ATP Barclays World Tour Finals Preview

2011 ATP World Tour Finals Preview

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ATP WORLD TOUR FINALS PREVIEW -2011-

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WHAT’S INSIDE PLAYERS WITH THE MOST YEAR-END TITLES p.8 BARCLAY ATP WORLD TOUR FINALS GROUP A PREVIEW p.9–13 BARCLAY ATP WORLD TOUR FINALS GROUP B PREVIEW p.15–19 BARCLAY ATP WORLD TOUR FINALS DOUBLES PREVIEW p.22-23

Editor

James Waterson jamesw@tennisnow.com

Photography

Andy Kentla Natasha Peterson/Corleve Getty Images

6

Writers

Lauren Lynch Nick Georgandis Robert Martin Ann Stark Dennis Bray

Design

Juan Esparza Nick Georgandis

TennisNow

200 West 39th Street, Suite No. 11 New York, NY 10018 914-595-4211

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PL AYER S WITH

THE MOST

YE AR- END TITLES Roger Federer 2003 2004 2006 2007 2010

Pete Sampras 1991 1994 1996 1997 1999

Ivan Lendl 1981 1982 1985 1986 1987

Ilie Nastase 1971 1972 1973 1975

John McEnroe 1978 1983 1984

Boris Becker 1988 1992 1995 8

GROUP

A PREVIEW

Four-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic and World No. 3 Andy Murray lead the first group, which also includes Spanish gladiator David Ferrer and the hard-hitting Tomas Berdych.

Djokovic, who has had one of the best years in tennis history, is looking to end his season on a high note by claiming his second ATP World Tour Finals title. Although he is the favored to win the tittle, he will have to get past two players in Murray and Ferrer who have had some success against him in the past.

Yet past records have little bearing in a round robin format, and any two of these four players can advance from the group stage if they play well next week. Keep reading to find out more about these four competitors.

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Novak

Djokovic ATP Ranking: No. 1 2011 Record: 69-4 Record against Group A: Murray - 6-4 Ferrer - 6-4 Berdych - 7-1 2011 Tournaments won (10): Australian Open, Wimbledon, US Open, Indian Wells, Miami, Madrid, Rome, Belgrade, Rogers Cup, Dubai Best result at ATP World Tour Finals: Champion - 2008

A

t the beginning of the year, Novak

ic’s shot at history, as he defeated the Serb in the

champion who seemed destined to play

semifinals. The loss ended his 43-match winning

second fiddle to Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

streak as well as his bid to claim the No. 1 ranking

He was coming off of a disappointing 2010, a year

that week.

in which he won only two titles and he lost in

That loss could have disrupted his momen-

the quarterfinals of the Australian Open and the

tum, but the Serb responded by beating three

French Open.

players within the top 40 to reach the semifinals

Yet there were signs something big was coming: he beat Federer in the US Open semifinal and he helped Serbia win the Davis Cup title.

Two weeks into the season, it was obvious that “Nole” was a changed man. He stunned Federer in straight sets in the Australian Open

of Wimbledon.

With the No. 1 ranking on the line, Djokovic played a stunning match to defeat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in four sets, and he ended the fortnight with another stunning win against Nadal.

Two months later, he saved two match points

semifinals, and then he disposed of Andy Murray

in a thrilling five set win against Federer in the

in the final to win his second Grand Slam.

semifinals and then he downed Nadal for a sixth

He beat Federer again to win the title in Dubai,

time this year in the US Open final. The match

which set him up for a strong American hard

showcased the change in their rivalry, and it

court season. The true test of Djokovic’s season

proved that Djokovic can play just as physically

came when he faced Nadal, a man he’d beaten

as Nadal.

only seven times in 23 matches before, in the final in Indian Wells.

The Serb came back from a set down to beat

Unfortunately for the Serb, he has since struggled with a shoulder and back injury. He had to retire in the Davis Cup semifinal against Juan

Nadal for the first time in the final of a tourna-

Martin del Potro, and he then fell to Kei Nishikori

ment, and he would go on to defeat him in the

in Basel.

finals of Miami and on the clay of Madrid and Rome.

Although Djokovic wasn’t quite the World No.

10

Yet it was Federer’s turn to play spoil Djokov-

Djokovic was a one-time Grand Slam

Although he has struggled physically, Djokovic will be the strong favorite to win in London. He has a winning record against everyone else in his

1, he hadn’t lost a match all year and he was the

group, and unless he’s injured he’ll be expected

clear favorite to win the French Open title.

to finish at the top.

Andy

Murray ATP Ranking: No. 3 2011 Record: 56-12 Record against Group A: Djokovic - 4-6 Ferrer - 5-3 Berdych - 1-3 2011 Tournaments won (5): Shanghai, Cincinnati, Tokyo, London/ Queen’s Club, Bangkok Best result at ATP World Tour Finals: Semifinal - 2008, 2010

A

ndy Murray is known as one of the most

in his career. To do so, he’d have to win in Bangkok,

consistent performers on the ATP Tour,

Tokyo, and defend his title in Shanghai.

but this year may be considered an ex-

ception.

The 24-year-old Scot started the year well,

His chances were bolstered by Federer’s withdrawal from the Shanghai Masters, and Murray claimed all three titles. During his run, he avenged

reaching the finals of the Australian Open for the

his earlier losses to Nadal in the final in Tokyo,

second consecutive year. Murray must have liked

and then he dropped only one set en route to win-

his chances going into the match, yet the pressure

ning the title in Shanghai, which pushed him past

of the moment may have been too much, as he

Federer in the rankings.

lost to Novak Djokovic 4-6, 2-6, 3-6.

The loss was Murray’s third in a Grand Slam final. It seemed to weigh heavily on him, as he lost

Outside of his six losses to Nadal and Djokovic, Murray has scored seven wins against other players in the top 10, including Mardy Fish.

in his opening matches in Indian Wells and Miami.

It’s likely he will perform well against Ferrer,

Yet Murray turned it around on the clay courts

who he beat in the final in Shanghai, and Tomas

of Monte Carlo, where he reached the semifinal

Berdych, who reached the semifinals in Paris.

before losing to Rafael Nadal. He also played

Murray has played well in London before, as

his way into the semifinal in Rome, but he was

he reached the semifinal last year. He was also

stopped by Djokovic in a third set tie-breaker.

on a 17-match winning streak before he lost to

Although he lost, it was clear he got his con-

Berdych in Paris.

fidence back. He reached the semifinal of the

But the Scot had to withcraw from the Swiss

French Open and Wimbledon, losing to Nadal on

Indoors three weeks ago because of a right glu-

both occasions.

teal strain, which could be a concern going into

He followed it up with a title at Cincinnati as Djokovic retired in the final.

the ATP World Tour Finals.

If he is healthy, he should advance out of the

After the Rome semifinal, Murray won 22 of 25

group stage. How he does after that remains to be

matches heading into the US Open, where he ran

seen, as he’s struggled to beat other top players in

into Nadal again in the semifinal, and for the third

the semifinals and finals of tournaments this year.

time this year fell in four sets to the Spaniard.

His results set him up with the possibility of passing Federer in the rankings for the first time

Still, Murray is capable of beating anyone in the world, and he could end the week as a surprise winner.

11

David

Ferrer ATP Ranking: No. 5

A

He started 2011 quickly, winning in Auckland

The Spaniard enters the ATP World Tour Finals

2011 Record: 56-17

for the second time in his career before making the

with a solid a 56-17 record on the year and com-

semifinal of the Australian Open.

petitive head-to-head records against the top two

Record against Group A: Djokovic -4-6 Murray - 4-6 Berdych - 5-2

n integral part of the Spanish Armada,

Ferrer’s game thrived in the Asian swing of tour-

David Ferrer qualified for his third trip to

naments, as he reached the semifinal in Tokyo and

the year-end event thanks to two titles

the final in Shanghai. But on both occasions, he

and four other finals appearances.

It would take only a month before Ferrer would

Best result at ATP World Tour Finals: Final - 2007

Ferrer has a grinding baseline game best suited

Acapulco by defeating Nicolas Almagro in three

to slower court surfaces, such as clay. Although the

sets.

ATP World Tour Finals is played on a faster indoor hard court, he should not be underestimated.

ning of the clay court season, reaching consecutive

Despite being 5 foot 9, the Spaniard ranks 14th

finals in Monte Carlo and Barcelona, only to fall

on the ATP Tour in service games held (84 percent).

short to compatriot Rafael Nadal.

He is also the fourth best returner on tour, as he

At Roland Garros, Ferrer quickly dismissed his first three opponents before losing an epic battle with Frenchman Gael Monfils on French soil.

breaks serve 33 percent of the time.

Although he likes the slower surfaces, he’s played well at the ATP World Tour Finals before. He

Needing to recover from the long clay court sea-

may have gone 0-3 last year, but in 2007 he beat

son, Ferrer did not compete in the grass court tune-

Djokovic and Nadal before losing to Roger Federer

up events, and entered Wimbledon without any

in the final.

tournament play. He still made the fourth round before being ousted by Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.

Ferrer has relatively strong records against the other three players in his group. His best chance to

The Spaniard broke a bone in his left hand in an

pick up a win will be against Tomas Berdych, who

accident during practice, which forced him to miss

he’s won five of seven matches against. He could

all but one of the US Open Series tournaments.

also beat Djokovic or Murray, but they would have

He entered the final Grand Slam event of the

12

players in his group.

return to the winner’s circle, defending his title in

Ferrer began to make serious noise at the begin-

2011 Tournaments won (2): Acapulco, Auckland

was outclassed by Andy Murray in straight sets.

to play an inconsistent match.

year with little match practice on the hard courts,

Regardless, Ferrer will have to work extremely

but he still battled into the fourth round where he

hard to reach the semifinals, but he’s in good

lost to Andy Roddick in four sets.

enough shape to remain competitive until the end.

Tomas

Berdych ATP Ranking: No. 7

T

he towering Czech, Tomas Berdych, is

defeating Roger Federer along the way before

a player that no one wants to face in a

he was forced to retire against Djokovic with a

tournament. The capability of his serve

shoulder injury.

and penetrating ground game make him a dangerous opponent to anyone if his aim is on.

2011 Record: 51-21 Record against Group A: Djokovic - 1-7 Murray - 3-1 Ferrer - 2-5

After reaching two finals last year, Berdych

Best result at ATP World Tour Finals: Group Stage - 2010

lingering injury, but in the third round, decided he could not go on and retired while trailing

hoped to start the year off well, playing in Chen-

Tipsarevic.After recovering, Berdych would pull

nai where he was defeated in the semifinal by

it together in Beijing, winning his first title since

Stanislas Wawrinka. In Melbourne, Berdych made

2009, defeating four players that have been

quick work of quality opponents in Richard Gas-

ranked inside the top 10.

quet and Fernando Verdasco before being one of many to fall to Novak Djokovic.

2011 Tournaments won (1): Beijing

He would try to play the US Open with the

The first North American Hard Court swing

Early round upsets in Shanghai and Basel showed that Berdych was still susceptible, but he earned important wins against ATP World Tour

saw Berdych knocked out in the fourth round

Finals alternate Janko Tipsarevic and Andy Mur-

of Indian Wells by Wawrinka before the Czech

ray to reach the semifinal in Paris. He managed

headed to Miami in hopes of improving on his ap-

only a 1-2 record last year, falling to Djokovic and

pearance in the final in 2010. These hopes were

Nadal in the round robin stage.

dashed when Rafael Nadal came back after losing the first set in the quarterfinal.

The start of the clay court season saw Berdych

Still, Berdych’s powerful game makes him a threat to anyone he faces, and he certainly has a history of beating some of the game’s best on

go 7-4 in the tune-up events. But despite his

the most important stages. He eliminated Roger

good play on the clay, the Czech lost to Stephane

Federer and Novak Djokovic to reach the 2010

Robert 9-7 in the fifth set in the first round of the

Wimbledon final, and he beat Murray a month

French Open.

earlier at the French Open.

A switch to the grass courts should have been

The Czech has a powerful game, and when he

beneficial for Berdych, who reached last year’s

is firing on all cylinders he can be very tough to

Wimbledon final. Although he advanced to the

beat. That’s why it wouldn’t be a surprise to see

semifinal in Halle, he fell to Mardy Fish in the

him reach the semifinals at the expense of either

fourth round of Wimbledon.

Murray or Djokovic.

In Cincinnati, Berdych made the semifinal,

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GROUP

B

PREVIEW The second group pits Roger Federer, the defending champion against his long-time rival Rafael Nadal, with Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and Mardy Fish thrown into the mix.

These four players will offer fans a look at different styles of play. Federer, a five-time ATP World Tour Finals champion, employs a smooth all-court game with an explosive forehand and an excellent serve, while Nadal relentlessly bashes the ball from the baseline. Meanwhile, the powerful Tsonga plays with flair unmatched by any player on the tour and Fish frequently employs an effective serve and volley game.

Federer and Nadal are favored to advance from this group, but the threat Tsonga and Fish present shouldn’t be overlooked. Read on to see why.

15

Rafael

Nadal ATP Ranking: No. 2 2011 Record: 66-13 Record against Group B: Federer - 17-8 Tsonga - 6-2 Fish - 7-1 2011 Tournaments won (3): French Open, Monte Carlo, Barcelona Best result at ATP World Finals: Final - 2010

L

ast year, Rafael Nadal accomplished what few

Since then, Nadal reached the final in Tokyo,

men have: the Spaniard became the fourth

where he was dominated by Andy Murray after he

player in the Open Era to win three Grand

won the first set, and he lost to Florian Mayer in the

Slam titles in one year.

Last week, he pulled out of the Paris Masters,

reason to think Nadal wouldn’t continue in similar

which means he is entering the Barclays ATP World

fashion.

Tour Finals having played only nine matches since

But since he lost to Novak Djokovic in the final in

the end of the US Open.

Indian Wells, Nadal has been haunted by the Serb

A rested and rejuvenated Nadal will always be a

at almost every tournament. He would later lose to

threat, and without his losses to Djokovic he could

him in Miami and then on the clay in Madrid and

have won three Grand Slams this year.

Monte Carlo.

After all, his record against the rest of the top

Although Roger Federer prevented a rematch at

10 without the six losses to Djokovic is 15-3, and

Roland Garros, Djokovic defeated Nadal in the final

that includes three wins against Federer and four

of Wimbledon and supplanted him as the World

against Murray.

No. 1.

After being dominated by the Serb in the first half of the year, Nadal said he had lost a substantial

His record against everyone else in the field is just as strong, which means that he has a very strong chance to reach the finals.

amount of confidence. That showed in the US Open

It also helps that he has two players he has domi-

Series when he lost early in Montreal and to Mardy

nated in the past in his group: Jo-Wilfried Tsonga

Fish in Cincinnati.

and Mardy Fish.

He also played a shaky opening match at the US

Of the two, Nadal will have to be most wary of

Open, but as the tournament progressed he started

Tsonga. But there’s no reason to think he’ll struggle

to look like the invincible Nadal from 2010. Unfor-

with either player.

tunately for the Spaniard, he ran into Djokovic once again in the final.

Although he played a spirited match, he eventu-

16

third round in Shanghai.

At the start of this year’s season, there was no

If he can reach the final, a rematch with Djokovic in the last match of the ATP’s season is certainly possible and would be a fitting end to the year.

ally succumbed to the Serb’s game in what was one

It would also be a great chance for Nadal to get

of the most exciting Grand Slam finals of the Open

some much needed revenge and a win could set the

Era.

stage for 2012.

Roger

Federer ATP Ranking: No. 4 2011 Record: 54-12 Record against Group B: Nadal - 8-17 Tsonga - 6-3 Fish - 6-1 2011 Tournaments won (3): Basel, Doha, Paris Best result ATP World Finals: Champion - 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2010

I

t’s very strange when people think you’ve had a

terfinal at Wimbledon, and after a long break, he

bad year after you reached one Grand Slam final,

came back to win only three matches in the US Open

two semifinals and a quarterfinal. But such is the

Series, which once again put his performance at the

lot of Roger Federer, who has raised expectations so high it’s still strange when he loses.

He started the year with considerable promise,

US Open in doubt.

But like he did in Roland Garros, the Swiss played some brilliant tennis leading into the semifinal, where

winning the Qatar ExxonMobil Open in Doha. The

he once again faced Djokovic. Like the French Open,

Swiss then fought his way to the Australian Open

Federer raced to a 2-0 lead, but he couldn’t close it out,

semifinals, where he was stunned by Novak Djokovic

falling to Djokovic in five.

in straight sets.

Djokovic continued to haunt him for the next two

After the Davis Cup, he took the next six weeks off, which helped him immensly as he came back to win

months, beating him at Dubai and Indian Wells to

the Swiss Indoors in his hometown, Basel, and the

take over the No. 2 ranking. It may not have surprised

Paris Masters Series tournament. En route to his first

anyone if Federer lost early in Paris, but instead he

Paris Masters title, he defeated Tomas Berdych and

won five straight matches to reach the semifinals,

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, two fellow top 10 players, which

where he faced off against Djokovic for the fourth

will give him plenty of confidence going into London.

time this year.

Federer plays extremely well on indoor hard

Going into the match, Djokovic was one win away

courts, as shown by his recent results. His game is

from supplanting Nadal as the new World No. 1,

augmented by the faster speed of the court and the

while Federer was out to prove he was still a threat

lower bounce, which plays to his explosive forehand

at the major tournaments. Although he dropped the

and his heavy slice backhand.

third set, Federer played the type of tennis that won

His toughest match of the tournament will be

him 16 Grand Slam titles in the fourth set tiebreaker,

against Nadal, and an early win would certainly set

which he won 7-5.

The win was Federer’s most significant of the year:

the tone for the rest of the tournament. If he can get an early win against his Spanish nemesis, he could roll

it broke Djokovic’s 43-match winning streak and it

through the rest of the tournament like he did last

took him to his fifth French Open final. Yet he couldn’t

year, when he beat everyone but Nadal in straight

back up that performance with a second big win, as

sets. If Federer can win the tournament, he’ll set him-

he fell to Nadal in four sets in the final.

self apart as the only man to win six year-end titles in

Federer also lost to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the quar-

the Open era.

17

Jo-Wilfried

Tsonga

ATP Ranking: No. 6 2011 Record: 52-22 Record against Group B: Nadal - 2-6 Federer - 3-6 Fish - 1-0 2011 Tournaments won (2): Vienna, Metz Best result at ATP World Finals: Group Stage - 2008

I

t’s been three years since Jo-Wilfried Tsonga

in Eastbourne paved the way for Tsonga’s best

qualified for the year-end event, and his recent

efforts at Wimbledon, where he came back from

series of play has to worry his fellow competi-

two sets to none against Roger Federer to pull off a stunning upset. He was eliminated in the next

tors.

The charismatic Frenchman is known for much

In New York, Tsonga was able to come back in

lethal serve with aggressive ground strokes and a

a victory over Mardy Fish before Federer exacted

propensity to finish points at the net.

revenge in a straight set win in the quarterfinal.

Choosing Doha as his Australian Open tune-up

Tsonga would rebound with a title in Vienna,

location, he made the semifinal before losing to

narrowly defeating Juan Martin Del Potro in the

Roger Federer in what would be the first of many

final. Next up was Valencia, where the Frenchman

matches in 2011.

was shocked by newly recovered American Sam

In Melbourne, Tsonga had a two sets to one lead before being unceremoniously dropped by

Querrey in the second round.

Tsonga hopes to improve on his 2008 year-end

Alexandr Dolgopolov who ran away with the last

results, where he posted a 1-2 record, with his

two sets in the third round.

only win coming over Djokovic.

Tsonga would rebound in Rotterdam, reaching

He did well to reach the final in Paris, where

the final before losing to the World No. 4, Robin

he fell to Federer. The Frenchman has a power-

Soderling, in three sets.

ful serve and groundstrokes, excellent mobility

Next, the Frenchman would head to Marseille, where he reached the quarterfinal before facing off against Mikhail Youzhny, who defeated Tsonga in three sets.

With the clay court season coming up, Tsonga

and the ability to hit magical shots from difficult positions.

Although he has a lopsided record against Nadal and Federer, he’s shown he can beat them on the big stage in the past. But he’ll have to be

was hoping to improve his ranking after a lack-

playing well, as there isn’t a lot of margin for error

luster 2010 clay season. This was not to be, as he

in his game.

racked up a 6-5 record during the clay swing.

After slipping on the dirt, Tsonga headed to

18

round by Novak Djokovic, the eventual champion.

more than just his celebration twirl, combining a

Yet it will be difficult to advance from a group that has both Nadal and Federer; to advance

London where he reached the final at Queen’s

he’ll have to be one of the few people who have

Club before losing to Andy Murray. A surprise loss

beaten both men in the same tournament.

Mardy

Fish ATP Ranking: No. 8 2011 Record: 43-22 Record against Group B: Nadal - 1-7 Federer - 1-6 Tsonga - 0-1 2011 Tournaments won (1): Atlanta Best result at ATP World Tour Finals: First appearance

I

t has taken 11 years and up until the final tourna-

to Gilles Simon at Roland Garros, Fish sustained a

ment of the regular season, but Mardy Fish has

minor injury that kept him out of the tune-up events

qualified for his first Barclays ATP World Tour Fi-

before Wimbledon.

nals. Known as one of the more complete American

Taking advantage of the faster surface in London,

players, Fish uses his serve and backhand to open up

Fish was able to get to the quarterfinal, by far his

opportunities to close out points at the net.

best result. He was eliminated by defending cham-

The season did not start well for Fish, who was

pion and eventual finalist, Rafael Nadal in four sets.

bounced in the second round in his Australian Open

Fish responded in a big way, making the final in

warm up tournament in Brisbane by Radek Ste-

three straight events and the semifinal in a fourth

panek. The heat of Melbourne made life difficult for

on the North American hard court circuit, including

the American, who needed five sets to get past the

a title in Atlanta. Despite three set losses to Ernests

first round before being eliminated in the next round

Gulbis in Los Angeles and Djokovic in Montreal, Fish

by Tommy Robredo.

still made a serious mark in the US Open Series.

Headed back to American soil, Fish began to get

All of those matches seemed to catch up to Fish,

his game going, reaching two straight semifinals in

as he looked tired by the end of his four hour loss

Mephis and Del Ray Beach before being eliminated

to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in New York. After a month

by Milos Raonic and Juan Martin del Potro respec-

of rest, Fish progressed to the semifinal in Tokyo,

tively. A cross country trip to Indian Wells was next,

where he was once again defeated by Nadal.

where Fish was stunned in the second round by Raonic.

His trip to Shanghai was cut short when he was upset in his first match by Australian teenager Ber-

Making the trip to Miami allowed Fish to finally

nard Tomic. Fish hoped to rebound in Basel, but sus-

collect himself a bit, making a run to the semifinals

tained an injury after only one game against James

that included wins over Richard Gasquet, del Potro,

Blake.

and David Ferrer before falling to Novak Djokovic.

He made an attempt to play in Paris, but once

Not known for prowess on the clay, Fish chose

again was forced to retire, this time in the third set

to stay in the US and play Houston, where he was

against Juan Monaco.

stunned by Kei Nishikori in the quarterfinal.

Fish then made the trip to Europe, where he posted a 5-4 record and was unable to advance be-

If the American is healthy, he has the style of game to bother the top players on the faster indoor court that the O2 Arena is typically known for.

yond the third round at any tournament. In a loss

19

THE ALTERNATES ATP Ranking: No. 9 2011 Record: 53-25 2011 Tournaments won (2): Moscow, Kuala Lumpur Best result ATP World Finals: First Appearance

Janko Tipsarevic ATP Ranking: No. 10 2011 Record: 47-23 2011 Tournaments won (3): Nice, Buenos Aires, Costa Do Sauipe Best result at ATP World Finals: First Appearance

Nicolas Almagro

20

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DOUBLES Bob Bryan/ Mike Bryan

Mahesh Bhupathi/ Leander Paes

ATP Ranking: No. 1

ATP Ranking: No. 4

2011 Record: 58-14

2011 Record: 30-12

2011 Tournaments won (8): Australian Open, Houston, Monte Carlo, Madrid, London/ Queen’s, Wimbledon, Vienna, Valencia

2011 Tournaments won (3): Chennai, Cincinnati, Miami Best Result: Finals - 1997, 1999, 2000

GROUP A

Best Result: Champion - 2003,2004, 2009

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Robert Lindstedt/ Horia Tecau

Jurgen Melzer/ Philipp Petzschner

ATP Ranking: No. 6

ATP Ranking: No. 7

2011 Record: 38-21

2011 Record: 26-11

2011 Tournaments won (2): Bastad, Casablanca

2011 Tournaments won (3): US Open, Stuttgart, Rotterdam

Best Result: N/A

Best Result: Group stage 2010

Bob and Mike Bryan have been one of the most successful doubles teams in the Open Era, as they’ve won 11 Grand Slam titles, three ATP World Tour Finals championships and a total of 75 tournaments.

They’re the most prolific doubles team in the competition, and they’re highly favored to win the title. But before they can reach the knockout stage of the final event of the year, they’ll have to overcome US Open doubles champions Jurgen Melzer and Philipp Petzschner, as well as Mahesh Bhupathi and Leander Paes.

Robert Lindstedt and Horia Tecau are the unknowns, as they’ve only played their competitors in Group A once this year. The duo lost to the Bryans in the Wimbledon final in straight sets, and haven’t beaten the brothers since 2007.

PREVIEW Michael Llodra/ Nenad Zimonjic

Daniel Nestor/ Max Mirnyi

ATP Ranking: No. 2

ATP Ranking: No. 3

2011 Record: 45-15

2011 Record: 42-19

2011 Tournaments won (4): Rogers Cup, Basel, Beijing, Washington

2011 Tournaments won (3): French Open, Shanghai, Memphis

Best Result: N/A

Rohan Bopanna/ Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi

Mariusz Fyrstenberg/ Marcin Matkowski

ATP Ranking: No. 5

ATP Ranking: No. 8

2011 Record: 38-23 2011 Tournaments won (3): Paris, Stockholm, Halle Best Result: N/A

GROUP B

Best Result: N/A

2011 Record: 19-26 2011 Tournaments won (0): Best Result: Semifinalist 2008, 2010

French Open and Wimbledon semifinalists Michael Llodra and Nenad Zimonjic are the top-ranked team in Group B, with the dangerous teams of Max Mirnyi and Daniel Nestor, as well as Rohan Bopanna and Aisam-UlHaq Qureshi.

Nestor and Mirnyi have a long history of Grand Slam success as a part of other doubles teams. The duo joined forces in January, and have since won the French Open, the Shanghai Masters and in Memphis.

Qureshi and Bopanna, the Indo-Pak Express, head into London on the end of their most successful year as a team, as they’ve won four titles together.

Because all the teams are highly accomplished, it will be a tall order to advance from this group.

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Fernando Verdasco

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O2 ARENA The O2 Arena was opened in 2007 and it can house up to 20,000 spectators. It has been the home of the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals since 2009.

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