. Why couldn’t we practise with Djokovic? We’ve tried on many occasions but couldn’t due to scheduling issues. It just happened to work out here in Paris. I think you must just look at it for what it is without placing some sort of value or extra significance on it.

The team has been in Paris for a few days now. What’s your assessment of Nadal after these opening workouts?
Alright; better every day. The court is a bit fast; the ball doesn’t bounce in a way that allows for a good read or much reaction time. The only option is to be aggressive. We’ve taken this approach for some time now and practised in this mode to prepare for whatever we face, but what the opponent brings to the match is also a factor, as always.

Looking at the calendar, how satisfied are you with the time you’ve allotted for rest, tournament entries and staying on course with meeting goals?
Our planning has gone well and we’re happy so long as we’re producing the intended results.

This year, the team has managed to reach the semi-finals at all but one tournament (Acapulco).
Correct. But I think more in terms of matches, rather than in terms of weeks. If you drop a lot of first-round matches, you have to play more tournaments. So more than tournaments, we look more closely at the matches, both individually and in bulk, and how Rafa is feeling. We try to maximize the time spent on court, both at events and back at home, because it is about being mentally fresh and bringing the most amount of intensity and preparation into each match. The results are a product of that. So we have to make adjustments to ensure the right balance throughout the year.

The team arrives in Paris after a rest period.
It’s strange because Rafa rested for a bit, then returned at the Laver Cup. From there, he went on a trip. There was the wedding. It’s been a bit different from what we’re used to. But he’s managed to rest, which is the important thing. He had a wonderful time on his wedding day and immediately it was back to training, because instead of going on honeymoon vacation after the marriage ceremony, he actually did it before. So two days after the wedding, we were already back in training. It’s been different, but it’s also been a very good past several days.

Why has the Rolex Paris Masters been a tournament in which historically he hasn’t produced his best results?
There have been a variety of reasons, one being the time of year. Most seasons, he’s gone into Paris with very little rest; he’s entered the event physically worn and hasn’t been able to play to the best of his abilities. In fact, since I’ve come on board as a coach, that’s been the case — he hasn’t been in the best shape to allow him to perform at his best.

In 2017, Rafa was forced to withdraw and last year he did not enter.
Two seasons ago, Rafa had to retire in the quarter-finals [due to a knee injury] and he only participated because the year-end No. 1 spot was at stake. Last year when he played here, he had to have [ankle] surgery the following week … His physical conditioning going into this event hasn’t been in our favour. This year is different. He’s coming into the event well-conditioned. We’ll see how things play out and if his health holds up this week and in London.

This year, then, he’s giving himself the opportunity to compete without anything to hold him back.
Physically, yes. But you have to factor in his quality of play and what his opponent brings to the match as well. Nothing is guaranteed. It does not assure you anything, but Rafa is arriving in Paris both physically and mentally prepared.”

You sound optimistic.
More than optimistic, I’m always realistic. I know Rafa as a player, I’m conscious of the state he’s in when he enters an event, I have a sense of what he’s capable of doing and I’m always optimistic about his chances. But I’m realistic as well. I’m positive he can come through victorious but I’m aware he can have a bad day and end up losing a match. On outdoor hard courts, you can have a 10 or 15-minute spell of less-than-spectacular play, recover, and go on to win the match. On a fast indoor surface, you’re punished for any lapses by dropping a set and possibly the match. That puts the pressure on Rafa to perform at 100 per cent throughout the match and retain control of matters at all times. Of course, the level of an opponent’s play factors into the outcome, so it’s important we control everything within our power.

Roger Federer won his 103rd tour-level title on Sunday at the Swiss Indoors Basel. But for the 38-year-old, lifting trophies never gets old.

Tears filled the 10-time Basel champion’s eyes as he spoke to the crowd during the trophy ceremony.

“You saw it hit me again hard winning here in Basel. I don’t take these tournament victories as a normal thing. I take them as something quite unique and special, even though it’s been a lot by now,” Federer said. “Every one has a different flavour and I try to enjoy them as much as I can in the moment.”

It’s especially emotional for Federer at home. His two years spent as a ball boy in Basel more than two decades ago have been well-documented, and the Swiss awards all the ball boys and ball girls medals and orders them pizza to celebrate their efforts. So even though it was the 10th time Federer has triumphed here, the tears were no surprise.

“I think it might be partially reminiscing back at everything that went on this week. Definitely the family, the thought of the team aspect, the family aspect, everything that goes into me still being able to do it today. People think I just go out there and just do it and have these types of weeks or these types of matches at will,” Federer said. “But there’s so much more that goes into it, let alone managing four children, [which] is a challenge, but a good one.

“Obviously when I stand there and look back at everything that I had to go through, it really touches me. Along with just the music and the thought of all the ball kids running in already gets me going.”

Federer has lifted plenty of trophies from the moment he picked up a tennis racquet as a kid. But that boy who once dreamt of being “one of the big guys” is now just six titles from Jimmy Connors’ all-time mark of 109 tour-level titles.

“Back in the day when you lifted a trophy as a junior you’re like, ‘Ahh, let’s just pretend to be one of the big guys.’ But you clearly know you’re not. Now when you’re able to do it in a stadium with people chanting your name or celebrating you or your tennis, it’s a wonderful feeling,” Federer said. “There you probably have a couple of parents around and one photographer who happened to be there at the time. So clearly things have changed. Luckily there were some photographers at the time, because it was more of a luxury to have a camera at the time. It’s been an incredible journey. It’s definitely very different today.”

This is the second tournament at which Federer has won 10 titles, having accomplished the feat in Halle earlier this year. So even though his championship victory against Alex de Minaur was fairly straightforward, resulting in a 6-2, 6-2 scoreline, that didn’t make the moment he clinched the title any less special.

“You don’t get a chance to win 10 titles at the same event many times in your career ever, so I couldn’t be more happy that it also happened here in Basel, in Halle also,” Federer said. “It’s been a great week, a wonderful time. The fans were unreal again, like so many other years. I played great tennis and was able to pull it all the way through until the very end.”

Federer did not drop a set en route to his fourth title of the season. He dropped just 18 games in four matches.

“I started off very strong and very well this week. I was able to really keep a very solid level and sometimes even a fantastic level,” Federer said. “[It was] never really in doubt. If only it was always like that, but it’s not. So I take this week as a good one for sure.”

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga captivated tennis fans with his maiden ATP Masters 1000 crown at the 2008 Rolex Paris Masters and has remained a perennial favourite ever since. The Frenchman looks for more magic at the AccorsHotel Arena as he starts his campaign on Monday against in-form Russian Andrey Rublev.

Both players have enjoyed success indoors this year. Tsonga prevailed on home soil in Montpellier (d. Herbert) and Metz (d. Bedene), while Rublev won his hometown tournament earlier this month in Moscow (d. Mannarino). They’re tied 1-1 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry, with Rublev winning their most recent clash this year in Marseille.

Canadian Milos Raonic, runner-up in 2014 (l. to Djokovic), seeks to end his season on a high note as he begins against British qualifier Cameron Norrie. A back injury has limited Raonic to three matches since the Coupe Rogers in August, but he’s back to full strength and his powerful game makes him a threat against anyone.

Two matches pitting experience against youth also highlight action on Court Central. Marin Cilic, who has reached at least the quarter-finals in his past three appearances at this event, looks to remain unbeaten against Pole Hubert Hurkacz. The 31-year-old leads their FedEx ATP Head2Head series 2-0. Fellow Croatian Borna Coric takes on Spaniard Fernando Verdasco, who has appeared in Paris every year since 2004.

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Other notable matches on Monday include Georgian Nikoloz Basilashvili facing Moldovan Radu Albot for the second time this month. Home favourite Adrian Mannarino closes out the night session against #NextGenATP Norwegian Casper Ruud, who clinched his maiden appearance at this year’s Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan from 5-9 November.

ORDER OF PLAY – MONDAY 28 October 2019
COURT CENTRAL start 11:00 am
Marin Cilic (CRO) vs Hubert Hurkacz (POL)
Borna Coric (CRO) vs Fernando Verdasco (ESP)
[Q] Jeremy Chardy (FRA) vs [Q] Sam Querrey (USA)
Benoit Paire (FRA) vs [LL] Damir Dzumhur (BIH)

Not Before 7:30 pm
[WC] Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA) vs Andrey Rublev (RUS)
[WC] Adrian Mannarino (FRA) vs [Q] Casper Ruud (NOR)

Court 1 start 11:00 am
[WC] Quentin Halys (FRA) / Tristan Lamasine (FRA) vs Jurgen Melzer (AUT) / Edouard Roger-Vasselin (FRA)
[Q] Yoshihito Nishioka (JPN) vs Jan-Lennard Struff (GER)
[Q] Cameron Norrie (GBR) vs Milos Raonic (CAN)
Pablo Cuevas (URU) vs Cristian Garin (CHI)
[1] Juan Sebastian Cabal (COL) / Robert Farah (COL) vs Nikola Mektic (CRO) / Franko Skugor (CRO)

Click here to view the rest of Monday’s schedule

Will Paris fans be treated to another epic between Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer this week? If so, it will happen in the Rolex Paris Masters final as the third-seeded Federer has been drawn on the opposite half of the top-seeded Djokovic, who’s going for a record-extending fifth title in Paris.

The two all-time greats faced off last year in the semi-finals, producing a classic match that was named ATPTour.com’s “Best ATP Match Of 2018”. The three-hour-and-two-minute encounter was the longest three-set match of their storied FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry and saw a flurry of hot shots from both sides. Read Match Report

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Federer was trying to book a place in the final and go for his 100^th tour-level title in France, while Djokovic was looking to roll into the ATP Masters 1000 title match and win his 22^nd consecutive contest.

The Swiss unleashed 54 winners and saved all 12 break points faced, but it was Djokovic, in the final set tie-break, who finally pulled away and beat Federer for the third consecutive time to make the final (l. to Khachanov).

The two had another historic tussle in July at Wimbledon, where Djokovic extended his winning streak to four against Federer 7-6(5), 1-6, 7-6(4), 4-6, 13-12(3). Should they meet again in Paris, it would be only their second encounter this season, but the 49^th instalment of their FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry (Djokovic leads 26-22).

Federer is fresh off his 10^thSwiss Indoors Basel title (d. De Minaur), while Djokovic last played at the Rolex Shanghai Masters, where he fell to Greece’s Stefanos Tsitsipas in the quarter-finals.

In a season filled with firsts for Daniil Medvedev, he’ll likely add another to the list at the Rolex Paris Masters by playing on centre court at the AccorHotels Arena.

The fourth-seeded Russian fell in the second round last year to Croatian Borna Coric, but arrives this year under much different circumstances. He’s jumped from No. 17 to a career-high No. 4 in the ATP Rankings over the past 12 months, but it’s his results in the second half of this season that have made fans take notice.

Medvedev has reached the final of his past six ATP Tour events, prevailing at the Rolex Shanghai Masters (d. Zverev), Western & Southern Open (d. Goffin) and St. Petersburg Open (d. Coric). He’s won 29 of his past 32 matches and arrives in Paris on a nine-match winning streak, having not dropped a set since his US Open final defeat to Rafael Nadal. The 23-year-old’s winning ways mean his days of anonymity are a thing of the past.

“More people recognise me in Russia and Europe and New York. In New York, I had to wear a hoodie all the time,” Medvedev said in his pre-tournament press conference on Sunday. “That’s because I have worked so much. I have to live with it. That’s part and parcel of my achievements and this is what I’m doing.”

Although Medvedev is getting more attention, he hasn’t let success get to his head. The Russian still confides in the same close-knit team and keeps a low profile when possible. Although his peers on Tour certainly recognise how dangerous he is on the court, they haven’t treated him differently off of it.

“The only thing that has changed is that before I would win a tournament every four months. Every time you win a tournament, a Masters 1000, everybody congratulates you,” Medvedev said. “Now a lot of people are laughing and saying, ‘Okay, we’re not going to congratulate you anymore because we’ll have to do that every week and it’s just tiresome.’ Just jokes like this, but nothing much has changed.”

Having already secured his maiden appearance at the season-ending Nitto ATP Finals, held at The O2 in London from 10-17 November, the Russian could also end the year inside the Top 3 of the ATP Rankings. But while he’s at the front of the conversation about who will dethrone the Big Three, Medvedev has opted to run his own race.

“It’s hard to explain because when I was No. 15 [in the ATP Rankings], I was good already. Then I wanted to get into the Top 10, which is never easy. I just want to see how far I can go,” Medvedev said. “It could be No. 1. If it doesn’t happen, that means that I wouldn’t be strong enough. I know that to be high up in the [ATP Race To London], you have to do a significant effort, but I’m trying to do my best.”

Read More: Medvedev’s Ride From Doubting Top 10 Potential To Eyeing No. 1

Medvedev will begin his week against Frenchman Jeremy Chardy or American Sam Querrey. Although he’s a main contender to take the title in Paris, the Russian isn’t relying on his past success to carry him through the draw. He’s established his momentum by treating each match with the importance of a final and sees no reason to change what has been working.

“It’s not that I’m afraid, but rather that I don’t want it to stop,” Medvedev said. “I want to work as hard as I can to make sure that this momentum doesn’t stop. It has worked well so far and I hope to continue.

“My goal is still the same: to be better every day with each training, each tournament [and] to win tournaments. It’s been working well so far. It’s a source of real pleasure.”

The Rolex Paris Masters is the ninth and final ATP Masters 1000 tennis tournament on the 2019 ATP Tour calendar, and serves as the final battleground in the ATP Race To London as players attempt to clinch the remaining spots at the Nitto ATP Finals.

An 18-year-old Boris Becker won the inaugural Rolex Paris Masters in 1986, and to this day, remains the youngest champion on the honour roll. Becker claimed two more Paris titles, in 1989 and 1992. Marat Safin matched the German’s title haul with his trio of trophies in 2000, ’02 and ’04, and Novak Djokovic surpassed both with four titles, including three straight from 2013-15. 

Djokovic looks to reclaim the ‘Tree of Fanti’ in 2019, and he leads a field that includes 2011 titlist Roger Federer; defending champion Karen Khachanov and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, the last Frenchman to win the title (2008). Rafael Nadal, who leads Djokovic in the battle for year-end No. 1, will attempt to join David Ferrer as Spanish winners at this Masters 1000 event. 

Meanwhile, Daniil Medvedev — winner of back-to-back Masters 1000 titles in Cincinnati and Shanghai and who also finished runner-up to Nadal in Montreal — will attempt to continue his run of form as he eyes his seventh straight tour-level final. Only two other singles players, Djokovic and Andy Murray, have completed the Shanghai-Paris sweep. 

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Dominic Thiem may have forgotten if he was five or six years old when he first visited the Erste Bank Open in Vienna, but the Austrian will always remember lifting the trophy at the Wiener Stadthalle on Sunday.

The 26-year-old defeated good friend Diego Schwartzman 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 in front of a packed home crowd in the Austrian capital, bringing his best level in crucial moments to complete the win after two hours and 25 minutes. Thiem improves to 9-0 in his home country this year, having also lifted the Generali Open trophy in Kitzbühel without dropping a set in August.

“It’s been an unbelievable year for me in Austria, to win titles in Kitzbühel and now here in Vienna,” said Thiem. “I have had some troubles to deliver my best tennis in front of these amazing crowds in Kitzbühel and also here in Vienna and now, in the same year, I win both titles. It is completely unreal to me.”

The World No. 5 becomes the first player to lift five tour-level trophies in 2019, breaking a five-way tie with fellow Top 5 stars Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Daniil Medvedev. Thiem extends his unbeaten streak at the ATP 500-level to 10 matches, having also lifted the China Open title earlier this month.

In his 10th straight appearance at this ATP 500 event, Thiem becomes the first Austrian to claim the trophy since Jurgen Melzer defeated Andreas Haider-Maurer in an all-Austrian championship match in 2010. Thiem, a 16-time tour-level titlist, entered the week with an 8-8 tournament record, with his previous best results in Vienna coming en route to the 2013 and 2018 quarter-finals.

The Austrian owns five FedEx ATP Head2Head victories from seven matches against Schwartzman. The two-time Roland Garros runner-up also improves to 45-16 this year. This is the fourth straight season that Thiem has recorded 40 or more tour-level wins.

“Three times this week, I came from one set down,” said Thiem. “To share the court and final with a guy who became a very close friend in all these years is very nice in one way. To beat him in such an important match is hard in the other way… It has been a dream week.”

Schwartzman made a quick start to his second ATP 500 final, breaking Thiem on three occasions to silence the home crowd and earn a one-set advantage after 43 minutes. The Argentine soaked up Thiem’s powerful groundstrokes from behind the baseline and fired low passing shots to the laces of his opponent with pinpoint accuracy. Thiem attempted to shorten points by rushing to the net and introduced drop shots to disrupt Schwartzman’s rhythm, but the World No. 15 transitioned up the court well to finish points.

After firing an ace out wide to save break point at 2-3 in the second set, Thiem soon forced a decider to bring the crowd inside the Wiener Stadthalle to its feet. The Austrian played with great variety on his backhand side and attacked Schwartzman’s forehand to gain the break at 4-4, before firing a powerful serve down the T to level the match.

Thiem rode the momentum into the deciding set, breaking serve in the opening game with a series of flat winners down the line. The Austrian maintained his advantage and broke his opponent for the fourth time with a forehand down the line to claim the title, before collapsing to the floor in celebration.

“I think he did really well and he didn’t miss anything,” said Thiem. “I really have troubles to play against him, because it doesn’t matter what I do. If I play fast or if I play slow, he always has an answer to everything… I was fighting and, of course, I had this huge advantage with the home crowd. I used it well at the end.”

Schwartzman was bidding to follow in the footsteps of 2012 champion Juan Martin del Potro, who is the only Argentine to triumph at this ATP 500 event. The Los Cabos champion will travel to the Rolex Paris Masters in 14th position in the ATP Race To London with 2,115 points. Schwartzman trails eighth-placed Berrettini by 545 points.

“I am very happy because I have got the confidence again,” said Schwartzman. “I felt very good on court. The support of the people was crazy. It was really nice and real for me. In another place, really far from home, I felt really nice. After the first set, he played so aggressive. He was better than me and that is why he won the title.”

Did You Know?
Among players who have contested 10 or more deciding sets this season, Thiem leads the ATP Tour with a 12-2 record. Thiem recovered from a set down on three occasions this week, also completing comeback wins against Fernando Verdasco and Matteo Berrettini.

Some things seem like they’ll never change on the ATP Tour. Roger Federer won his 10^thSwiss Indoors Basel title on Sunday, entering double digits at a tournament for only the second time by racing past #NextGenATP Aussie Alex de Minaur 6-2, 6-2.

Federer, playing in front of a fervent home crowd, played attacking tennis against the speedy 20-year-old, who was going for his fourth title of the season (3-1). The 38-year-old broke four times, mixing up the pace and keeping De Minaur on the move from the back of the court.

“It was fast but very nice. I think I played a great match. It was a tough opener, in the beginning, the first five games, we had some great rallies. I never looked back,” Federer said. “I was great on the offence, made very few unforced errors and came up with the big shots and served well when I had to.

“I thought Alex played a great tournament as well, and I think we both can be very happy. But what a moment for me to win my 10th here in my hometown of Basel.”

The Aussie targetted Federer’s backhand, but Federer combatted the strategy well, slicing balls to keep De Minaur guessing. The Swiss broke twice in the opening set, smashing an overhead for a 3-1 lead and taking advantage of a loose service game from De Minaur to close out the opening set. In the second, the home favourite ripped a forehand pass to break in the second game and place a stranglehold on momentum.

“He just puts you under pressure,” De Minaur said. “Any ball that isn’t a metre from the baseline for him is a short ball. That’s something I learned the hard way today. But I can’t wait until I’m able to step out and play him again.”

The Swiss now can count Basel alongside the NOVENTI OPEN in Halle as his most successful tournaments by titles won. Federer has won his home ATP 500 during his past five appearances. He improved to 75-9 at the tournament and has won 24 consecutive matches on centre court. “[I] couldn’t be more happy,” Federer said. “What a great tournament it’s been for me, always, but particularly the last few times I’ve been here.”

Roger Federer’s Most Titles By Tournament (All Tournament Records)

Federer won his fourth title of the season, tied for second best on the Tour, and the 103^rd of his career (103-54). He will receive 500 ATP Rankings points and €430,125 in prize money. 

De Minaur, who was going for the biggest title of his career, will get 300 ATP Rankings points and €216,025 in prize money. The Aussie is projected to crack the Top 20 of the ATP Rankings for the first time in his career on Monday. De Minaur is also set to make his second appearance at the Next Gen ATP Finals, to be held 5-9 November at the Allianz Cloud in Milan.

“I’m very happy… [It’s] been an incredible experience, one which I will learn a lot from,” De Minaur said. “I think it’s a lot of good work that I’ve put in, a lot of hard work with my team. I’m happy to see the results paying off.”

Most Tour-Level Titles In 2019

Rajeev Ram and Joe Salisbury increased their chances of qualifying for the Nitto ATP Finals on Sunday, defeating Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo 6-4, 6-7(5), 10-5 to lift the Erste Bank Open trophy.

The American-British pairing claimed its second ATP Tour title after one hour and 47 minutes, saving both break points they faced against the top seeds. Ram and Salisbury captured their maiden team trophy at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championships in March.

The fourth seeds add to their ATP Doubles Race To London total after recording their 36th tour-level victory as a team this season. Ram and Salisbury currently occupy the final qualification position in the Race with 3,490 points, with nearest rivals Henri Kontinen and John Peers holding 3,000 points ahead of the Rolex Paris Masters.

This is the second straight year that Salisbury has captured the Vienna crown. The 27-year-old won last year’s tournament alongside countryman Neal Skupski. Salisbury improves to 4-3 in ATP Tour finals. Ram adds a 19th trophy to his collection after his 34th tour-level championship match.

Kubot and Melo were attempting to collect the Vienna trophy for the third time as a team. The 2015 and 2016 champions, who have already qualified for The O2, own a 13-10 team record in tour-level finals.

Ram and Salisbury receive 500 ATP Doubles Ranking points and split €149,010 in prize money. Kubot and Melo gain 300 points and share €72,950.