Federer looks towards number one spot in Paris

The ATP BNP Paribas Tennis Masters is the final event on the ATP tour and it promises to provide some excellent action as the regular ATP season comes to a close. This event presents the final chance for players to pick up vital qualifying points in an attempt to make it to the season ending Barclays ATP World Tour Finals in London but also points for those chasing the coveted world number one crown.

The challenge for that number one spot is hotting up, with Roger Federer currently sitting 810 points behind Novak Djokovic but with 1000 points up for grabs for the winner of this event, the Swiss legend will feel he can close in ahead of the tour finals in November.

Coming off the back of another great win in Basel at the weekend, defeating David Goffin 6-2 6-2 in the final, Federer is 11/4 with betfred to make it two titles in as many weeks. Although confidence will be high in the Federer camp and he can look back to 2011 when he went on to win this title, as well as the tour finals following victory in Basel, the Swiss has not won at this event since that 2011 victory. However, due to the timing of the event, his record here is not as important as the form he is currently showing and that`s what makes Federer a good bet to succeed here.

Of course, nothing can be taken for granted, especially when current world number one Novak Djokovic is in the draw. Having already claimed three ATP Masters 1000 titles this season, Djokovic has not played since his defeat to Federer in Shanghai but they are in separate halves of the draw. Djokovic is 15/8 with BetVictor to retain the title he won last year but with the recent birth of his child plus the other players the Serb has in his half of the draw, that does not seem to represent great value.

Talking of the other players in Djokovic`s half of the draw and Andy Murray, who is chasing ATP points for another reason, will be coming in to the event with confidence, all be it a little tired following his exciting but draining final match against Tommy Robredo. Murray is priced at 9/1 with BetVictor but considering the Scot has been on tour constantly for the last six weeks, something has to give eventually and it may well be in Paris this week, especially given the strength of the field.

Now that Rafael Nadal has dropped out of the remainder of the season, this effectively opens up another spot at the tour finals in November and that is what makes this event so interesting. It`s not just Murray who looking to find those extra points, Kei Nishikori will need to perform well here to secure his first ever appearance at the tour finals and comes in fresh having taken a break from the tour. The Japanese is 14/1 with betfred to go all the way in Paris and secure his place at the finals in doing so.

Other players who are scrambling for points include David Ferrer, who has good from in this event, reaching the final in the last two years and is 22/1 with BetVictor to win the title he last won in 2012. Another player to look out for is Tomas Berdych, who has also won this event in the past and is looking for important ranking points. The Czech is in the most favourable half of the draw and can be backed at 16/1 with betfred to claim the title this week.

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27/10/2014     © Frixo 2024