Novak Djokovic's hopes of qualifying for the ATP Finals in Turin hang in the balance ahead of the Paris Masters; watch all the ATP and WTA action on Sky Sports Tennis and Sky Sports+ which is integrated into Sky TV, streaming service NOW and the Sky Sports app
Monday 28 October 2024 11:12, UK
Novak Djokovic's hopes of qualifying for the season-ending ATP Finals hang in the balance with Casper Ruud, Andrey Rublev, Alex de Minaur and Grigor Dimitrov all aiming to overthrow the 24-time Grand Slam champion at the Paris Masters.
With the top eight in the world set to play at the ATP Finals from November 10-17 at the Palaolimpico in Turin - live on Sky Sports Tennis - Djokovic risks being overtaken, with a number of players jostling for positions and valuable points to be won.
Djokovic, a record seven-time champion at the Paris Masters, will not be defending his title after announcing his withdrawal, meaning the 37-year-old's season could well be over with qualification not guaranteed.
The Serb will lose a significant number of ranking points due to missing Paris, leaving him teetering on the edge of qualification.
Australian and US Open winner Jannik Sinner, along with French Open and Wimbledon winner Carlos Alcaraz, will be favourites to win the ATP Finals.
"I'm looking forward to it," said Sinner, who is chasing his fourth Masters 1000 trophy of the season.
"I'm focused on myself, and hopefully I can raise the level from the last two years I came here, when I struggled a little bit on this court. So let's see."
The pair, along with Germany's Alexander Zverev, have already qualified for the season-ending extravaganza in Italy.
Taylor Fritz, Casper Ruud and Andrey Rublev are the players in the draw seeking to retain the qualification spots they currently occupy. Alex de Minaur, Grigor Dimitrov and Tommy Paul lead the chasing pack of stars hoping to make a late charge and book their ticket to Turin.
The Paris Masters is once again being held at the Accor Arena, located in the heart of Paris, France.
The iconic multi-purpose venue, known for hosting a variety of events year-round, transforms into a tennis arena during the tournament and accommodates up to 15,000 tennis fans for the Masters 1000 event.
The tournament will be moving from its long-standing home to a larger venue at the Paris La Defense Arena, increasing the capacity from just under 17,000 to 23,000, in 2025.
The current format of four daytime matches and two evening sessions will change to three daytime and two in the evening, in order to avoid matches starting too late.
Jack Draper is the only singles player in the main draw, with the British No 1 set to make his first appearance at the tournament since 2022. He takes on Czech Jiri Lehecka in the opening round on Tuesday.
Draper arrives in Paris in superb form having reached a new career-high ranking of world No 15 and climbing following his victory at the Erste Bank Open in Vienna.
He will look to cap off the best season of his career in style by clinching a maiden Masters 1000 title crown, although he would have to win the tournament and hope players above him lose early in order to stand any chance of reaching the ATP Finals in Turin.
However, Cameron Norrie's frustrating season continued with a first-round loss in qualifying. France's Quentin Halys beat the 2022 Wimbledon semi-finalist in straight sets, 6-3 6-4.
Main Draw: Monday October 28 to Thursday October 31 at 11am and 7.30pm
Friday November 1 at 1pm and 6pm
Saturday November 2 at 11.30pm
Doubles Final: Sunday November 3
Singles Final: Sunday November 3 at 2pm
From 4am on October 28 through to 4pm on October 31 you can watch back-to-back LIVE TENNIS, totalling 84 hours of non-stop action on Sky Sports Tennis.
Winner: €919,075/ 1000 points
Finalist: €501,880 / 650 points
Semi-finalist: €274,425/ 400 points
Quarter-finalist: €149,685/ 200 points
Round of 16: €80,065/ 100 points
Round of 28: €42,935/ 50 points
Round of 64: €23,785/ 10 points
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