Stefan Edberg will make a welcome return to The O2 in London next week as part of the ATP’s Finals Club, which this year celebrates Barclays ATP World Tour Finals competitors in the 1980s.

Having qualified for nine straight year-end championships in New York City and Frankfurt, between 1985 and 1994, the Swede continues to marvel at the growth of the prestigious event.

“This has become one of the best events to visit as a spectator,” Edberg told ATPWorldTour.com. “You don’t have to deal with rain, you’re guaranteed two great matches each day and everything runs well.

“It was mostly about the Grand Slams in my generation, but I think this championship and the [ATP World Tour] Masters 1000 events have so much importance to them now, which is great. That’s how it should be.”

Edberg won the season finale title in 1989 (d. Becker), in the final edition of the event at Madison Square Garden, New York, and was runner-up the following year (l. to Agassi) at the Festhalle Frankfurt in Germany. 

“I remember it being such a big deal for me to qualify for the first time [in 1985],” said Edberg. “You have to deserve to be here and play so well throughout the whole season. It was great to play in Frankfurt because it was basically Boris Becker’s home ground and tennis was so big in Germany, but it was also very special to play at Madison Square Garden, in that type of environment and in a big city.

“It was really special to defeat Becker in the 1989 final because I had lost six or seven finals that year, so it was a real breakthrough. I was winning most of the finals in 1990, so it did hurt to lose to Andre Agassi in the championship, especially after beating him in a great match during the round robin group.”

More: Stan ‘The Big Match Man’ Eyes First London Title

Since retiring from the ATP World Tour in 1996, Edberg has had the chance to see the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals evolve, both as a spectator and former coach to Roger Federer from 2013-15. He’s eager to see how the battle plays out between Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic for the year-end No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Rankings.

“What’s interesting is that over the past two years, it’s been all about Federer and Djokovic, but now it’s changed to Murray and Djokovic,” said Edberg.

“It was a little bit surprising that Andy reached No. 1 before the end of the year, but he’s had a great season and has been knocking on the door for quite some time. Djokovic isn’t going to go away, though, that’s for sure! He’s had such a long reign at the top (223 weeks in total) and has also had a great season. But it’s normal to see new people challenging him for that spot.”

Edberg and John McEnroe remain the only players in ATP World Tour history to ranked No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Rankings and top spot in the Emirates ATP Doubles Rankings.

This year, Group Edberg/Jarryd is named in honour of the classy Swede and Anders Jarryd, who won the year-end doubles championships in 1985 and 1986.

This year’s Barclays ATP World Tour Finals features plenty of regular faces making their annual appearance at the O2, but one of the most popular veterans in tennis is also making his deserved debut at the season finale, which begins at The O2 in London on 13 November.

Gael Monfils qualified for the first time after producing a career-best season in 2016. Having started the year at No. 25 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, the 30-year-old Frenchman now sits at No. 6, tying his career-high ranking.

Monfils largely attributes the remarkable run of form he’s had this year to his team.

“[Coach] Mikael [Tillstrom] helped me a lot, but my fitness coach gets a lot of credit as well. They’ve both done a great job,” said Monfils. “Mikael jumped on the team last year and we’ve changed a lot. I’ve changed my routine, the way I practise and recover. It’s been working well.”

The Frenchman won the biggest title of his career at the Citi Open in Washington (d. Karlovic), in addition to reaching his first Masters 1000 final since 2010 at the Monte-Carlo Rolex Masters (l. Nadal). Monfils also finished runner-up at the ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament in Rotterdam (l. Klizan) and produced another big run at a Masters 1000 event with a semi-final showing at the Rogers Cup (l. Djokovic).

But Monfils is far from content with simply going deep in tournaments. Although he managed to reach his first Grand Slam semi-final in eight years at the US Open (l. Djokovic), he described the experience as bittersweet.

“I was happy, but very disappointed, to be honest,” admitted Monfils. “I had such high expectations for the last [Grand Slam]. But it definitely helped me to have more belief in myself and put in a lot of work to be even stronger.”

Watch: Monfils Beats Karlovic To Win Washington 2016

His view on one of the biggest results of his career is a testament to the improved temperament and more measured approach that Monfils has shown both on and off the court. Gone are the days when he would lose focus for long stretches of a match or not bring his best tennis to tournaments.  Monfils has long had the talent to place himself among the world’s elite players, but now has the mentality to go with it.

“People forget that we grow up,” said Monfils. “I turned 30 and we have a different view on life now. It’s just a general change in my mentality and living style. All of this helped me change my routine more easily with Mikael, because I was changing my way of living in other ways as well.”

Although Monfils was forced to pull out of last week’s BNP Paribas Masters with a rib injury, he has already been practising at The O2 and appears ready to make a big run in the last tournament of the season. He features in Group Ivan Lendl alongside Novak Djokovic, Milos Raonic and Dominic Thiem.

“The end of the season is always tough. Mentally, it’s been very demanding for myself,” said Monfils. “But I feel very confident because I’ve won a lot of matches. I feel my game is not very far from the top, so I’m in good spirits and with a lot of hope.”

Nicknames stick with Stan Wawrinka. He answers to the catchy “Stan The Man” and Roger Federer aptly coined him “Stanimal”, while watching Wawrinka roll through the 2014 Australian Open.

But perhaps the most accurate nickname for Wawrinka, who heads to the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals for the fourth consecutive year, is a hybrid of his two popular monikers: “Stan The Big Match Man”.

Few players on the ATP World Tour have been more clutch than Wawrinka in big matches, and the World No. 3 will try to tap into that prowess at The O2 in London from 13-20 November, where he’s searching for his first championship at the season finale.

He will play only the best players in London, a perfect scenario for Wawrinka, who somehow brings his top level against the game’s greatest. Facing World No. 1s in finals, the Swiss is 3-0. He beat Rafael Nadal in Melbourne in 2014. Wawrinka thwarted Novak Djokovic’s Grand Slam plans last season when he beat him at Roland Garros. In September, the 31 year old prevailed against Djokovic once more at the US Open.

“He just steps in. He loves to play in the big matches. He comes up with his best game,” Djokovic said after falling to Wawrinka in New York. “He’s so solid from both corners. He’s got a good slice and an amazing one-handed backhand, all corners. Big serve. Moves well. He’s a very complete player. Sometimes if he feels right he doesn’t miss much and makes a lot of winners, and it’s hard to play him.”

Belief propels Wawrinka in the big matches. “When I start to play well in the final at a tournament, I know that I can beat anybody,” he said in Shanghai.

Wawrinka also gathers momentum throughout a tournament. By the time he’s playing in a final, if everything has gone well, he’s nearing top form. But the Lausanne native has also done well at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, a tournament, with its round-robin format, that poses the best against the best on Day One.

On each of the three occasions Wawrinka has played in London he’s advanced to the semi-finals. But he hasn’t made the final yet, falling in the last four to Federer twice and Djokovic once.

Perhaps this is Wawrinka’s year? Federer will miss the year-end championships for the first time since 2001. Djokovic last won a title in July, but new World No. 1 Andy Murray, his Group John McEnroe rival, is in strong form.

Wawrinka has also been producing exceptional performances this season. He’s 4-1 in finals this year, with his only loss coming against #NextGen star Alexander Zverev at the St. Petersburg Open in September. During his past 12 finals, Wawrinka is 11-1, a run that dates back to June 2013 when he lost to Frenchman Nicolas Mahut on the grass in ‘s-Hertogenbosch.

“I take confidence every time I win a match,” Wawrinka said in September. “Put the fight on the court and you will have a chance to win.”

Stan’s Finals Stretch

Just short of 100 aces for the week, including 28 in the final. You said after your semi-final yesterday that you weren’t thrilled with how you served. How did you feel you served today?

I served much better today than yesterday, for sure. [Ruben] was a tough returner. I hit a lot of aces, but part of it is that I played a lot more points on my serve. Even if I did hit my spot, he was taking cuts at the ball and was dangerous. He was a nightmare for me today.

You only had one look at break chances today as well.

I was one for five today, but all of those came in one game. If you look at his results, he hasn’t been broken by many people here. Yesterday was a different story, but it’s not like I’m the only guy not breaking him. I feel like I probably return better than a lot of the guys that he’s already beaten here.

He didn’t miss one ball and was all over me. He didn’t give me a chance to swing. I was running a lot. It was brutal.

What impressed me most was the composure you had. How did your nerves feel as you were getting down the stretch in the third set?

I talk a lot when I play, but in those moments I’m pretty calm. I know that if hit my spot, the ball won’t come back. And he’s thinking more than me.  I have to put myself in his shoes. That makes me feel even more calm.

Even with my game now, if the ball comes back, I’m playing well from the baseline and volleying well. That was the key this week. I was beating guys from so many different parts of the court. I was defending when I had to and stealing a lot of points that way, coming in and volleying. I won five matches this week and you can see that I won them in a lot of different ways

Even though you still have a few more tournaments this year, have you thought about anything you want to work on during the off-season?

My shoulder is dead now. I can still hit [serves], but it wasn’t comfortable. It’s going to be huge to get better flexibility and strength in the off-season. I’m going to work with Mark Kovacs for four weeks and he’s going to kill me the entire time. But that’s what the off-season is all about.

You’re in a very comfortable lead now with the USTA Pro Circuit wild card challenge for the Australian Open. More importantly, you’re now guaranteed to play qualifying there with your [Emirates ATP] Ranking. Do you feel like you can play more freely for the next few weeks?

Definitely. Like I said, the wild card doesn’t mean anything to me. But being in qualies for the Australian Open, seven or eight months of playing tennis with no stress, no points to defend. Obviously it’ll be a different story when the BB&T Atlanta Open comes around. [Laughs]. The summer is going to be a grind, but it’s like that for everyone.

How do you celebrate tonight?

It’s Sunday, so watch some football and probably continue my routine. I watched some basketball last night. I’ve got to get on a flight pretty soon for the next event as well.

You’re 20-0, five straight Challenger titles through 2016. How much of it has been you and how much of it has been your partners or even luck?

I think it’s always a team effort. I’ve been fortunate to play with good partners every week, Ryan Harrison, Sam Groth twice, Matt Reid and Mackenzie McDonald. It’s been a really fun year in doubles. I still haven’t found my stride yet in singles, but I look to keep playing more doubles next year and hopefully keep getting my [Emirates ATP Doubles] ranking up because I don’t have a point coming off until Savannah.

With scoring in doubles, things can get away from you with a bad give minutes. What does that say about your mental composure and that of your partners in not losing a match this year?

I think it just shows that we haven’t really had an off match. You have some matches where you play better than others, but we haven’t had a 10-minute stretch of bad tennis where we could lose the match. And the key is not losing many sets. [Laughs]. I think I’ve only lost three sets this year in Challengers. Obviously in a Match Tie-break, if you get a letcord or double fault once, it can change the momentum. The key is just to be steady and play well on deuce points.

Chris Guccione has the current record-winning streak in Challenger doubles with 33 matches. Is that something you think about at all?

Not at all. I didn’t even know there was a streak. Maybe I’d think about it if I got to 32 or 33, but right now I’m just trying to get my [Emirates ATP Doubles] ranking up and get inside the Top 50 or Top 40. Obviously a streak of that magnitude is significant, but it’s not something I’m thinking about.

Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic will resume their battle later this week for year-end No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Rankings, following the draw ceremony for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals, to be held at The O2 in London from 13-20 November.

The quest to be crowned year-end No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Doubles Team Rankings will also reach fever pitch as Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut and Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares square-off for the title.

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Singles – Group John McEnroe
[1] Andy Murray (GBR)
[3] Stan Wawrinka (SUI)
[5] Kei Nishikori (JPN)
[7] Marin Cilic (CRO)

Singles – Group Ivan Lendl 
[2] Novak Djokovic (SRB)
[4] Milos Raonic (CAN)
[6] Gael Monfils (FRA)
[8] Dominic Thiem (AUT)

Murray, who has won an ATP World Tour-best eight titles this year, leads Group John McEnroe alongside Stan Wawrinka (9-7 FedEx ATP Head2Head record), Kei Nishikori (7-2) and Marin Cilic (11-3). Murray, who has a 73-9 match record in 2016, has qualified for the season finale for the ninth successive year, with semi-final runs in 2008 (l. to Davydenko), 2010 (l. to Nadal) and 2012 (l. to Federer). He is attempting to become the first Briton to win the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals and secure year-end No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Rankings for the first time.

Djokovic, who saw his streak of 122 consecutive weeks at No. 1 end on 7 November, is looking to capture a fifth consecutive and record-equalling sixth year-end title. The Serbian has been drawn in Group Ivan Lendl with Milos Raonic (7-0 FedEx ATP Head2Head) and two debutants, Gael Monfils (13-0) and Dominic Thiem (3-0). With a 61-8 mark and seven titles in 2016, he is also looking to finish year-end No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Rankings for the fourth time.

Eight different countries are represented in the elite eight-man field, with Group Ivan Lendl matches scheduled to begin on Sunday, 13 November. Group John McEnroe matches will begin on Monday, 14 November. John McEnroe won the 1978, 1983-84 season finale crowns, while Ivan Lendl won five titles from nine straight finals (1980-88).

Doubles – Group Fleming/McEnroe
[1] Pierre-Hugues Herbert (FRA) / Nicolas Mahut (FRA)
[4] Marc Lopez (ESP) / Feliciano Lopez (ESP)
[5] Henri Kontinen (FIN) / John Peers (AUS)
[7] Raven Klaasen (RSA) / Rajeev Ram (USA)

Doubles – Group Edberg/Jarryd
[2] Jamie Murray (GBR) / Bruno Soares (BRA)
[3] Bob Bryan (USA) / Mike Bryan (USA)
[6] Ivan Dodig (CRO) / Marcelo Melo (BRA)
[8] Treat Huey (PHI) / Max Mirnyi (BLR)

Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Nicolas Mahut, the winners of five titles this season – including Wimbledon and three ATP World Tour Masters 1000 crowns, lead Group Fleming/McEnroe alongside Marc Lopez and Feliciano Lopez, the recent Paris titlists Henri Kontinen and John Peers, and Raven Klaasen and Rajeev Ram. Mahut will attain year-end No. 1 in the Emirates ATP Doubles Rankings with one round-robin victory at The O2.

Jamie Murray and Bruno Soares, who are in contention to become the year-end No. 1 team, were drawn in Group Edberg/Jarryd with four-time season finale winners Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan, who recently passed 1,000 doubles team match wins. Ivan Dodig and Marcelo Melo and first-time qualifiers Treat Huey and Max Mirnyi make up the group.

Peter Fleming and McEnroe won seven straight year-end doubles titles from 1978-84, while Stefan Edberg, a former singles and doubles World No. 1, and Anders Jarryd picked up the 1985 and 1986 trophies.

British TV presenter Rob Curling hosted the 2016 draw ceremony.