For the fifth season running a thrilling year on the ATP World Tour comes to a climax in London for the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals at the O2 arena.
The world’s top players will be battling it out for the last major title of 2013 but one big name will be missing.
Wimbledon Champion British No.1 Andy Murray has been forced to miss the championships due to recent back surgery. The three-time semi-finalist will be motivated to return in 2014.
Here we profile the singles and doubles qualifiers who will be aiming to finish the year with a bang in London while Novak Djokovic and the team of Marcel Granollers Marc Lopez set out to defend their titles.
Singles qualifiers
RAFAEL NADAL (ESP) – 6th appearance (9th qualification)
The Spaniard has compiled one of the great comeback seasons in 2013 after seven months out with injury after Wimbledon last year.
Nadal has lifted 10 titles highlighted by a record 8th French Open crown and a 2nd US Open title with a four set victory of rival Djokovic in New York.
The 27 year-old has been victorious at 5 Masters 1000 events and returned to the No.1 ranking in October for the first time since July 2011. The 2010 finalist will be aiming to lift the ATP World Tour Finals title for the first time.
NOVAK DJOKOVIC (SER) – 6th appearance
Djokovic began the season by collecting a 6th Grand Slam title with a four-set victory over Murray to defend his Australian Open crown.
The Serb dethroned eight time champion Nadal to win the Monte Carlo Masters for the first time but suffered heartbreak at Roland Garros with an epic defeat at the hands of his Spanish rival.
Murray outplayed Djokovic in the Wimbledon final before Nadal proved too good in the New York finale. The Serb got revenge in Beijing before winning the Shanghai Masters. The defending champion will be out to lift a third year-end title after his exciting victory over Roger Federer 12 months ago.
DAVID FERRER (ESP) – 5th appearance
The Spanish No.2 reached his first Grand Slam final at Roland Garros and climbed to a career high ranking of 3rd in 2013. Ferrer was a semi-finalist in Melbourne and reached the last eight at Wimbledon and the US Open.
The 31 year-old lost a thriller to Murray in the Miami final after holding match point but lifted titles in Auckland and Buenos Aires. Ferrer was a semi-finalist two years ago and reached the final in Shanghai on his debut at the championships in 2007.
JUAN MARTIN DEL POTRO (ARG) – 4th appearance
Del Potro has won four titles during 2013 and has twice been runner-up at Masters 1000 events – In Indian Wells he defeated Djokovic but lost to Nadal and in Shanghai he blasted past Nadal but fell to Djokovic.
The Argentinean No.1 reached his first Wimbledon semi-final where he lost a 4 hour and 44 minute thriller 7-5, 4-6, 7-6(2), 6-7(6), 6-3 to Djokovic and has regained his top 5 ranking.
The Argentinean arrived at the O2 in 2009 as US Open champion and reached the final on his debut.
TOMAS BERDYCH (CZE) – 4th appearance
Berdych cracked the top 5 for the first time this year during a consistent campaign despite not lifting a title.
The big hitting Czech reached the quarter finals in Melbourne and finals in Marseille, Dubai and Bangkok as well as Masters 1000 semi-final appearances in Indian Wells, Madrid, Rome and Cincinnati.
The Czech No.1 was a semi-finalist at the championships two years ago.
ROGER FEDERER (SUI) – 12th appearance
The six-time champion booked his record equalling 12th straight qualification with a second round victory in Paris.
By his high standards 2013 has been a difficult year for the Swiss 32 year-old but he lifted a 77th career title in Halle and was a finalist in Rome and in Basel last week and reached the Australian Open semi-finals in January.
Federer has been in eight finals at the year-end championships and will be out to regain the title after falling to Djokovic in a thrilling final 12 months ago.
STANISLAS WAWRINKA (SUI) – 1st appearance
The Swiss No.2 booked his place in London for the first time during the Masters 1000 in Paris at the end of the best year of his career.
The 28 year-old reached a new career high of 8th after stretching Novak Djokovic to five sets in his first Grand Slam semi-final at the US Open. Wawrinka also reached the last eight at Roland Garros and was a finalist at the Masters 1000 in Madrid.
RICHARD GASQUET (FRA) – 2nd appearance
Gasquet returns to the year-end championships for the first time since 2007. On that occasion in Shanghai the Frenchman defeated Novak Djokovic but failed to reach the semi-finals.
The 27 year-old has won 3 titles during 2013 – Doha Montpellier and Moscow - and reached his second Grand Slam semi-final at the US Open after a five set quarter final victory over David Ferrer.
AISAM-UL-HAQ QURESHI (PAK) AND JEAN-JULIEN ROJER (NED) – 2nd appearance
Qureshi and Rojer make their second consecutive appearance at the O2 after making their debut last year when they went winless in the round robin.
This year the Pakistani/Dutch pairing lifted their first Masters 1000 shield in Miami, won in Stockholm and reached two further finals.
Doubles qualifiers
BOB BRYAN AND MIKE BRYAN (US) – 11th team appearance
In a dominant season the Bryans have lifted 10 titles including 3 more Grand Slam crowns. In New York the American twins were two victories away from becoming the first team since 1951 to win a calendar Grand Slam but fell in the semi-finals.
The world’s top pairing will be aiming to win a 4th year-end title in London after victories in 2003-04 and 2009.
ALEXANDER PEYA (AUT) AND BRUNO SOARES (BRA) – 1st team appearance
The Austrian/Brazilian pairing reached their first Grand Slam final in New York and won their first Masters 1000 shield in Montreal.
They were finalists at the Madrid Masters 1000 falling to the Bryans but scored a thrilling 7-6(3), 6-7(1) 13-11 victory over the top ranked Americans recently in Basel. The 2nd ranked pair will be making their debut at this year’s Barclays ATP World Tour Finals.
IVAN DODIG (CRO) AND MARCELO MELO (BRA) – 1st team appearance
Dodig and Melo will also be making their first appearance at the O2. The Croatian and Brazilian team advanced to their first major final at Wimbledon and blasted out to a 5-0 first set lead against the Bryans before falling in four sets.
Last month the duo lifted their first Masters 1000 crown in Shanghai after victory over the Bryan twins in the semi-finals.
MARCEL GRANOLLERS AND MARC LOPEZ (ESP) – 2nd team appearance
Twelve months ago the Spaniards made a tremendous debut at the O2 with a thrilling win over the Bryan brothers in their opening match before defeating India’s Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna to win their biggest title.
In 2013 the Granollers and Lopez have been semi-finalists at the Australian Open and finalists at the Masters 1000 in Cincinnati.
LEANDER PAES (IND) AND RADEK STEPANEK (CZE) – 2nd team appearance
At Flushing Meadows Paes and Stepanek upset the Bryans before taking their second Grand Slam crown together with victory over Peya and Soares. The Indian/Czech partnership reached the last four at Wimbledon.
In their O2 team debut 12 months ago they defeated the Bryans in the group stages before narrowly falling in the semi-finals.
40 year-old Paes has been a finalist on four occasions at the year-end championships in 1997, 1999 and 2000 with Mahesh Bhupathi and in 2005 with Nenad Zimonjic.
AISAM-UL-HAQ QURESHI (PAK) AND JEAN-JULIEN ROJER (NED) – 2nd team appearance
Qureshi and Rojer make their second consecutive appearance at the O2 after making their debut last year when they went winless in the round robin.
This year the Pakistani/Dutch pairing lifted their first Masters 1000 shield in Miami, won in Stockholm and reached two further finals.
DAVID MARRERO AND FERNANDO VERDASCO (ESP) – 1st team appearance
Marrero and Verdasco make their team debut in London this year. The Spaniards were victorious in St Petersburg, reached a first ATP Masters 1000 final in Shanghai as well as 7 further semi-finals. In the majors they were quarter finals in Melbourne and Paris.
Verdasco has tasted the atmosphere at the O2 previously as a singles qualifier in 2009 where he stretched Roger Federer, Andy Murray and Juan Martin Del Potro all to three sets.
MARIUSZ FYRSTENBERG AND MARCIN MATKOWSKI (POL) – 6th team appearance
The Polish team clinched the final berth in London to seal their sixth appearance at the year-end championships. They were finalists in 2011 and semi-finalists a year before.
Highlights for Fyrstenberg and Matkowski in 2013 have included winning in Hamburg, a runner-up finish at the Miami and a quarter final showing at the French Open.
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