Rolex Paris Masters 1000: 4 lesser-known facts about the event

The Rolex Paris Masters 1000 is usually the last of the 9 ATP Masters 1000 tournaments to be played before the ATP Finals. It is the only ATP Masters 1000 event to be held indoors and it is for this reason that the tournament is sometimes referred to as the 'Paris Indoors'.

Apart from the French Open, the Paris Masters is the other big ticket event in the tennis calendar held in the glorious city of Paris. The 2017 edition of the tournament saw American Jack Sock emerge victorious, taking home his first ATP Masters 1000 trophy.

This helped him to qualify for the ATP Finals for the very first time. As the 2018 edition of the tournament is set to take place later this month, we take a look at 4 lesser-known facts about the Rolex Paris Masters:

#4 Three Frenchmen have won the Paris Masters

Rolex Paris Masters Director Guy Forget

Two-time Davis Cup winner Guy Forget was the first Frenchman to win this tournament in 1991. The tournament was then called Open de Paris. In an epic marathon final against American Pete Sampras, Forget won in 5 sets and it is to this date considered one of the best matches to have been witnessed in this tournament.

10 years later, Sebastien Grosjean beat former World Number 1 Russian Yevgeny Kafelnikov in 4 sets. The last Frenchman to win the title was Jo-Wilfried Tsonga who beat Argentine David Nalbandian in the finals in the year 2008. Tsonga also finished runner-up to Roger Federer in 2011.

Guy Forget, who was earlier the non-playing captain of the French Davis Cup team, now serves as the Director of the Rolex Paris Masters. Frenchman Gael Monfils has been a runner-up twice in 2009 and 2010.

#3 5 instances when the new World Number 1 has been crowned

Andy Murray at the 2016 Paris Masters

The last tournament in the ATP Masters 1000 Calendar provides an opportunity for players to seal the last few slots to qualify for the ATP Finals. The tournament has also seen 5 players being crowned as World Number 1.

In 1995, American Pete Sampras defeated German Boris Becker in the final and with this victory became the new World Number 1. In the year 2000, Russian Marat Safin beat Australian Mark Philippoussis in the final and was crowned World Number 1.

American Andy Roddick fresh from his victory at the US Open won the Paris Masters and was crowned Number 1 in 2003. Novak Djokovic clinched the World Number 1 ranking here in 2012 despite not winning the tournament and is the only player to have achieved this unique feat at the Paris Masters.

After winning the coveted Wimbledon Championships and the Olympic Gold in 2016, Andy Murray captured the World Number 1 ranking for the first time in 2016 after winning the Paris Masters, defeating American John Isner in the final.

#2 Most successful Singles champion

Novak Djokovic at the 2015 Paris Masters

Serb Novak Djokovic is the only player to have won 4 titles at the Paris Masters 1000 and is the only player to have defended the title in the tournament's history. Djokovic won a hattrick of titles from 2013 to 2015. His first title at the Paris Indoors came in 2009.

The Serb is unbeaten in finals at this event. He has also won the most matches here - 28. Between 2013 to 2015, he was undefeated for 17 straight matches - another tournament record. With the Number 1 ranking in sight coupled with his newfound mojo since Wimbledon, Novak Djokovic looks set to capture an unprecedented 5th title in Paris and re-capture the World Number 1 ranking.

If Novak Djokovic wins the Paris Masters later this month, he will tie Rafael Nadal's tally of 33 ATP Masters 1000 titles and may well overtake the Spaniard in the ATP rankings.

#1 4 players have won the 'Paris Double'

Roger Federer French Open Photocall

Ever since the tournament was first played 50 years back in 1968, only 4 players have won both the French Open and the Paris Masters to complete the 'Paris Double'. They are Ilie Nastase in 1973, Andre Agassi in 1999, Roger Federer, who completed the double by winning the French Open in 2009 and Paris Masters in 2011, and Novak Djokovic, who completed the double by winning the Paris Masters in 2009 and the French Open in 2016.