Paris Masters 2018: Draw Preview and Analysis

After a fascinating season at the ATP Masters 1000s, where there was a great mix of some first-time winners and the usual suspects, we have arrived at the final destination in Paris with some exciting storylines.

And who would have thought that the man that came in with the most question marks at the first Masters 1000 of the season at Indian Wells, will be the man to beat here in Paris -- Novak Djokovic.

The Serb is on some serious hot streak, winning his last 18 matches, with 26 sets in a row and is looking ever so hungry and motivated to capture that World No. 1 ranking before the season ends. He can do it next week itself as he is just 215 points behind Rafael Nadal in the 52-week rankings, who is defending 180 of those points right here due to his quarter-final appearance last year.

The race will be even more heated as the current World No. 1 Rafael Nadal is back in play for the first time after retiring in the US Open semi-final vs Del Potro. Although Nadal has not done exceedingly well for his standards at this part of the season historically, he is coming in very well rested, and every time after coming off a break this season, he has arrived with full throttle.

But there is a lot more on the line this week than the race for the World No. 1.

The race for London is heating up nicely and after the injury to Del Potro, who will most likely miss the season-ending finale, there are still 4 spots up for grabs.

Although these are the most exciting storylines, there is much more in play before the end of the season as a lot of people will be fighting for the seedings and direct main draw positions for the Australian Open 2019.

And central to all these storylines is how the draw will fare for these players. So, without much delay, let’s break down the draw:

First Quarter

Rafael Nadal is the top seed and leads this quarter, attempting to hold on to his No. 1 ranking and he will have his hands full in doing so. He will face either Jeremy Chardy or fellow Spaniard Fernando Verdasco in his opener. Then, he is likely to face either Richard Gasquet or Denis Shapovalov in the R16. In the quarters, he will face the winner of a very tight section, featuring Borna Coric, Daniil Medvedev, Lucas Pouille, and Dominic Thiem.

The Pick: Rafael Nadal

Second Quarter:

Alexander Zverev is the highest ranked player in this quarter and has landed himself a pretty decent draw. In the opener, he is likely to face young gun Frances Tiafoe. Next up, he will probably face either Alex De Minaur or Diego Schwartzmann. Then in the quarters, he will face the winner of another tough little section, featuring Kyle Edmund, Karen Khachanov, and London hopeful John Isner.

The Pick: Alexander Zverev

Third Quarter:

Roger Federer leads this quarter, playing here for the first time since 2015 and has a pretty tough draw. He will play the winner of Milos Raonic and Jo-Wilfred Tsonga in his opening round. Then, he is likely to face either Marton Fucsovics or Fabio Fognini in the R16. And in the quarters, he will face the winner of another interesting section, that includes Nikoloz Basilashvilli, Kevin Anderson, and Kei Nishikori.

The Pick: Kei Nishikori

Fourth Quarter:

The red-hot Novak Djokovic is the top seed in this quarter and he has got himself a tricky draw here. He is likely to open up against Marco Cecchinato, who got served up a bagel by the Serb in Shanghai. Then, he will most probably face the in-form Stefanos Tsitsipas in the R16. In the Quarter-Finals, he is likely to face another London hopeful in Marin Cilic.

The Pick: Novak Djokovic

Semi-Finals:

Rafael Nadal v Alexander Zverev

The Pick: The court and the conditions will favour the German here and with the way he has been playing post the US Open, he sits in a pretty good position to cause the upset over Nadal to move into another Masters final.

Novak Djokovic v Kei Nishikori

The Pick: Even though Kei Nishikori has played some brilliant tennis this season, Novak Djokovic has been the one standing in his way more often than not. And this time again, the Serb will come out on top to march into yet another Masters final.

The Final:

Novak Djokovic v Alexander Zverev

The Pick: Last time these two played, Djokovic handed Zverev a pretty harsh lesson. This time, Zverev would have learnt a lot from his mistakes, but beating the Serb might still be a little too much to ask for from the German as Novak Djokovic will go on to lift yet another Masters title and snatch the No. 1 ranking from Rafael Nadal, to go into the season-ending finale as officially the best player in the world.

Exciting potential early round matchups:

Richard Gasquet v Denis Shapovalov

Borna Coric v Daniil Medvedev

Alex De Minaur v Diego Schwartzmann

Kyle Edmund v Karen Khachanov

Kevin Anderson v Nikoloz Basilashvilli

Milos Raonic v Jo-Wilfred Tsonga

Roger Federer v Jo-Wilfred Tsonga/Milos Raonic