Scouting Report: 10 Things To Watch In Paris
This week’s Rolex Paris Masters is the final ATP Masters 1000 event of the season. There is a lot at stake, with the Nitto ATP Finals singles and doubles fields still to be completed.
World No. 2 Rafael Nadal leads the way as he attempts to win his third title of 2020 and his 87th tour-level trophy overall. If the Spaniard wins his opening match at Paris-Bercy, he will hit the 1,000-win milestone.
ATPTour.com looks at 10 things you should know ahead of the tournament.
Paris Draws: Singles | Doubles
1) Nadal’s Pursuit: Nadal will try to win his first Rolex Paris Masters title. The Spaniard has enjoyed success in Paris-Bercy, reaching at least the quarter-finals in his seven previous appearances. But he has not yet lifted the ‘Tree of Fanti’ trophy. Nadal can tie Novak Djokovic’s record if he wins his 36th Masters 1000 title. The lefty will begin his run against Serbian Filip Krajinovic or countryman Feliciano Lopez.
2) Super Tsitsipas: Reigning Nitto ATP Finals champion Stefanos Tsitsipas will make his third appearance at this event. The Greek star made the quarter-finals last year before falling short against Novak Djokovic. He will start his pursuit of a first Masters 1000 title against home favourite Ugo Humbert or Norwegian No. 1 Casper Ruud.
3) Red-Hot Rublev: Nobody carries as much momentum into Paris as Andrey Rublev. Since play restarted in August, the Russian has won three ATP 500 titles (Hamburg, St. Petersburg and Vienna) and he leads the ATP Tour with five tour-level trophies in 2020. The fifth seed, who will play Hubert Hurkacz or lucky loser Radu Albot in his opening match, is trying to win his first match at this tournament (0-2).
4) FedEx ATP Battle For London: Only one singles spot remains at the Nitto ATP Finals after Rublev triumphed in Vienna on Sunday to guarantee his spot. Currently in pole position is Argentine Diego Schwartzman, who is trying to earn his first berth in the season finale. The Rolex Paris Masters sixth seed will play Frenchman Richard Gasquet or American Taylor Fritz in his opening match. Italian Matteo Berrettini, who competed at The O2 last year, is 210 points behind Schwartzman.
5) Medvedev Indoors: Third seed Daniil Medvedev has won three of his past five ATP Tour titles indoors. Will he make it four indoor titles by triumphing in Paris? The two-time Masters 1000 champion is 1-2 at Paris-Bercy, but he owns a 63.6 winning percentage indoors. The Russian will begin his tournament against Kevin Anderson, the man who beat him in Vienna, or lucky loser Laslo Djere.
6) Former Champ Khachanov: The only former singles champion in the field is big-hitting Russian Karen Khachanov. In 2018, he lost just one set during a magical run to his maiden Masters 1000 title. Khachanov earned four consecutive Top 10 wins to triumph, culminating with a victory against Djokovic in the final. This year, Khachanov opens against qualifier Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.
7) French Wild Cards: Four French hopes received wild cards into their home Masters 1000 event: Benjamin Bonzi, Hugo Gaston, Pierre-Hugues Herbert and Corentin Moutet. Last year, Moutet, who had qualified, pushed Djokovic to a first-set tie-break in the second round. Herbert will be competing in the main draw for the seventh time.
8) Gaston & Paris: One of the breakout stars in Paris less than two months ago at Roland Garros was #NextGenATP Frenchman Gaston. The 20-year-old lefty thrilled fans from around the world with his drop shots and overall creativity en route to the fourth round, in which he lost a five-set thriller against two-time finalist Dominic Thiem. Gaston won a round in Rolex Paris Masters qualifying last year and he will make his main draw debut this edition against ninth seed Pablo Carreno Busta.
9) Doubles Battle: The FedEx ATP Battle For London is heating up on the doubles side with four spots remaining at the Nitto ATP Finals. The four teams currently in those qualifying positions are all competing in Paris: Wesley Koolhof/Nikola Mektic, John Peers/Michael Venus, Jamie Murray/Neal Skupski and Lukasz Kubot/Marcelo Melo. Kubot/Melo, who beat Murray/Skupski in the Vienna final, could play them again in the second round in Paris.
10) Singles Stars Playing Doubles: Several singles stars have entered the Paris doubles draw, including Tsitsipas, Medvedev, Alexander Zverev, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Alex de Minaur. The top seeds are Robert Farah/Horacio Zeballos and the second seeds are reigning US Open champions Mate Pavic and Bruno Soares.