The past few weeks may not have been the best in Dominic Thiem’s career, but the year 2017 was nevertheless a very successful one for him.
This is also reflected in the world ranking: The 24-year-old from Lower Austria will appear in the top five of the ATP world ranking for the first time on Monday. With currently 3,815 race points, Thiem has exactly 600 points more than one year ago.
The latest improvement from currently sixth place to at least fifth place was fixed by Grigor Dimitrov’s defeat in the last sixteen on Thursday evening in Paris. If Paris quarter-finalist Marin Cilic, who was clearly the favourite against Julien Benneteau (FRA) on Friday, should not reach the semi-finals, Thiem will even appear in fourth place on Monday.
Convalescent Andy Murray, who not only won last year’s Paris-Bercy but also the ATP World Tour Finals, also scored 2,500 points. The so far third placed Scot will at best reach 15th place on Monday and, like Novak Djokovic (for the first time since 2007), will not appear in the top ten after a long time.
At the ATP Finals in London from 12. till 19. November, only the eight best players of the year are still eligible to start, there are still fat ATP points to be collected: For each group victory there are 200 points, for a semi-final victory 400 points and the title another 500. If the new champion remains unbeaten in the O2 arena, he will receive 1,500 points.
The quarter-final duel in Paris between Juan Martin del Potro and John Isner was decisive in the fight for the only open place for London: In a South American victory, he knocks the currently qualified Pablo Carreno Busta (ESP) out of the eighth field. If the American wins, he would have to win the title in Paris to win the ticket.