ATP TENNIS FINALS UPDATE • RAFA NADAL, NOVAK DJOKOVIC, ROGER FEDERER ALL GUARANTEED SPOTS

Written by: Staff on 27th September 2018

ATP TENNIS FINALS UPDATE • RAFA NADAL, NOVAK DJOKOVIC, ROGER FEDERER ALL GUARANTEED SPOTS

epa07004177 Rafael Nadal of Spain hits a return to Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina during their semi-final match on the twelfth day of the US Open Tennis Championships the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York, USA, 07 September 2018. The US Open runs from 27 August through 09 September. EPA-EFE/JUSTIN LANE |

Rafael Nadal of Spain hits a return to Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina during their semi-final match on the twelfth day of the US Open Tennis Championships the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, New York, USA, 07 September 2018. The US Open runs from 27 August through 09 September. EPA-EFE/JUSTIN LANE

By Ricky Dimon

The fall swing marks the annual home stretch to the Nitto ATP Finals, always sure to provide plenty of intrigue as the top players on the ATP World Tour battle for eight prestigious places. This year’s field looks more clear-cut than usual with six weeks of the proverbial regular season still remaining, but some shuffling could still be in the cards throughout upcoming stops in Asia and Europe.

Ricky takes a look at the projected field in terms of current positioning in the 2018 race to London:

1. Rafael Nadal – 7,480 points (CLINCHED). A knee issue may be a blessing in disguise for the reigning French Open champ when it comes to his hopes for a first-ever year-end championship title. Nadal needs to go into London well-rested to have a shot.

2. Novak Djokovic – 6,445 points (CLINCHED). In a resurgence like no other from significant injuries, Djokovic captured back-to-back slams at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. Once an afterthought, the Serb is now the favorite to win a sixth YEC title.

3. Juan Martin Del Potro – 4,910 points. Del Potro is less than 100 points away from mathematically clinching, so it should happen next week in Beijing. Due mostly to recurring wrist problems, the U.S. Open runner-up has not participated in London since 2013.

4. Roger Federer – 4,800 points (CLINCHED). Federer has already clinched even though he trails Del Potro in points because the 37-year-old has a slam title to his credit (Australian Open). He is six-time champion of this tourney but has not won it since 2011.

5. Alexander Zverev – 4,365 points. Zverev will be skipping the NextGen ATP Finals in Milan for a second straight year because he will once again be playing with the big boys in London. Majors continue to be a problem, but he has been great at Masters 1000s.

6. Marin Cilic – 3,815 points. Cilic has never done anything at the YEC, with a woeful 1-8 record and zero trips out of round-robin competition in three appearances. The good news for the Croat is that he is in prime position to get another shot at this event.

7. Dominic Thiem – 3,525 points. Thiem is 2-4 lifetime at the O2 Arena and has never reached the semis. That’s hardly a surprise given that an indoor hard court does not suit his game. But the Austrian helped his London bid with a recent indoor title in St. Petersburg.

8. Kevin Anderson – 3,450 points. This would mark Anderson’s first trip to the O2 Arena. He had never even been in the discussion until last year, when he threw away a golden opportunity with a disastrous fall swing on the heels of a runner-up U.S. Open finish.

Alternates

9. John Isner – 2,930 points. Isner came within two more wins at the Paris Masters of making it to the O2 Arena last year. His chances are slim this time around because he is skipping the Asian swing following the birth of his first child earlier this month.

10. Kei Nishikori – 2,565 points. Isner’s absence from the Asian swing means Nishikori has the best chance of overtaking either Zverev, Cilic, Thiem, or Anderson. The world No. 12 from Japan gets to play in front of the home crowd next week in Tokyo.

Fabio Fognini, David Goffin, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Pablo Carreno Busta, Milos Raonic, Borna Coric, Grigor Dimitrov, Marco Cecchinato, Diego Schwartzman, and Kyle Edmund are still in the borderline mix as they round out the top 20 in the current race to London.