What do you get when you put together the top eight men’s tennis players in the world in London? Why, the season-ending 2015 ATP World Tour Finals, of course. The likes of Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Andy Murray will engage in a week-long mini-tournament to find out who’s the best of the best in 2015.
Let’s get to know all eight participants, look back at what they did this past season as well as in previous World Tour Finals editions, and make some bold predictions as to how all eight do in this season-ending event. And for more World Tour Finals coverage, check out our complete tournament preview here.
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2015 Barclays ATP World Tour Finals Picks
[sc:Other240banner ]Novak Djokovic
Round robin opponents: Kei Nishikori, Tomas Berdych, Roger Federer
World Ranking: No. 1
2015 ATP Record: 78-5
2015 Titles Won: 10
With a career-high 10 titles, including three Grand Slams (and a finals berth in the French Open), 2015 has been Novak Djokovic’s best season to date. The 28-year-old is simply at the peak of his powers at the moment, and it’ll take a monumental effort for any of the other seven participants to take the World No. 1 down, especially in a tournament which he’s won for the last three years.
Writer’s Prediction: Djokovic successfully defends his title and rolls to a fourth-straight ATP World Tour Finals win.
Andy Murray
Round robin opponents: David Ferrer, Rafael Nadal, Stan Wawrinka
World Ranking: No. 2
2015 ATP Record: 68-12
2015 Titles Won: 4
Murray has a chance to finish the year at No. 2 for the first time in his career with a strong showing in London. Murray can boast wins over Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic to claim two of his four titles this season. However, he’s already fallen to the World No. 1 in six other meetings this year, all of which have come in the semifinal or final.
Writer’s Prediction: Murray makes the semis, but falls tamely to Djokovic.
Roger Federer
Round robin opponents: Tomas Berdych, David Ferrer, Novak Djokovic
World Ranking: No. 3
2015 ATP Record: 59-10
2015 Titles Won: 6
At age 34, Roger Federer’s still got it. R-Fed has collected six more titles to his collection this year, and dealt Djokovic two of his five losses this season to get them. However, the Djoker had the edge over Federer in the big ones, namely the finals of both Wimbledon and the US Open.
Federer has lost out to Djokovic in two of the last three ATP World Tour Finals, although Federer was forced to give a walkover in last year’s final due to injury. R-Fed has six career Finals titles.
Writer’s Prediction: Federer makes the final, but once again he falls to Djokovic.
Stan Wawrinka
Round robin opponents: Rafael Nadal, David Ferrer, Andy Murray
World Ranking: No. 4
2015 ATP Record: 53-16
2015 Titles Won: 4
Stan Wawrinka has gone from strength to strength since last year’s breakout season. The 30-year-old Swiss has won a career-high four tournaments and reached the semifinals in three of the four Grand Slams this year. That includes the shock upset of Djokovic in the French Open final. Wawrinka has reached the semifinal stage in each of the past two years in London, but has yet to get over the hump.
Writer’s Prediction: Wawrinka makes the semifinal, where he is easily dispatched by his compatriot Federer.
Rafael Nadal
Round robin opponents: Stan Wawrinka, David Ferrer, Andy Murray
World Ranking: No. 5
2015 ATP Record: 58-19
2015 Titles Won: 3
The slow and steady decline of Rafael Nadal continues. The World No. 1 had just three tournament wins this season, tied for his lowest total since 2004. He’s managed to get deep into tournaments; he just hasn’t been able to beat the very best players once he gets there. Nadal has reached at least the quarterfinal in five of his last seven tournaments (all on hardcourt), but crashed out at the hands of Kei Nishikori, Djokovic, Federer and Wawrinka.
Writer’s Prediction: Nadal crashes out of the group stage, losing all three matches in the process.
Tomas Berdych
Round robin opponents: Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Kei Nishikori
World Ranking: No. 6
2015 ATP Record: 57-19
2015 Titles Won: 2
Mr. Consistency Tomas Berdych had yet another very solid season in 2015. The 30-year-old Czech will be making his sixth consecutive trip to the season-ending event in London after he claimed his first (and only) two wins in his past five tournaments.
However, he’s also been Mr. Consistency in that he has been knocked out in the group stage just four times in five tries, and there’s been no evidence to suggest that’ll change this year.
Writer’s Prediction: Berdych claims a set off Djokovic, but that’s the highlight of his tournament as he crashes out in the group stage.
David Ferrer
Round robin opponents: Andy Murray, Rafael Nadal, Stan Wawrinka
World Ranking: No. 7
2015 ATP Record: 55-13
2015 Titles Won: 5
David Ferrer has experienced a career resurgence at age 33. The Spaniard has five wins this year, and surprisingly, four have come on hardcourt – and two in the past two months – as opposed to his preferred clay. Ferrer is no stranger to success; he made the final as a debutant in 2007 and the semifinal in 2011. However, a win for the 33-year-old in London figures to be highly unlikely.
Writer’s Prediction: Despite a win over his compatriot Nadal, Ferrer fails to progress to the semis.
Kei Nishikori
Round robin opponents: Novak Djokovic, Tomas Berdych, Roger Federer
World Ranking: No. 8
2015 ATP Record: 53-14
2015 Titles Won: 3
Kei Nishikori is quickly making the season-ending trip to London an annual thing. The Japanese won three more tournaments this season to earn a spot in the last eight for the second year running. Nishikori made a lot of noise last year as he beat both Andy Murray and David Ferrer to reach the semifinal, but some worrisome health issues could limit his effectiveness in London this time around.
Writer’s Prediction: Nishikori is unable to recreate last year’s success as he goes winless.
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