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 With just two weeks of the regular ATP season to play, a staggering 20 players remain in contention to earn the final three playing berths at the elite eight-man Tennis Masters Cup Shanghai.
Although Spaniard David Ferrer appears to have a lock on one of those spots - he is 96 points clear of No. 8 Tommy Haas - the battle for the seventh and eighth spots is fierce.
Chilean Fernando Gonzalez begins the final two-week push with the advantage of a 39-point lead over Haas. But the eighth spot is wide open, with seven players separated by just 14 points.
And any player through 25th-placed Ivo Karlovic who wins next week's BNP Paribas Masters would have a strong chance of qualifying.
Below is a chart of the ATP 2007 Race standings as of Monday, October 22, including a breakdown of a player's 'Best 5th result.' To add points this week to his ATP Race total, a player must earn more points than his current 'Best 5th' result.
For example, if James Blake reaches the Basel semifinals this week (worth 22 points), he would add just two points to his points total -- 22 points less his 'Best 5th' of 20 points (earned for his semifinal showing in Stockholm).
But if Tomas Berdych reaches the Basel semifinals he would add 14 points to his points total (22 points less his 'Best 5th' of eight points for a net gain of 14 points).
On the Bubble - Tennis Masters Cup Contenders
(ATP 2007 Race Position as of Monday, October 22)
| Pos./Player |
Points |
Best 5th |
This Week |
| 6th/D. Ferrer |
425 |
12 |
Lost 1st Rd. Basel |
| 7th/F. Gonzalez |
368 |
0 |
Lost Basel QFs |
| 8th/T. Haas |
329 |
8 |
Withdrew Lyon (stomach upset) |
| 9th/T. Robredo |
328 |
18 |
Lost 1st Rd. Lyon |
| 10th/J. Blake |
327 |
20 |
Lost 2nd Rd. Basel |
| 11th/R. Gasquet |
321 |
10 |
Lost 2nd Rd. Lyon |
| 12th/T. Berdych |
318 |
8 |
Lost Basel QFs |
| 13th/C. Moya |
316 |
15 |
not playing |
| 14th/I. Ljubicic |
315 |
15 |
Lost Lyon QFs |
| 15th/G. Canas |
295 |
1 |
Lost 2nd Rd. Basel |
| 16th/J.I. Chela |
284 |
8 |
Lost 1st Rd. Basel |
| 17th/M. Youzhny |
282 |
15 |
Alive in St. Petersburg SFs |
| 18th/A. Murray |
281 |
5 |
Alive in St. Petersburg SFs |
| 19th/L. Hewitt |
273 |
4 |
not playing |
| 20th/J.C. Ferrero |
271 |
4 |
not playing |
| 21st/J. Monaco |
269 |
9 |
Lost in 2nd Rd. Lyon |
| 22nd/M. Baghdatis |
265 |
12 |
Alive in Basel SFs |
| 23rd/P-H Mathieu |
259 |
8 |
Lost Basel QFs |
| 24th/D Nalbandian |
255 |
0 |
Lost 1st Rd. Basel |
| 25th/I Karlovic |
251 |
8 |
Alive in Basel SFs |
Note: For a player to improve his points total this week he must earn more points than his 'Best 5th' result from earlier in the season. Next week at the BNP Paribas Masters, a player will add all points earned because it is a 'mandatory event' that must count towards his points total.
| ATP Race Points |
W |
F |
SF |
QF |
Rd. 2 |
| Basel |
50 |
35 |
22 |
12 |
5 |
| St. Petersburg |
50 |
35 |
22 |
12 |
5 |
| Lyon |
45 |
31 |
20 |
11 |
4 |
Note: Players receive no points for a first-round loss.
What is a Player's 'Best 5th' Result?
A player's ATP Race points total comprises points earned at 13 'mandatory' events - the four Grand Slams and nine ATP Masters Series - plus points earned at his best five performances at all other ATP tournaments (International Series events). If a player plays eight International Series events, he counts his best five results only. His other three inferior results do not count towards his ATP Race total.
So a player's ATP Race total comprises results from 18 events during the year.
A player's 'Best 5th' result is the last of the 18 results he counts. Using the table above as an example, Ivan's Ljubicic's 'Best 5th' result is 15 points (for reaching the Beijing semifinals). Should Ljubicic reach the Lyon semifinals this week he would earn 20 points. That would then become his 'Best 5th' result of the season, bumping the 15 points from Beijing to his sixth best result, which would no longer count towards his points total.
In simple terms, Ljubicic would gain 20 points (Lyon) and lose 15 points (Beijing) for a net gain of five points. View Ljubicic's ATP Race Breakdown
Full ATP 2007 Race
Official Tennis Masters Cup Web Site
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