Novak Djokovic won’t be taking anything for granted heading into his Rolex Paris Masters quarter-final with Marin Cilic Friday.

Two years ago, despite taking a 14-0 FedEx ATP head2head record against Cilic into the Paris quarter-finals, Djokovic’s eight years of dominance over the Croat ended in a straight-sets defeat that cost Djokovic the No. 1 ATP Ranking. He has not been back to No. 1 since, but will leapfrog Rafael Nadal as World No. 1 Monday after a stunning recovery from a low of No. 22 in June.  

View FedEx ATP Head2Head for the following match-up at the Rolex Paris Masters and vote for the players you think will win!
Federer vs Nishikori | Djokovic vs Cilic | Zverev vs Khachanov | Thiem vs Sock

Djokovic, however, is focused more immediately on his Friday appointment with Cilic, who also beat the 32-time ATP World Tour Masters 1000 champion in the Queen’s final this year, before Djokovic had his revenge in three sets in Cincinnati.

“Well, I had a very good head-to-head record [against Cilic] until that match a few years ago here,” Djokovic said. “It’s going to be a tough one. Tough to receive his missiles… and he’s got the really big game from back of the court. Great backhand, flat. He can play very aggressively and he can also defend well.

“We respect each other. We get along very well. We speak the same language. So I’m looking forward to it. It’s going to be a great match.”

Djokovic comes in with an ATP World Tour season-high 20-match winning streak and personal-best 30 sets won in a row streak. Cilic is guaranteed a spot at the Nitto ATP Finals in London if he reaches the semi-finals. 

The first match on Friday’s quarter-finals card is between the two youngest players remaining. The 21-year-old, Alexander Zverev brings a 2-0 record against the 22-year-old Karen Khachanov, who is appearing in his second career ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final after reaching the semi-finals in Toronto in August.  Zverev leads the ATP World Tour with 54 overall wins and 24 in ATP Masters 1000 tournaments. This is the German’s seventh ATP Masters 1000 quarter-final of the season and he is 5-1 in quarter-final matches.

In the second match on, Dominic Thiem takes a 2-1 head-to-head against Jack Sock, who won the last meeting two years ago in Paris in the second round. Sock is playing his first Top 10 opponent of the season and he’s trying to reach his first SF since last year’s Nitto ATP Finals in London. Thiem is trying to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals for the third straight year.

In the final match on, Roger Federer enters with a 6-2 record (won last five) against Kei Nishikori, who must beat the Swiss in order to keep his London hopes alive. If he loses, then Cilic and Thiem will grab the last two spots. Both players are appearing in their first quarter-final in Paris since 2014 when Nishikori advanced to the semi-finals and Federer the quarter-finals.

It was November 1997. As neon winks danced between hotels and casinos, illuminating the night’s sky, Las Vegas was fast becoming a beacon of opportunity and hope in the desert. It was thus apropos that the ATP Challenger Tour set its roots in the burgeoning city.

During the day, the city was drenched in scorching sunlight. Even in late autumn, the Frank and Vicki Fertitta Tennis Complex was set ablaze, but the players took it in stride as they battled for the trophy at a $50,000 event. For Andre Agassi, this is the place he calls home. The Las Vegas native is an American legend and one of the best players to ever lift a racquet. But as he stepped on the campus of the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, sitting outside the Top 100 of the ATP Rankings, he was a humbled man.

Following a stretch of wrist issues and personal troubles, he became just like any other player on the Challenger circuit. The goal was the same as the next guy, fighting for his career.

“Despite what you would read about me and my tennis, my fall from the top was in comparison to Bruce Springsteen playing at the local bar down the street,” Agassi told ATPWorldTour.com. “People talk about me being humbled out there. Well for sure. I was fighting out there and I was very far from where I had been. I was as disconnected as I had ever been on a tennis court. But what a beautiful place to start the climb back than in your own backyard. I have really proud memories from playing out here.”

Already a three-time Grand Slam champion and World No. 1, Agassi was made to work to resurrect his ATP Ranking. After falling as low as No. 141, he made his comeback debut on his home courts of Las Vegas. On the ATP Challenger Tour, fans are given the unique opportunity to catch a rising star in an intimate setting. It is rare to see an established superstar of Agassi’s caliber working his way back from injury at the level. But that’s exactly what the Vegas faithful were treated to.

Fans crammed into every square foot of the recently opened tennis centre to catch a glimpse of Agassi, as the American battled his way to the final. Where many players would seek wild cards into ATP World Tour events to rebuild their standing, Agassi said he needed to experience the grind of working from the bottom up. Armed with a rigourous conditioning programme with longtime trainer Gil Reyes, he not only reached the final in Las Vegas, before falling to Christian Vinck, but would go on to lift the trophy a week later in Burbank, California. 

“The important part was having those thresholds of quantitative improvement. I grinded my way to the final at UNLV and I was never more excited to win a tournament than in Burbank. That was reflected in my performance. To earn my way through a few tough matches, I got to the final and remembered not what you don’t need to do, but what you do need to do out there. You’re not playing to not lose. You’re playing to win. There was a learning curve there that gave me a lot of wind in my sail heading into 1998, where I managed to make it all the way back to No. 6 in the world.”

It was that 9-1 stretch that not only restored his confidence, but gave him a feeling of purpose on the court that he desperately sought to rediscover. He would defeat a 25-year-old Daniel Nestor in the Burbank semis, followed by a 6-2, 6-1 rout of World No. 68 Sargis Sargsian for the title.

Agassi firmly believes that his impressive run at the Challenger level was the impetus that propelled him back to the top. Getting consistent match play over the two-week stretch, and the resulting momentum and confidence, was essential. 

His success on the circuit kick-started his climb up the ATP Rankings. One year later, he would return to the pinnacle, securing his lone year-end No. 1 finish in 1999, as well as five more Grand Slam titles.

“The Challenger Tour is crucial,” Agassi added. “It’s unimaginable that a large number of players would be able to make it without the tour. It provides the ability to build your tenacity and competitive drive and put it to the test at this level. It’s a clear stepping stone for the next stage. It played a big role in my life multiple times. When I started my career and then when I fell from No. 1 to No. 141 in the world, I went straight back to the university courts I grew up on and started over again. 

“Had the tour not been there, even with all the experience I had, I don’t know if I could have built the stamina to hone my craft. It is critical to build your game step by step. It’s an important level for every player at some stage in their development. Everybody that makes it uses this as a crucial stepping stone in the process.”

More than two decades later, the ATP Challenger Tour is thriving once again in Agassi’s hometown. Last week, the Las Vegas Tennis Open celebrated a successful fourth edition, with Thanasi Kokkinakis lifting the trophy. Following a 10-year hiatus, the fast-growing desert metropolis welcomed pro tennis back with open arms. 

Aside from Agassi’s influence, the city has a strong relationship with the sport, having also hosted a pair of tour-level events. The Alan King Tennis Classic was held at Caesar’s Palace in the 1970s-80s, featuring the likes of Rod Laver, Jimmy Connors, Bjorn Borg and Ivan Lendl as its champions. And the Tennis Channel Open enjoyed a three-year run from 2006-08, with another former World No. 1 – Lleyton Hewitt – among its titlists.

“Pro tennis in Las Vegas was a huge part of my inspiration. It was a powerful part of my life when the Alan King Tennis Classic used to be here. The top players in the world were in the city and it was a pretty special time to have that tournament. But having this platform to impact the city is big. This city deserves pro tennis in some capacity. It’s a combination that needs to exist. 

“Back in the day, I was the only player from here through the years. I have a lot of close friends that I grew up with here. David Pate comes to mind. He paved the way to believe that dreams are possible. It’s big for the community as well.”

Now, under the guidance of tournament director Jean-Francois Blais and UNLV head coach Owen Hambrook, the revival of the ATP Challenger Tour event is attracting new tennis fans in the city. Agassi himself is also playing an integral part, with the Andre Agassi Foundation serving as a key partner.

The foundation is dedicated to transforming U.S. public education for underserved youth. It is a cause close to Agassi’s heart. According to the 48-year-old, nothing has a greater impact on children’s lives than the education they receive. He has taken on the responsibility of helping them fulfill their potential and achieve their dreams. 

Learn More About Andre’s Foundation

“I’m blessed to be able to make a difference in children’s lives. That has generational implications. It’s rewarding and humbling and really a privilege. Figuring out ways to scale my mission here in Vegas across the country, has been a real challenge but certainly a fabulous journey. I continue to pursue ways to impact children’s lives through education, and especially those who are underserved. 

“And to integrate it with tennis has given me a second career. It’s my life’s work. The sport has given me such a great platform in my life. It’s doing it in a way that’s very personal and rewarding. When I can engage with the kids and provide some direction for them, then I do take that opportunity. 

“There’s a lot to be said for a city of can-do spirits. We’re built in the middle of a desert and whatever keeps that dream alive is important.”

Just four days ago, Kevin Anderson beat Kei Nishikori to lift his first ATP World Tour 500-level trophy at the Erste Bank Open 500 in Vienna, Austria. But on Thursday at the Rolex Paris Masters, Nishikori got his revenge.

The Japanese star defeated Anderson 6-4, 6-4 to reach the quarter-finals at the final ATP World Tour Masters 1000 event, maintaining his hopes of qualifying for the Nitto ATP Finals. If Nishikori did not win in the final match of the day, both Marin Cilic and Dominic Thiem would have taken the two remaining spots at the season finale, guaranteeing their spots in London at The O2 from 11-18 November.

“I had to fix some things to avenge [my loss against] Kevin,” Nishikori said. “I lost a few days ago, so I had to change something, and I think I did well. Maybe he didn’t play his best today, but I think I played good tennis.”

Nishikori, currently ninth in the ATP Race To London, is 325 points behind No. 8 Dominic Thiem and 660 points behind No. 7 Marin Cilic. Both of those players are still alive in Bercy, with Thiem facing defending champion Jack Sock on Friday and Cilic confronting red-hot second seed Novak Djokovic.

Nishikori has now advanced to at least the quarter-finals at six consecutive tour-level events, beginning with his trip to the last four at the US Open. The 28-year-old has won 19 of his past 24 matches, and he is seeking his first ATP World Tour title since 2016 Memphis.

It won’t get any easier for Nishikori, though, as the No. 10 seed next faces 2011 champion Roger Federer, who beat Fabio Fognini earlier in the evening. Federer has won five FedEx ATP Head2Head meetings in a row against Nishikori, and he leads their series 6-2.

The pair just met three weeks ago at the Rolex Shanghai Masters, where Federer broke three times en route to a straight-sets victory. Nishikori will take confidence into Friday’s quarter-finals, though, having moved past seventh-seeded Anderson without facing break point to advance in 80 minutes.

“I have to figure out a little bit how to play Roger again, but I think I’ve been playing well the past couple weeks,” Nishikori said. “Hopefully I can bring that again tomorrow.”

Did You Know?
Nishikori did not break Anderson’s serve in the Vienna final. The Japanese star broke the South African in Anderson’s first service game of the match on Thursday.

Alexander Zverev continued his strong form at ATP World Tour Masters 1000 events this season, beating Diego Schwartzman 6-4, 6-2 at the Rolex Paris Masters on Thursday.

A winner of three ATP World Tour trophies this season, Zverev has now reached the quarter-finals or better at seven of the nine Masters 1000 events in 2018. The 21-year-old German won 84 per cent of first-serve points (32/38) and saved all four break points he faced to move into the quarter-finals after 81 minutes. With a 54-17 tour-level record this year, Zverev is now just one match win away from equalling his personal best total of 55 victories achieved in 2017.

Schwartzman ends his season with a 33-25 record. Without dropping a set, the 26-year-old Argentine captured his first ATP World Tour 500 title in Rio de Janeiro earlier this year.

Zverev will meet Russia’s Karen Khachanov for a place in the semi-finals. Zverev leads Khachanov 2-0 in their FedEx ATP Head2Head series, which includes a five-set win at Roland Garros this year.

Karen Khachanov ended John Isner’s bid to qualify for the Nitto ATP Finals in dramatic fashion, saving two match points to beat the 33-year-old American 6-4, 6-7(9), 7-6(8). The World No. 18, who held three match points in the second-set tie-break, regrouped well in the decider, dropping just five service points (32/37) to advance after two hours and 28 minutes.

Khachanov now moves into his seventh tour-level quarter-final of the season and second at the ATP World Tour Masters 1000 level. Earlier this season, the 22-year-old reached the Rogers Cup semi-finals, falling in straight sets to eventual champion Rafael Nadal.

Isner was aiming to advance to the quarter-finals in Paris for the fourth straight year and maintain his hopes of making his debut at the Nitto ATP Finals in London. The 2016 runner-up ends his season with a 34-19 tour-level record. Isner lifted two tour-level crowns this season, winning the biggest title of his career at the Miami Open presented by Itaú and his fifth BB&T Atlanta Open trophy.