Kei Nishikori’s quarterfinal loss to Roger Federer at the Rolex Paris Masters finalized the 2018 Nitto ATP Finals field. With that result, Marin Cilic and Dominic Thiem clinched the last two spots in London.
Nishikori was the last contender left who could have surpassed either Cilic or Thiem, but Federer dashed his hopes with a 6-4, 6-4 victory–the Swiss’ second win over Nishikori in the last two Masters 1000 tournaments (also in the Shanghai quarterfinals).
Nonetheless, the Japanese veteran’s London ticket was still forthcoming. He gained a place at the year-end championship shortly following his loss when Juan Martin Del Potro officially withdrew due to a knee injury.
First of all I want to wish @delpotrojuan a speedy recovery. He had an amazing year. Second I am very excited to join the London field. I started my year with challengers and missed the Aussie Open and Indian Wells. Very proud of the way the year turned out. See you in 🇬🇧!!! https://t.co/82S908x3yC
— Kei Nishikori (@keinishikori) November 3, 2018
“It’s frustrating for me not to be able to compete in London,” Del Potro lamented. “It’s a very special tournament and I’ve tried everything possible to get my knee better. The rehabilitation is making good progress but I need more time.”
Cilic, Nishikori, and Thiem join the elite eight-man competition that already included Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Alexander Zverev, and Kevin Anderson. Nadal’s status, however, is in question because of knee and abdominal issues. If the Spaniard withdraws, John Isner would make a debut appearance in London.
[polldaddy poll=10155435]
who ya got?
I ticked Rafa in the poll, but, like most others, I expect it’ll be Fed or Djoker, depending on fitness & form. Most likely Djoker, since I doubt Fed can put in a really solid week against the Top 8.
Who ticked John Isner? Rafa, just maybe, but Isner? Not so much.
Two man race.
If not Nole most likely, then Fed.
Does WTF actually count towards official tournament wins? Another chance for Roger’s 💯perhaps?
Yes, WTF counts. Roger will get his 100th tournament win later if not sooner. 109 (Connors’ record)…that’s a lot.
Exhos count?
The ATP sanctioned exho counts. Not Abu Dhabi. Not Hopman Cup. If Roger could count those he might be at 110 already. For future reference don’t think the #NextGen finals tournament counts either. Maybe the ATP could do a tournament for the 8 top 35 plus players? Call it #PlusGen.
Please please rafa don’t play!!
Rest up and fix your serve for next year!
Seems that Rafa will be playing. If he does play, I suppose he’s physically fit to play; I doubt he’s that careless to play with an injury.
I think he has to start somewhere; he may not win many matches at the WTF, maybe one or two, at least to test his own level, gaining some points too to help his rankings for the coming season.
It’s a bit different from last year, when he was injured at Shanghai and thus didn’t have much time to heal and made a wrong decision to play at Paris and London at year end, probably to get his YE no.1 ranking, but at the expense of his early 2018. I don’t think he’ll make the same mistake again so if he’s going to play at WTF, he should be fit enough to play.
The abdominal muscle injury issue, it’ll happen regardless of when he’s going to start playing, unless his doctor comes up with some effective preventive measures.
Cilic will be busy as he also has to play the Davis Cup finals.
Yeah, I don’t suppose France will just forfeit, although they might as well.
Ramara are you saying France will lose?
I actually think they will win, mainly due to playing on home soil.
Yeah, Cilic and Coric aren’t mental giants in DC but I think they’re better than any singles player France currently has in shape. They may actually play better in France than with home crowd support aka pressure. France may win the doubles but Croatia is strong there too.
Rafa is out of London (WTF), apparently he will be going for an ankle surgery to remove something from his ankle. Check his Facebook account to find out more.
‘I have done everything possible to reach the end of the season in good condition, both in Paris and London, doing things well and I really wanted to play.
‘Unfortunately, I had the abdominal problem in Paris last week and, in addition, I have a free body in the ankle joint that has to be removed in the operating room today.
‘It is true that we had detected it for a long time and from time to time it bothered me. However, since the problem in the abdominal muscle also prevents me from playing in London, we take advantage of the moment to remove the free body and avoid future problems.
‘In this way I hope to be in full condition for the next season.’
who can stop Djoker?