ATP: Paris question mark behind Nadal and Federer

The preliminary field for the ATP Masters 1000 tournament in Paris-Bércy is set. Behind Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, however, there are a few question marks.

On Wednesday Rafael Nadal announced that he has to give up his starts at the ATP tournaments in Beijing and Shanghai, due to his problems with his knees. For the last ATP Masters 1000 tournament of the year in Paris-Bércy, however, the world’s number one named. After all, the battle for the top position in the world rankings could be a close one.

Due to the cancellation of the trip to Asia, the chances that Nadal will serve at the tournament in the Vienna Stadthalle have of course decreased enormously. Especially since Vienna takes place the week before Paris. Last year, Nadal was unable to play Filip Krajinovic in the quarter-finals.

Roger Federer has also been placed on the list. It would be the Swiss rider’s first start at the indoor event in the French capital since 2015, when he lost to John Isner in the third round. Federer will start in Shanghai, then in Basel. The latter tournament will be held in parallel with the one in Vienna. At Federer, too, the question arises as to whether he would like to tackle two events in succession.

Right now, the 20-time major winner is already busy with other things.

At the moment, however, the entire world elite is listed for Paris-Bércy, including Alexander Zverev and Dominic Thiem. The game is played in a grid of 48, three wildcards are available. After all, the French like to serve their compatriots. On the other hand, Stan Wawrinka and Andy Murray need a free ticket to really serve in Paris.