Vasek Pospisil opened his 2019 campaign in a position no player desires. The Candian was laying on an operating table after undergoing back surgery to repair a herniated disc. He would miss the next five months of the season, before returning at Wimbledon.

Now, the former World No. 25 is working to rebuild his ranking one tournament at a time. His recent results will go a long way to achieve that. On Sunday, Pospisil defeated countryman Brayden Schnur 7-6(2), 3-6, 6-2 to capture the crown at the ATP Challenger Tour event in Charlottesville.

Watch Hot Shots: Pospisil On Fire In Charlottesville

Pospisil went back-to-back in Las Vegas and Charlottesville, securing his second straight title. The 29-year-old dropped a combined one set between the two tournaments, extending his win streak to 11 straight with his victory at the Boar’s Head Sports Club.

It marked the first time two Canadians met in a Challenger final outside of Canada since 1999, when Frederic Niemeyer defeated Sebastien Lareau in Urbana. Ironically, Niemeyer is now coaching Schnur.

✅ Back-to-back titles in Las Vegas & Charlottesville
✅ 10-match win streak@VasekPospisil is the champion at the @CMPChallenger! pic.twitter.com/EpZHvHnZ87

— ATP Challenger Tour (@ATPChallenger) November 4, 2019

Up to No. 153 in the ATP Rankings, Pospisil is in a hurry to return to return to the ATP Tour. Just last month he streaked to the Round of 16 at the Rolex Shanghai Masters as a qualifier, securing a Top 20 upset of Diego Schwartzman along the way. The Vernon native has won 15 of his last 16 matches overall and is making a late-season push to return to the Top 100.

Pospisil spoke to broadcaster Mike Cation following the final…

Congrats Vasek. Your second title in a row. I can imagine the Vegas win meant a lot to you, in terms of that final push to have a trophy before the end of the year. What does this one in Charlottesville mean to you?
They both feel great. Obviously, Vegas was amazing coming back from the surgery I had in January. I had a different perspective on the sport and on life. A lot of things have changed and it’s the first time I’m coming back from a major injury.

You’re never quite sure how your body and your game is going to respond, being the first time. So far it’s much better than I expected. I put in a lot of hard work to come back to this level. I didn’t expect it to be this fast, but right now I’m feeling great.

You played 16 matches in your last three tournaments, between Shanghai, Vegas and now Charlottesville. In the second set it looked like the groin might be tight. How’s the body right now?
You know, it was on one return in the tie-break where I lunged and made a weird step. My hip was hurting a little bit. That is to be expected. I haven’t played this many matches in more than a year. When you’re doing that after a surgery, it just shows that I’m in better shape than expected. I was getting a little tired and the last couple days there was stiffness in my lower back. You can’t take any chances, but I think it took a toll definitely.

All week long you were able to get into your patterns, hitting the backhand slice up the line and setting up in the deuce corner with the forehand cross. You moved in to the net a lot too. Brayden took you out of that a little today. How did you acclimate?
He did and honestly I thought he was playing really well. At one point at the end of the second set and beginning of the third, I was accepting that he was serving better than me. I was a little off with my serve to start. I was just playing scrappy tennis at the time, just to hang in there, because he was being very offensive off the return.

I made an adjustment on my serve in the third set and that maybe made a bit of a difference. I was able to relax more in my service games and it allowed me to be more aggressive. It changed the match around.

What were your goals when you first started and how have they changed now with your successes in the last month?
I wasn’t even setting any goals. It was a situation where I was first coming back and wasn’t sure how my body would even react to match play. My goal was to finish the year healthy and get to the offseason in a good state of mind and a good physical state. And to then focus on 2020. That was it.

Obviously, not playing for most of the year will make you go that route. Right now, with the results I’ve had the past couple months, it’s completely unexpected and I won’t take it for granted. I’m more ready than I thought to climb back up the rankings. I’ll be going into the Australian Open with higher goals after this past month.

Being at No. 152 with nothing to defend until July is a pretty good situation.
Yeah for sure, it’s a pretty good spot to be in.

You mentioned you have a fresh perspective after the surgery. How do you now view Challengers and their role in pro tennis?
That’s a complex question. It’s such an important level and there are still things to improve, including continuing to build on the prize money. They aren’t the biggest events we have and they aren’t bringing in big revenue, but there has to be a balance where the major events are contributing more.

Long term that will affect the sport in a positive way, when you have more than 300 guys who can make a living. Maybe more guys will play tennis and more will invest in their bodies to make a better product. If there’s a way to funnel more money into these smaller events, that would be important.

You celebrated with a drink in Las Vegas. How will you celebrate now as you’re heading to Knoxville?
Taco Bell.

That’s the weirdest one I’ve ever heard.
You know, my coach Frank Dancevic and I were driving by Taco Bell and said how much we love it. But we never eat it. We decided if I win the tournament we’re going to have a big cheat meal and absolutely destroy it. That’s what we’re doing.

Spain’s Rafael Nadal today returned to the top of the ATP Rankings for an eighth stint at the pinnacle of men’s professional tennis, exactly 12 months to the day since he completed his 196th and most recent week at No. 1 on 4 November 2018.

As the second-oldest No. 1 in ATP Rankings history (since 1973), after Switzerland’s Roger Federer (aged 36 in 2018), 33-year-old Nadal will now look to stay ahead of Serbia’s Novak Djokovic and finish atop the year-end rankings for the fifth time in his career (2008, 2010, 2013, 2017). Should Nadal clinch year-end No. 1 at the Nitto ATP Finals, he would be the oldest player to do so in history.

“I’m super happy with my season,” said Nadal. “It was a tough beginning but then I was able to find a way to be back playing at a very high level of tennis and be in the situation that I am today. I’m very proud about the year that I am having.”

The Mallorcan first ascended to No. 1 on 18 August 2008 at the age of 22, spending 46 weeks in the top spot until 5 July 2009. He returned to the top spot on six further occasions between 7 June 2010 and 3 July 2011 (56 weeks), from 7 October 2013 to 6 July 2014 (39 weeks), from 21 August 2017 to 18 February 2018 (26 weeks), from 2 April to 13 May 2018 (six weeks), from 21 May to 17 June 2018 (four weeks) and from 25 June to 4 November 2018 (19 weeks).

Nadal, whose eight stints at No. 1 equal the mark of Ivan Lendl, trails Americans John McEnroe (14), Pete Sampras (11), Jimmy Connors (9) for most periods at No. 1. The Spaniard has now been in the top spot at some stage in nine of the past 12 years (2008-11, 2013-14, 2017-19).

Chris Kermode, ATP Executive Chairman and President, said, “Rafa has made a habit of setting the highest of standards throughout his career and his return to No. 1 is just the latest example. It’s an incredible achievement and he continues to amaze with his longevity at the top of the game – many congratulations to him and his team.”

The Spanish superstar, who ended the 2018 season early due to injury, has returned in 2019 playing some of the best tennis of his career. In compiling a 51-6 match record, Nadal has captured four trophies this season, including a historic 12th title at Roland Garros (d. Thiem) in June and a fourth at the US Open (d. Medvedev) in September. He won a ninth Internazionali BNL d’Italia crown (d. Djokovic) in Rome in May and a record-extending 35th ATP Masters 1000 trophy in August at the Coupe Rogers in Montreal. He also reached the Australian Open final (l. to Djokovic) in January and has now contested three Grand Slam championship finals in a calendar year on four occasions (also 2010-11, 2017).

On 11 July, Nadal became the first player to qualify for the 2019 season-ending Nitto ATP Finals. It is the 15th straight year that he has qualified for the elite eight-player tournament.

MOST WEEKS AT NO. 1 IN ATP RANKINGS (since 1973)
A list of the total number of weeks each player has spent at No. 1 in the history of the ATP Rankings (since 1973):

If you’re looking to predict who will make noise on the ATP Tour next season, the Next Gen ATP Finals have proven to be an excellent barometer.

Several current and past #NextGenATP stars have used the tournament as a springboard to their career-best seasons on Tour, often creating headlines mere months after their breakout runs in Milan. NextGenATPFinals.com looks back at three of the most inspired performances at this event.

Hyeon Chung – 2017
The South Korean was seventh in the ATP Race To Milan and one of the last players to qualify for this event, but punched well above his weight when play began. The South Korean swept all three of his matches in Group A, then finished off a dramatic five-set semi-final against Russian Daniil Medvedev with a 4-0 shutout in the decider.

The man known as “The Professor” finished at the top of the #NextGenATP class by rallying from a set down to defeat Russian Andrey Rublev 3-4(5), 4-3(2), 4-2, 4-2 in the championship match.

“I’m just really, really happy… I really don’t know how I won here in Milan,” Chung said. “[It was a] really tough match tonight against Rublev. He was better than the last time [we played]. So I was just trying to play my best.”

Fueled by his Milan breakthrough, Chung started 2018 by defeating Medvedev, Alexander Zverev and Novak Djokovic to reach his first Grand Slam semi-final at the Australian Open. But just as he was primed to crack the Top 20 of the ATP Rankings, ankle and foot injuries hampered much of his season. Chung was then sidelined for five months this year with a back injury.

The 23-year-old is finally healthy again, though. He returned to action in August with an ATP Challenger Tour title in Chengdu and came through qualifying to reach the third round of the US Open. If he remains injury-free, expect Chung to quickly climb back up the ATP Rankings next year.

Stefanos Tsitsipas – 2018
Tsitsipas was an alternate at the inaugural event in Milan, but arrived in 2018 as the top seed. He reached his first ATP Masters 1000 final that August in Toronto (l. to Nadal) and became the first Greek to lift an ATP Tour trophy just three weeks before Milan at the Intrum Stockholm Open (d. Gulbis).

Tsitsipas lived up to his billing in Milan by powering through his three round-robin matches in Group A before scoring an epic fifth-set tie-break win in the semi-finals against 2017 runner-up Rublev. Tsitsipas joined Chung as undefeated champions in Milan with a 2-4, 4-1, 4-3(3), 4-3 victory in the final against Aussie Alex de Minaur.

“It feels great. I’ve been playing some great tennis this week here in Milan,” Tsitsipas said. “It’s a very special moment. I think I can get some confidence out of it and play better in the future.”

The similarities to Chung didn’t stop in Milan as Tsitsipas also reached his maiden Grand Slam semi-final two months later at the Australian Open, which included a fourth-round upset against two-time defending champion Roger Federer. But the Greek carved his own path from there with a banner season that included titles in Marseille (d. Kukushkin) and Estoril (d. Cuevas), in addition to another Masters 1000 final in Madrid (l. to Djokovic).

Last month, Tsitsipas qualified for his maiden appearance at the Nitto ATP Finals. He clinched the milestone moment on the same day he defeated Djokovic in the Shanghai quarter-finals, marking his first win over a current World No. 1.

“It’s great,” said Tsitsipas. “It’s sweet. It’s something that I have been trying to get, and it was in my bucket list from the beginning of the year.”

Alex de Minaur – 2018
The Sydney native immediately took to the unique scoring format in Milan, sweeping Group B with a four-set win over Rublev and dropping a combined 11 games in victories over American Taylor Fritz and Italian Liam Caruana. He then showed off his supreme fitness by outlasting Spaniard Jaume Munar in a lengthy five-set semi-final before falling to Tsitsipas in the championship match.

But the hard-working Aussie took plenty of confidence from his runner-up finish. After going 0-2 in finals last year, De Minaur kicked off this season with his maiden ATP Tour title on home soil in Sydney (d. Seppi).

“That’s something that has been tough. I’ve played a lot of finals and they haven’t gone my way,” De Minaur said. “So the amount of relief I got after winning today, I was finally able to just let go. I’m really looking forward to what’s next.”

Two more tour-level crowns in Atlanta (d. Fritz) and Zhuhai (d. Mannarino) accompanied a runner-up finish in Basel (l. to Federer), propelling De Minaur to a current career-high ATP Ranking of No. 18. He returns to Milan this year as the top seed and looks to cap off his banner year with another title.

The format and rules of the Next Gen ATP Finals are unique to any other event on the ATP Tour. Brush up on how this year’s event in Milan will unfold and the exciting innovations that players can utilise during competition.

Format
The tournament has a round-robin format, with eight players divided into two groups of four. The eight seeds are determined by the ATP Race To Milan standings on the Monday following the Rolex Paris Masters. All singles matches are the best-of-five sets, with each set the first to four games (not six games).

Draw
The top-seeded player is placed in Group A and the second-seeded player is placed in Group B. Players seeded 3 and 4, 5 and 6, 7 and 8, are then drawn in pairs with the first drawn placed in Group A. Each player plays the three other players in his group. The winner of each group (best overall record) is placed in separate semi-final brackets, with the top player in Group A playing the runner-up in Group B, and vice versa. If two or more players are tied after the round-robin matches, the ties are broken by a tie-break procedure.

Semi-final Qualifying Procedure
The final standings of each group is determined by the first of the following methods that apply:
a) Greatest number of wins;
b) Greatest number of matches played;
    Comment: 2-1 won-loss record beats a 2-0 won-loss record; a 1-2 record beats a 1-0 record.
c) Head-to-head results if only two (2) players are tied.

Innovations
The third edition of this event will see the following innovations:

Wearable Technology
For the first time on the ATP Tour, players will be permitted to use wearable technology in competition this year. The data collected will allow players and coaches to quantify the demands of the competition, better understand athlete loading and make key performance decisions that are supported with objective data. 

Shorter Format: First to Four games sets (Tie-Break at 3-All), Best-of-Five sets, with No-Ad scoring
Shorter set format designed to increase number of pivotal moments in a match, while the best-of-five set format does not alter the number of games required to win a match (12) from the traditional scoring format, and No-Ad scoring.

Shorter Warm-Up
Matches begin precisely four minutes from the second player walk-on.

Shot Clock
A shot clock is used in between points to ensure strict regulation of the 25-second rule, as well as during set breaks, Medical Time-Outs, and the four-minute countdown from the player walk-on to the first point of the match.

Medical Time-Outs
A limit of one medical time out per player per match.

Player Coaching
Players and coaches can communicate at certain points in the match, providing additional content and entertainment value for broadcast. Coaches will not be allowed on-court.

Towel Rack
Players are instructed to use a towel rack at the back of the court to remove the onus on ball kids to handle towels.

‘Free Movement’ Policy
A ‘free movement’ policy is applied to the crowd (except behind the baselines) throughout the tournament. The policy enables fans to move freely in and out of the stadium during matches, providing a relaxed fan-friendly atmosphere and ensuring fans are not restricted entry into the stadium at any time.

Video Review
Video review is available to further analyse judgement calls from the chair umpire, including the following incidents: double bounces; foul shots, such as a double hit or a carry; touches – when the ball might skim a racquet or clothing; and invasion – when the player, or anything he’s wearing or carrying, makes contact with the opponent’s side of the court while the ball is in play. Players were able to challenge any such calls.

Novak Djokovic broke a tie with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal for the most ‘Big Titles’ on Sunday by capturing his 55th. The Serbian accomplished the feat by winning the Rolex Paris Masters, which is the final ATP Masters 1000 event of the season.

This is the first time that Federer has trailed Djokovic or Nadal in the Big Titles race.

Djokovic has won four ‘Big Titles’ this season, triumphing at the Australian Open (d. Nadal), the Mutua Madrid Open (d. Tsitsipas), Wimbledon (d. Federer) and now the Rolex Paris Masters. The Serbian has earned at least four ‘Big Titles’ in two straight seasons and nine times overall. Nadal has also earned four ‘Big Titles’ in 2019.  A ‘Big Title’ is a trophy at a Grand Slam championship, the Nitto ATP Finals or an Masters 1000 tournament.

Read More From Paris
Djokovic Beats Shapo, Moves Closer In Battle For Year-End No. 1
Djokovic On Potential To Finish Year-End No. 1: ‘That Would Be Fantastic’
Novak Skips The Grunt Work Against Shapo

After the US Open, Djokovic and Nadal had identical win rates at ‘Big Title’ events. But Djokovic now stands alone at a rate of one per 3.3 tournaments played following his triumph in Bercy, where he lifted a record fifth trophy. Djokovic owns 34 Masters 1000 crowns, moving him within one of Nadal’s record 35. Nadal has averaged winning one ‘Big Title’ per 3.4 events played, and Federer’s rate is one per 4.3 tournaments contested.

Each member of the ‘Big Three’ will have an opportunity to add another ‘Big Title’ this season with the prestigious Nitto ATP Finals starting in a week at The O2 in London. Federer has won the season finale a record six times, while Djokovic has lifted the trophy on five occasions, tied for second in tournament history with Ivan Lendl and Pete Sampras.

Did You Know?
Djokovic’s win on Sunday gave him his 77th tour-level title, moving him into a tie with John McEnroe for fifth all-time. The Serbian trails Jimmy Connors (No. 1, 109), Federer (No. 2, 103), Lendl (No. 3, 94) and Nadal (No. 4, 84) in that category.

Current and Former Champions’ Big Titles Won (Records Since 1990)

* Becker’s four other Grand Slam titles came before 1990.
** Edberg’s three other Grand Slam titles came before 1990.
*** Chang’s one Grand Slam title came before 1990.

A one-in-20 chance of success sounds daunting, but the best players in the world deal with these odds at some stage in basically every match they play.

What’s the exact scenario? Trying to break serve after the server has built a 30/0 lead.

An Infosys ATP Beyond The Numbers analysis of the current Top 50 players in the 2019 season identifies that they break serve, on average, just five per cent (525/10,065) of the time after the server has built a 30/0 lead.

Who’s the best at coming all the way back and breaking when the server has already reached 30/0? None other than Rafael Nadal, who will return to No. 1 in the ATP Rankings on Monday.

Nadal has managed to break serve 9.9 per cent (20/202) of the time this season, which is right at twice the rate of the Top 50 average.

2019 Leaders: Breaking From 30/0 Leaders
Rafael Nadal – 9.9% (20/202)
David Goffin – 8.7% (18/208)
Kei Nishikori – 7.8% (17/218)
Novak Djokovic – 7.7% (15/196)

In the US Open final, Nadal triumphed 7-5, 6-3, 5-7, 4-6, 6-4 against Daniil Medvedev to win his 19th Grand Slam title and 54th “Big Title” overall.

In the first four sets of the match, Medvedev raced to a 30/0 lead eight times, holding all eight times. But in a thrilling fifth set, Nadal broke Medvedev twice in a row, at 2-2 and 2-4, after the Russian had built a 30/0 lead in both service games. Those were two of the biggest moments in a spectacular final.

Medvedev has broken serve the most (21 times) out of the Top 50 so far this season, but he has also trailed 30/0 when returning the second most on Tour, at 293 times. The Russian’s break percentage is a very healthy 7.2 per cent (21/293), which has him sitting in 10th out of the Top 50 in this specific metric.

Six other players who are ranked lower in the Top 50 of the ATP Rankings surprisingly elevated a long way up the list when it came to breaking serve from 30/0.

Punching Above Their Weight: Breaking From 30/0

Overcoming formidable odds is a key quality that helps these players succeed at the pinnacle of our sport.

Heading into the Rolex Paris Masters final on Sunday, one of the adaptations top seed Novak Djokovic had to make was going from playing a right-hander like he did in the semi-finals against Grigor Dimitrov to facing a left-hander in the championship against Denis Shapovalov. But the Serbian’s serve did not miss a beat.

The 32-year-old was dominant on serve in his 6-3, 6-4 triumph, helping him collect a record-extending fifth ATP Masters 1000 Paris trophy. Djokovic won 80 per cent of his service points — including 80 per cent of his second-serve points — en route to a 66-minute win.  

Shapovalov managed to put just 35 per cent of his first-serve returns and 64 per cent of his second-serve returns back into play, and Djokovic interestingly used different strategies for each delivery. And Djokovic — who hit just two aces in the match — did not need to rely on a Karlovic-like ace count to hold his serve.

Djokovic bombarded the ‘T’ with his first serve, going to Shapovalov’s forehand 74 per cent of the time in the deuce court, and to the Canadian’s backhand 56 per cent of the time in the ad court. It was the second consecutive match in which he predominantly went to his opponent’s forehand in the deuce court, after hitting 54 per cent of his first serves out wide against Dimitrov. Djokovic won 81 per cent of his first-serve points in the final.

Djokovic Final First-Serve Placement vs. ShapovalovDjokovic Semi-final First-Serve Placement vs. Dimitrov
“On the rare occasions like today, I do feel like Karlovic,” Djokovic said in recognition of the big-serving 6’11” Croat, who has hit the most aces in history. “It’s quite frustrating to play against a player like Ivo Karlovic, a player that serves very well. But it feels great when you actually can get out of your serve a lot of free points. And that was the case for me, not just today, but throughout this week.”

Djokovic changed it up with his second serve, though. He flip-flopped on the Canadian, going to Shapovalov’s backhand 71 per cent of the time in the deuce court and 57 per cent of the time in the ad court. And of Djokovic’s 14 second-serve points (excluding one double fault), Shapovalov managed to put only 36 per cent of them back into play.

Djokovic Second-Serve Placement vs. Shapovalov
Shapovalov barely won any free points with his second delivery, as Djokovic put 92 per cent of his second-serve returns back into play. The lefty targeted the Serbian’s body a majority of the time in both service boxes.

Shapovalov Second-Serve Placement vs. Djokovic
“[My] serve was definitely one of the best shots in my game and that allowed me to also feel more comfortable and more confident from baseline,” Djokovic said.

The champion spread the ball around the court, hitting to Shapovalov’s backhand more than anywhere else, doing so at a rate of 43 per cent. He made only nine unforced errors in the match.

Djokovic Shot Placement vs. Shapovalov
Shapovalov clearly targeted Djokovic’s backhand, hitting 53 per cent of his shots in that direction. He also hit 58 rally forehands to just 24 backhands. There were only three points of more than nine shots in the match.

Shapovalov Shot Placement vs. Djokovic

– Hawkeye data and visuals courtesy ATP Media

Imagine a Novak Djokovic match where more than half the points played featured only a serve and a return. Impossible, right?

Djokovic defeated Denis Shapovalov 6-3, 6-4 in the final of the Rolex Paris Masters on Sunday by dominating the really short points that featured no groundstrokes at all. Of the 104 points played, 56 of them (54%) featured only a serve and return, which played right into the Super Serb’s “first- strike” strategy.

No groundstrokes. No problem for Novak.

It’s important to note that rally length is dictated by balls landing in the court, not shots hitting the racquet. In rallies that lasted either zero (double fault), one or two shots, Djokovic collected 34 points, which represented more than half (56%) of the 61 points he won for the match.

More than eight points out of 10 in the final saw either player touch the ball a maximum of only two times. Djokovic’s initial touches simply went in the court a lot more than Shapovalov’s.

What mattered most to Djokovic in these ultra-quick exchanges? Extracting an error was the primary focus. Of the 34 points Djokovic won when the rally length was zero, one or two shots, only four were his winners, with 30 being errors from Shapovalov. The Canadian committed only three double faults, but 27 return errors were what sunk the ship.

2019 Paris Final: Rallies Without A Groundstroke

Shapovalov committed 15 forehand return errors and 12 backhand return errors for the match, with most of them (15/27) coming in the Deuce Court. The Canadian made eight forehand return errors from a Djokovic first serve down the T in the Deuce Court, and six on sliders out wide to the backhand. Overall, Djokovic was able to extract 22 return errors from a first serve and five from a second serve.

Shapovalov Errors
Double Faults = 3
Return = 27
Serve +1 = 5
Return +1 = 4
5+ Shot Rallies = 12
Total = 51

Djokovic’s serve was a major asset all week in Paris, and it was his primary weapon in the final. “It was tough for me to find a groove just because he was really, really picking his spots on the serve,” Shapovalov said.

We often think of Djokovic as a master of long rallies, but they had no bearing on this match at all, with only four points featuring in the nine-plus shot rally length and only two rallies maturing to double digits.

Total Points Played
0-4 Shots = 84 (81%)
5-8 Shots = 16 (14%)
9+ Shots = 4 (5%)
Total Points = 104

Shapovalov won the three-shot rally length 7-6 and drew even with Djokovic 4-4 in four-shot rallies. But the Canadian was heavily in debt in zero-, one- and two-shot rallies.

The 0-4 Shot Rally Length Broken Down

Djokovic’s game has morphed perfectly at the end of the season to excel on indoor hard courts, where striking first is dictated by the faster conditions. It must have been nice to put the lethal groundstrokes on the shelf for a day and let the serve and return collect the silverware.

Editor’s note: Craig O’Shannessy is a member of Novak Djokovic’s coaching team.

Novak Djokovic’s victory on Sunday at the Rolex Paris Masters was not big just because it was his 34th ATP Masters 1000 title and a record-extending fifth at this tournament. By triumphing instead of finishing runner-up, the Serbian gained an additional 400 ATP Race To London points, pulling him within 640 of leader Rafael Nadal as the battle for year-end World No. 1 heats up heading into the Nitto ATP Finals.

Entering the week, Djokovic could have seen his year-end No. 1 chances slip away. But now, his dreams to claim his sixth year-end No. 1 finish and tie Pete Sampras’ record are very much alive.

“That puts me in a better position after this week. But, again, I have to keep on winning. There’s always a chance that I win all my matches in London, that I play well,” Djokovic said. “I have done it in the past, and I like playing there. But it’s [an] extremely difficult task considering who my opponents are going to be. You’re playing a Top 10 player every single match.

“So that’s a big task on my end that I have to focus on. And as a consequence, if I manage to get the year-end No. 1, that would be, of course, fantastic.”

If he lifted his first Paris trophy, Nadal would have clinched his fifth year-end No. 1 finish, which would have tied Djokovic, Roger Federer and Jimmy Connors for second all-time. But the Spaniard was forced to withdraw in the semi-finals due to an abdominal injury, allowing Djokovic to gain ground.

“I’m sad to see that he’s injured because that’s not what you want to see, not for Rafa, not for any other athlete. I know how that feels. Obviously I went through major injuries in my life as well,” Djokovic said. “I hope he can recover and compete in London. Because with or without him, obviously, also the battle for No. 1 but also the tournament itself is different. He’s a great champion and obviously lots of respect for him.”

Djokovic is not salivating at the opportunity ahead of him in London. Instead, he’s focussing on one match at a time, knowing he needs to go undefeated at The O2 to earn 1,500 points, which would give himself the best possible chance to claim his sixth year-end No. 1 finish.

“It’s not possible for me now to assume anything. It is not a reality. I have to wait and see what happens in London, to see if I can reach that goal,” Djokovic said. “It wouldn’t be correct to presume with regard to Nadal and the others.”

For the moment, Djokovic is ecstatic with his performance in Bercy. At the start of the week, he admitted to being ill. But that did not stop the Serbian from lifting the trophy — his fifth of the year, matching Dominic Thiem for the ATP Tour-lead — without losing a set.

Djokovic extended his FedEx ATP Head2Head series lead against Shapovalov to 4-0 with his 66-minute championship victory. But the Canadian was the second #NextGenATP player to reach a Masters 1000 final in 2019, joining Stefanos Tsitsipas (Madrid). And with 2017 Next Gen ATP Finals competitor Daniil Medvedev winning two Masters 1000 trophies this year, Djokovic recognised that younger players are on the rise.

“I don’t think there’s any big difference in terms of the game. Next Gen guys have won Masters 1000s like Zverev some years ago. And so it has happened and it’s going to happen more,” Djokovic said. “The new generation is already there. And guys like Medvedev and Khachanov and Rublev, the Russians, and Tsitsipas and Zverev and Thiem, and you know, Denis, Felix, this generation, it has already established themselves in the first Top 20 of the [ATP Rankings].

“And now these guys are starting to believe, more and more, that they can actually fight for the biggest trophies with the other guys. So I think it’s a matter of time, it’s a matter of when things come together in terms of experience, in terms of a good given day, I guess, as well.”

But for now, Djokovic, Nadal and Federer maintain the top three slots in the ATP Rankings. And while Nadal will climb to No. 1 on Monday as Djokovic’s 2018 Nitto ATP Finals points drop off, the Serbian will head to London with confidence that he could earn himself an opportunity to take that spot right back.