Andy Murray Is Guaranteed London Berth If He Makes It To The Quarterfinals Of The BNP Paribas Masters
The road to the Barclays Association of Tennis Professionals, or ATP World Tour Finals in London is in its final week. Andy Murray leads the final dash for one of the four remaining berths. Winning two titles in the last two weeks in Vienna and Valencia, Murray has leaped to the fifth spot in the latest Emirates ATP Race to London rankings.
Murray is currently taking part in the BNP Paribas Masters in Paris and he only needs to make it in the quarterfinals of the tournament to qualify for the London finals. The Scot has previously made it the quarterfinals in Paris in 2007-2008 and 2010-2011.
After claiming his Valencia 500 crown in a grueling match against Tommy Robredo on Oct. 26, Murray said via ATP that he has done the best the he could so the other candidates who are chasing to get one of the remaining four slots in the London finals will have to play their best tennis in Paris to knock him out of the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals.
Murray is delighted to play in Paris, where he is seeded eighth. "This is the last Masters 1000 of the year, and is just two weeks before the ATP World Tour Finals in London, which means I can get to train for my next tournament," Murray wrote on his website.
Murray is playing for sixth straight week. After his quarterfinal loss to Novak Djokovic at the US Open in August, Murray has competed in five tournaments. He has won three titles since Sept. 22. He won the title in Shenzen, beating Robredo 5-7, 7-6 (9), 6-1. He reached the semifinals before losing to Djokovic in Beijing, 3-6, 4-6. In Shanghai, Murray was ousted in the third round with a defeat from Ferrer, 6-2, 1-6, 2-6. He won the title in Vienna and Valencia, beating Ferrer, 5-7, 6-2, 7-5 and Robredo, 3-6, 7-6 (7), 7-6 (8)respectively.
The other players who are scrambling to qualify in London are competing in Paris. Kei Nishikori and Tomas Berdych need to make it into the top four to get a place in the season-ending tournament. David Ferrer needs to make in the finals while Milos Raonic needs to win the title to become eligible for London.