As the story of Superman goes, the fictional superhero is nearly indestructible, with only the mineral kryptonite leaving him susceptible to damage.

In the tennis realm, World No. 2 Rafael Nadal has shown flashes of near invincible powers of his own in 2019. The 33-year-old is 48-6 this season and is the current leader in the ATP Race To London. Like Superman, however, Nadal does seemingly have one weakness: The Spaniard seems a little more vulnerable on indoor hard courts than he does on other surfaces. It’s on an indoor hard court where Nadal will contend his next match as he faces Adrian Mannarino in the second round of the Rolex Paris Masters on Wednesday.

Of his 84 ATP Tour titles, including four so far in 2019, Nadal has lifted only one trophy at an indoor hard-court event. That effort came at the 2005 Mutua Madrid Open, before the tournament moved to clay. Since then, his record on the surface has been less than stellar, at least in comparison to his results on other surfaces.

The reason Nadal seems to struggle this time of year, he argues, is partly due to the toll that the grind takes on his body going into the last stretch of the season. A combination of fatigue and the normal knocks he picks up through the course of a year seemingly conspire against him.

“That is the reality; to deny this would be to deceive myself and everyone else,” Nadal said.

Since turning professional in 2001, Nadal has competed at the Rolex Paris Masters just six times prior to this year’s event. On two of those occasions, his campaign was cut short due to injury: In 2008, the then-World No. 1 was forced to retire from his quarter-final match against Nikolay Davydenko with a knee injury. Then in 2017, Nadal withdrew ahead of a quarter-final clash with Filip Krajinovic, again citing a knee injury. His best result at the last ATP Masters 1000 event of the season came in 2007 when he lost in the final to David Nalbandian.

Ironically, the city where Nadal struggles for more positive results near the end of the year happens to be in the same city where the Spaniard shines most brightly months earlier.

“Everyone knows that [Paris] is the most important city in my career, so I love being in Paris,” the 12-time Roland Garros champion said ahead of his opener in Bercy. “It’s an important tournament because it’s an ATP Masters 1000. In addition to being on a tough surface, it’s a tournament where I have arrived many times without being able to conquer it. Even though I haven’t had the best showings here for a lot of reasons, I don’t have any bad feelings for the event itself.”

Coach Carlos Moya shares his pupil’s sentiments. “There have been a variety of reasons, one being the time of year,” Moya said. “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.”

Fellow Spaniard player Marc Lopez has his own thoughts as to why the Rolex Paris Masters remains one of three Masters 1000 events (Miami and Shanghai are the other two) that has managed to elude Nadal throughout his career.

“The courts at this event are slick and Rafa’s game isn’t best suited for that,” Lopez said. “His rivals, [Roger] Federer and [Novak] Djokovic play in a way that’s more effective on that surface. The ball doesn’t bounce high, it tends to skid more and doesn’t give a player much time to react.”

The indoor hard courts and his own physical weariness are the hurdles Nadal must overcome as the season comes to a close this week in Paris and then at the Nitto ATP Finals in London. Lopez hopes Nadal can dig deep this year and finish 2019 in impressive form.

“He’s not always at his best when he arrives here,” Lopez said. “The past several years, he’s played exhausted after a gruelling season. This time, I hope he can end at his best and continue surprising everyone. I predict he’ll do better than usual at these events.”

For Nadal’s part, he’s doing everything in his power to boost his chances and make the most of every opportunity presented to him.

“It’s clear the breaks come less frequently on the faster indoor courts,” Nadal said. “It’s a matter of staying fresh and giving myself the best chance to succeed. I think I’m taking all the right steps to achieve that and to put myself in a situation to be 100 per cent competitive. That’s my main objective.”

Dominic Thiem extended his winning streak to six matches on Wednesday as he began his bid to capture the Rolex Paris Masters title.

The fifth-seeded Austrian, straight off lifting an ATP Tour-best fifth trophy this year at the Erste Bank Open (d. Schwartzman), battled hard to beat Milos Raonic 7-6(5), 5-7, 6-4 over two hours and 38 minutes.

Nitto ATP Finals qualifier Thiem, who has won two of his past three tournaments, withstood 54 winners — including 30 aces — from Raonic and goes on to face Belgian No. 12 seed David Goffin or Grigor Dimitrov of Bulgaria in the third round on Thursday.

Thiem recovered from a 1/3 deficit with six straight points in the first-set tie-break, which ended with the 26-year-old forcing Raonic into a backhand error. Raonic saved three break points at 4-4 in the second set and later capitalised at the net with a backhand volley to level the scoreline.

Three forehand errors by Raonic at 4-4 in the deciding set handed Thiem his first service break. Minutes later, the Austrian finished with a forehand winner to close out his 46th match win of a career-best ATP Tour season, which will conclude with a season finale appearance at The O2 in London from 10-17 November.

There are few things that Rafael Nadal hasn’t done in his career, but one of them is win the Rolex Paris Masters. The second seed begins his quest for a maiden crown at the AccorHotels Arena on Wednesday when he faces home favourite Adrian Mannarino, while top-seeded Serbian Novak Djokovic starts his week against #NextGenATP Frenchman Corentin Moutet.

Wednesday’s schedule also kicks off the battle for year-end No. 1 between Djokovic and Nadal. If the Spaniard lifts the title in Paris, he’ll finish as year-end No. 1 for the fifth time. Meanwhile, Djokovic is seeking a record-tying sixth year-end finish atop the ATP Rankings.

“I prefer to be No. 1 to No. 2, and No. 2 to No. 3.,” Nadal said. “Of course, finishing the year [as] World No. 1 is something special and I would love to make that happen.”

Nadal has plenty of positive memories in the City of Lights with his historic success at Roland Garros. And while he’s never prevailed at the last ATP Masters 1000 event of the season, he still sports an impressive 16-5 record and has never lost before the quarter-finals.

“If it’s not good luck that I won 12 times in Roland Garros, it’s not bad luck that I never won here,” Nadal said. “I missed this tournament a lot of times in my career. Other times I didn’t play well and other times opponents have been better than me.”

Djokovic has never had issues bringing his best tennis in Bercy. The four-time champion holds a 32-8 record at this event and has reached the final in four of his past five appearances. The Serbian trails Nadal by 1,280 points in the ATP Race to London, which acts as a barometer for who will finish the year at No. 1, but the 1,000 points on offer for the winner this week would help Djokovic close the gap.

“He’s in a much better position, but I hope I can do well in this tournament. I’ve historically played really well indoors in Paris and also [Nitto ATP Finals in] London, but it doesn’t depend on me.” Djokovic said. “I cannot really focus too much on what he is doing or other players. I’ll try to get the most out of my performances and see where it takes me.”

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Italian Matteo Berrettini, who made his debut inside the Top 10 of the ATP Rankings this week, closes out the night session against 2008 champion and home favourite Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. The No. 10 seed looks to grab one of the two remaining spots for the season-ending Nitto ATP Finals, held at The O2 in London from 10-17 November. Berrettini is eighth in the Race with 2,660 points and will secure his maiden appearance at The O2 if he reaches the final in Paris.

Several other London hopefuls are also in action, including ninth seed Roberto Bautista Agut, No. 11 seed Fabio Fognini, 12 seed David Goffin and No. 13 seed Gael Monfils. All of them would secure their place at the season-ending championships by winning the title this week. Bautista Agut faces #NextGenATP Aussie Alex de Minaur in a knockout match for London, with De Minaur needing to win the title this week to have a chance at qualifying.

Diego Schwartzman, the No. 14 seed, joins No. 15 seed John Isner and No. 16 seed Stan Wawrinka as they continue their pursuits for London. Schwartzman needs to reach the final this week in order to have a shot at qualifying, while Wawrinka and Isner must take the title.

Other notable matches on Wednesday include fifth-seeded Austrian Dominic Thiem taking on Canadian Milos Raonic and seventh-seeded Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas squaring off with American Taylor Fritz.

ORDER OF PLAY – WEDNESDAY 30 October 2019
COURT CENTRAL start 11:00 am
[5] Dominic Thiem (AUT) vs Milos Raonic (CAN)
[7] Stefanos Tsitsipas (GRE) vs Taylor Fritz (USA)
[13] Gael Monfils (FRA) vs Benoit Paire (FRA)
[1] Novak Djokovic (SRB) vs [LL] Corentin Moutet (FRA)

Not Before 7:30 pm
[2] Rafael Nadal (ESP) vs [WC] Adrian Mannarino (FRA)
[10] Matteo Berrettini (ITA) vs [WC] Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (FRA)

Court 1 start 11:00 am
[2] Marcel Granollers (ESP) / Horacio Zeballos (ARG) vs Jean-Julien Rojer (NED) / Horia Tecau (ROU)
[11] Fabio Fognini vs Denis Shapovalov (CAN)
[12] David Goffin (BEL) vs Grigor Dimitrov (BUL)
[16] Stan Wawrinka (SUI) vs Marin Cilic (CRO)
[14] Diego Schwartzman (ARG) vs Kyle Edmund (GBR)
Rajeev Ram (USA) / Joe Salisbury (GBR) vs Robin Haase (NED) / Wesley Koolhof (NED)

Click here to view the rest of Wednesday’s schedule

Eighth seeds Ivan Dodig/Filip Polasek saved a set point en route to their 7-6(2), 7-6(4) first-round victory over Sander Gille/Joran Vliegen on Tuesday at the Rolex Paris Masters, keeping them in contention to clinch the last remaining team berth at the season-ending Nitto ATP Finals.

Dodig/Polasek erased the set point at 5-6 in the second set before prevailing in one hour and 40 minutes. The pair are ninth in the ATP Race to London and will appear at The O2 from 10-17 November if they can reach the final in Paris.

Divij Sharan/Artem Sitak arrived in the draw as alternates, but made the most of their chance by defeating fourth seeds Mate Pavic/Bruno Soares 6-7(5), 6-4, 10-3. They’ll face Roland Garros finalists Jeremy Chardy/Fabrice Martin in the next round.

Karen Khachanov/Andrey Rublev outlasted Stefanos Tsitsipas/Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi 3-6, 6-4, 10-5 and Marin Cilic/Pablo Cuevas took out Alex de Minaur/Taylor Fritz 7-6(3), 6-3. Seventh seeds Pierre-Hugues Herbert/Nicolas Mahut advanced via walkover against Adrian Mannarino/Gilles Simon when Simon withdrew due to a leg injury.

Rafael Nadal returns to main draw action on Wednesday at the Rolex Paris Masters for the first time since winning the US Open title and also, for the first time as a newlywed. The 33-year-old Spaniard married longtime girlfriend Maria Francisca Perello on 19 October in Mallorca.

“The wedding had been a great day for me, for my wife, I think for the guests, too – for all the people that shared this special day with all of us,” said Nadal, ahead of his Paris opener. “It was a great party. I’ve been with my girlfriend for 15 years, so nothing’s changed in my normal life. Just was the moment to do it and we made it happen.”

The Spaniard could be celebrating another big milestone this week in Paris. Should Nadal win his first title at this ATP Masters 1000 tournament, he would clinch the year-end No. 1 ATP Ranking for the fifth time.

“Happy to be back here in Paris,” said Nadal, who has won a record 12 titles at Roland Garros. “As everybody knows, it’s the most important city in my tennis career without a doubt, even if I’ve never won here in Bercy.”

The World No. 2 begins his Rolex Paris Masters campaign on Wednesday evening against French wild card Adrian Mannarino.

Alexander Zverev is one step closer to returning to the Nitto ATP Finals. The sixth seed breezed past Spain’s Fernando Verdasco 6-1, 6-3 on Tuesday to reach the third round of the Rolex Paris Masters.

Zverev added 90 points to his ATP Race To London tally and is currently in seventh place with 2,945 points. The 22-year-old will guarantee his place at the Nitto ATP Finals, to be held 10-17 November at The O2 in London, for a third consecutive year if he makes the Paris final.

Zverev raced through the opening set, breaking Verdasco twice and saving both break points faced to wrap it up in only 26 minutes. The 6’6” right-hander was dominant on serve in the second as well. He won 87 per cent of his service points (33/38) for the match.

The German will next meet Next Gen ATP Finals qualifier Denis Shapovalov or fellow Nitto ATP Finals hopeful Fabio Fognini in the third round.

France’s Jeremy Chardy pulled off one of the biggest upsets of his career – and of the 2019 season – on Tuesday, knocking out World No. 4 Daniil Medvedev 4-6, 6-2, 6-4 at the Rolex Paris Masters.

The big-hitting Chardy broke during a 13-point seventh game in the third set and fought off nerves to serve out the win in front of a roaring partisan crowd.

“It’s a beautiful victory,” said Chardy. “When you play a match like this on the central court in France and you win it, it’s a wonderful feeling. All the efforts that are deployed every day are aimed at achieving a goal like this one. It’s great, and I’m going to enjoy it tonight.”

Medvedev was riding a nine-match winning streak since losing to Rafael Nadal in the US Open final on 8 September, and the Cincinnati and Shanghai champion had won his past 11 matches at ATP Masters 1000 events. The Russian had reached also six consecutive finals dating back to the Citi Open in Washington.

But the 32-year-old Chardy saved 14 of 15 break points, including one as he served for the match, to reach the third round of his home Masters 1000 event for the first time. Chardy is making his 10th appearance.

“When you play players like that, that are of such a high level, you need to have a perfect game level,” said Chardy. “And all my break points, I played them well, so it’s frustrating when you’re the opponent. This has happened to me the other way round, and it was great to be on the right side of the court this time.

“It’s the last tournament of the year. I had been playing well for some tournaments now. I did great matches, but I also lost in thrilling matches, and it’s wonderful to finish up like this.”

He snapped a 10-match losing streak against members of the Top 10, which dated back to his win against No. 4 Dominic Thiem at the 2018 Miami Open presented by Itau. The Frenchman will next meet Chile’s Cristian Garin or 2016 finalist John Isner of the U.S.