2010 Season ending Finale; Top five players in London
As the year 2010 winds down, the top eight contenders from the ATP World Tour will soon travel all the way to London to exhibit their sporting flair in the season ending tournament.
The year-end Finale follows a round-robin draw instead of a single-elimination format and it is divided into two groups of four. The two leading contenders from each division will reach the semi final round and further the title battle in London.
The defending champion, Nikolay Davydenko has not qualified for this season’s edition of the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London so there will be a different winner than last year without any measure of speculation. Here is a look at the top five players who have already qualified for the elite eight-man field.
1. Rafael Nadal
World number one Rafa qualified for the London Finale back in July after winning his Wimbledon title at the All England Club. The professional tennis player from Spain has accumulated almost double the points of second ranked Roger Federer of Switzerland with 11,450 points.
He will be in action in Paris and is taking a break this week. The 24-year-old Nadal is definitely the hot favourite in any competition he contests and will capture another title for sure, provided he plays at top level.
2. Roger Federer
In spite of the fact that the world number two Roger Federer has not played at his very best throughout this season, the big man is still capable of displaying some of the most tremendous tennis shots on the tour.
The Swiss tennis maestro has not triumphed in the season end competition since 2007 and therefore is looking to play well and regain the top spot in the world.
Federer, 29, has grabbed just a single Grand Slam title in 2010.
3. Novak Djokovic
The hard-hitting tennis sensation from Serbia, Novak Djokovic has been playing some of his career best tennis in the last couple of months without any doubt.
The Serbian is 15-2 in his last seventeen clashes with his only defeats being to the top two contenders on the tour. Moreover, Djokovic also posted eleven of his victories in straight sets. The right-hander has all the chances in the world to capture his second ATP World Tour Finals crown, provided he keeps his opening serve percentage high on the court. Djokovic won his first London title back in 2008.
4. Andy Murray
The 23-year-old Murray has had an inconsistent season since starting his 2010 campaign as a runner-up at the Australian Open in Melbourne.
With defeats prior to the quarterfinal round at French Open and United States Open, the number one Brit is definitely hoping to end the year on a high note.
Murray found his rhythm in Shanghai; missing just twenty-five games on his way to the title victory where he got the better of world number two Roger Federer. However, he will have to play flawless tennis in order to surpass his competitors in the elite eight-man field in London.
5. Robin Soderling
The Swedish tennis contender who has improved his ranking to as high as number five in the world this season got the better of Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal in the round-robin play before bundling out of the competition back in 2009.
This season has been a consistent one for the Swede; however, other than his outstanding slaughtering of Federer at the French Open in Roland Garros, Soderling has not registered any other notable victory against a top ranked contender on the ATP World Tour.
Therefore, he will have to fight hard in order to go beyond the initial rounds in London.
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