The ninth and final ATP Masters 1000 tennis tournament on the 2019 ATP Tour calendar is upon us. Rolex Paris Masters serves as the final battleground in the ATP Race to London as players attempt to clinch the remaining spots at the Nitto ATP Finals at The O2 from 10-17 November. Alexander Zverev will earn a chance to defend his title in London if he reaches the final this week. He’s currently seventh in the ATP Race to London with 2,855 points. Matteo Berrettini is eighth in the Race with 2,660 points. The Italian will secure his maiden appearance at The O2 if he reaches the final in Paris, but may need to get past Zverev since they share the same half of the draw. Berrettini has reached the semi-finals in three of his past five tour-level events.
We take a look at the possible semi-finalists.
NOVAK DJOKOVIC.
The top seed and the last year runner-up, Novak Djokovic will aim to better his previous year’s results at the last Masters 1000 event on the ATP Tour. Djokovic is a four-time Rolex Paris Masters – most by any other player till date. The Serbian will face Dusan Lajovic or Richard Gasquet in the second round. He might face Diego Schwartzman in the round of 16 and then followed by Stefanos Tsitsipas (an opportunity to avenge his Shanghai Masters defeat to Tsitsipas) in the quarters. In the semifinals, he is expected to meet the Russian, Daniil Medvedev or Dominic Thiem. A potential championship match is expected to be between Nadal or Federer and Djokovic.
DANIIL MEDVEDEV.
2019 US Open runner-up, Daniil Medvedev reached back-to-back Masters 1000 finals in the last six events on the ATP Tour. He has also reached the finals in the past three Masters 1000 tournament, finishing runner-up to Nadal in Montreal and triumphing in Cincinnati and Shanghai. Medvedev has been the man to beat in the second half of this season, with an extraordinary 29-3 win-loss record since Wimbledon and making the final of the last six tournaments he played, winning three of them. Medvedev will kick off against Guido Pella or qualifier in the second round. He has a potential third-round against John Isner followed by Dominic Thiem in the quarters and Novak Djokovic in the semifinals. The Russian might clash against Roger Federer or Rafael Nadal in the finals if he wins against Nole.
RAFA NADAL.
Rafael Nadal’s best result at the Paris Masters came in 2007 when he reached the finals but fell short of David Nalbandian in the title match. He missed the last year’s edition due to injury. The Spaniard will start his campaign for his maiden Paris Masters 1000 title against Adrian Mannarino in the second round after receiving a bye in the opening round. The Spaniard is guaranteed to return to world number one in the next ranking and can ensure that he ends the year that way by winning the title in Paris but he is yet to win a Paris Masters title. Nadal starts his campaign against Adrian Mannarino in the second round just like other seeded players. There is a potential third-round match against Stan Wawrinka. The 33-year-old might meet the defending champion Karen Khachanov in the last eight and a semifinal against arch-rival Roger Federer and a final with Novak Djokovic.
ROGER FEDERER.
Roger Federer will aim to claim his second Masters 1000 event in the 2019 season in Paris. The Swiss maestro has not won the Paris Masters title since 2011. Last year, the 38-year-old felt short of Novak Djokovic in the semifinals and will hope to better his results in this year’s feature. Roger opens his Paris account against Nikoloz Basilashvili or Radu Albot in the second round, followed by Gael Monfils in the third round and might be up against Alexander Zverev in the quarterfinals. A potential semifinals clash is expected between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. If through, Federer could meet Novak Djokovic for the title match.
The prediction for the Paris Masters semi-finalists: Novak Djokovic, Daniil Medvedev, Rafa Nadal and Roger Federer.
2019 Rolex Paris Masters tennis is live from Paris from 28 October – 03 November 2019.