Top 3 qualify for the Masters Cup Shanghai

This shouldn’t come as a surprise. The top three ATP players in the world have qualified for the year-end Tennis Masters Cup on November 9-16 in Shanghai. World number 2 Rafael Nadal leads the ATP Tour race with two Grand Slam wins at Roland Garros and Wimbledon. The Spaniard also holds two Masters Series titles by winning at Monte Carlo and Hamburg. Although the season hasn’t been quite up to his standards, world number 1 Roger Federer has secured enough points to qualify for the sixth straight year in the Masters Cup. The Swiss star has won two International Series titles in Estoril and Halle and was a runner-up to Nadal in two Masters Series tournaments and 2 grand slams. Finally, Novak Djokovic, the world number 3 will make his second appearance in the tournament after winning the Australian Open and capturing the Indian Wells, California and Rome Masters Series titles.

Federer has won the Masters Cup four times in 2003, 2004, 2006 and 2007. He is looking to tie the record of five titles with Pete Sampras and Ivan Lendl. This is the third year Nadal has qualified for the year-end event. In his two previous appearances, he has only managed to reach the semifinals before falling to the eventual champion, Federer. Djokovic is hoping to improve his dismal performance last year as he lost all 3 of his round-robin matches.