Djokovic Ready For Battle For Year-End No. 1 With Nadal In Paris

Novak Djokovic isn't focussed on the battle for year-end No. 1 between himself and Rafael Nadal as he looks to return to the Rolex Paris Masters final this week.

But the Serbian is certainly aware of the task at hand and what it will take for him to finish at the top of the ATP Rankings for a second consecutive year and sixth time overall (2018, 2015, 2014, 2012, 2011).

Djokovic needs to finish this week's ATP Masters 1000 event less than 1,500 ATP Race To London points behind Nadal to have a chance at the year-end top spot. Nadal currently leads Djokovic by 1,280 Race points.

“He's in a much better position, but I hope I can do well in this tournament. I've historically played really well indoors in Paris and also [Nitto ATP Finals in] London, but it doesn't depend on me. So I cannot really focus too much on what he is doing or other players. I'll try to get the most out of my performances and see where it takes me,” Djokovic said.

“These kind of [year-end No. 1] calculations are never really great for the mentality of a player, and they take away vital energy that you need to use for your performance, so I prefer not really think about it too much.”

Djokovic is competing on the ATP Tour for the first time since his Rolex Shanghai Masters quarter-final loss to fellow Nitto ATP Finals qualifier Stefanos Tsitsipas of Greece. Djokovic, the all-time wins leader in Paris with 32, is going for a record-extending fifth title in Bercy.

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He and the second-seeded Nadal could play in the final, which would be their third FedEx ATP Head2Head meeting of the season. Djokovic won in the Australian Open final, but Nadal avenged that loss by winning the Internazionali BNL d'Italia title match in Rome.

“Physically I'm feeling well. I haven't had any left shoulder pain or any major concerns physically in the last three, four weeks, basically. So my preparation has been going well,” Djokovic said. “I'm just hoping I can kick off this tournament in the best possible way.”

from Tennis - ATP World Tour https://ift.tt/2poCljB