The Final Countdown: Who will reach the summit at the ATP World Tour Finals?

Novak Djokovic has been on song this year. A steely resolve, mind boggling dedication and an indomitable spirit has turned him into an unstoppable Champion. Unwilling to be spurned by a heart breaking loss to Stan Warinka at Roland Garros this year, Djokovic won 3 Grand Slams this season and also won a record 6 ATP 1000 Masters titles.

If he wins this edition of the WTF, he will become the only player in history to win the title four straight times. With shots like these there is no reason why he cannot win a fourth

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The trademark plaid shorts which Stan Wawrinka wore in his second Grand Slam victory at the French Open this year now sits pretty in the form of an accessory on his bag. The lucky charm powered the Swiss No.2 into the World Tour Finals this year thereby making it THREE consecutive times.

The tennis world at large may like to see the unstoppable Serb Novak Djokovic win the WTF this year. However, Stan Wawrinka could play spoilsport..

Wawrinka, in the Stan Smith Group, is alongside Andy Murray, Rafael Nadal and David Ferrer. He has won each of his most recent encounters against all three players, and is the only player to have beaten Djokovic at a Grand Slam final this year, taking a set off him at the Paris Masters this year.

Should he meet Djokovic in the finale on November 22nd, he can power his way to his first title at the tournament if the Serb is a notch below his usual.

However after losing to Nadal in his opening RR match yesterday, Wawrinka must win against Andy Murray and David Ferrer to progress to the Semi Final stage and have a shot at his first WTF title.

David Ferrer is one of the two oldest players in the World Tour Finals. The Spaniard, who was on a brief hiatus owing to injury, returned to tour stronger than ever. Having added a tinge of zip to his serve he seems to have elevated his game to win 5 ATP tour titles this year. The WTF has never been a happy hunting ground for Ferrer as he invariably runs into the Big Four.

To add to his woes both Djokovic and Federer are in his group – against whom he has a record of 5-16 and 0-16 respectively.

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Fun fact: The Thirties Club led by Federer (34) and the Bryans (37) continues to be an ominous force. Ferrer (33), Berdych (30) and Wawrinka (30) are the other players in their thirties in the Singles Category.

The Doubles Category is full of them. Jean Julien Roger (34), Horia Tecau (30), Ivan Dodig (30), Marcelo Melo (32), Simone Bolleli (30), Nicolas Mahut (33), Marcin Matkowski (34), Nenad Zimonjic (39), Rohan Bopanna (35) and Florin Mergea (30) are the players who make up the Thirties Club.

The only other Spaniard in the WTF is the 14 time Grand Slam Champion Rafael Nadal. Apart from the fact that he is 3 Grand Slams behind the great Roger Federer, another fact that is often mentioned is the absence of World Tour Finals titles in his otherwise impressive resume.

Over the years, though the Spaniard has done remarkably well to qualify for the tournament 11 consecutive times, he has fallen short on all occasions either because he was spent by end of season or he was outplayed by his arch rivals Djokovic and Federer who thrive on fast surfaces.

Post the US Open, Nadal has been faring well since the Asian swing. A string of Semi Final and Final appearances has boosted his confidence in the run up to the WTF. He looks well on his way to the Semi Final stage after a straight sets victory over Stan Wawrinka in his first RR match. Will Nadal be finally able to win this one?

As of now he will keep his hopes high with immaculate lobs like these.

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Fun Fact: Apart from Rafael Nadal the other players who have never won a single World Tour Finals title are Jim Courier, Vitas Gerulaitis, Arthur Ashe, James Blake, Micheal Chang, Juan Martin Del Potro, David Ferrer, Juan Carlos Ferrero, Wojciech Fibak, Sebastien Grosjean, Yevgeny Kafelnikov, Rod Laver, Carlos Moya, Tom Okker, Jo Wilfried Tsonga and Mats Wilander.

These are the amazing possibilities that make the Final Countdown exciting. November 22nd 2015 is the most awaited day for tennis fans all over the world as we see who will be the Champion of Champions and stamp his final seal authority on this season.

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