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Race to World Tour Finals: Big name set to miss out in 2015

By Geoff Nichols

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Race to World Tour Finals: Big name set to miss out in 2015

Qualifying for the season ending ATP World Tour Finals is the result of an outstandingly consistent year at the top of the men’s game. With only the top eight player qualifying for the event, which is heading to London for the last time in this cycle, it remains a hallmark of a great year.

Novak Djokovic was the first to confirm his qualification for the event where has enjoyed significant success in the past. He was followed by Andy Murray, who has never progressed beyond the semi finals, although the importance of qualifying was highlighted in his torturous end of season schedule in 2014.

– Andy Murray having career year in 2015 – 

Although not officially confirmed, the two Swiss players in the upper echelons of the game are also qualified. Roger Federer has gone over the cut, which currently stands at 5,285 points, during his run at the US Open. His place will be announced come the end of the tournament.

Stan Wawrinka is also qualified due to a rule that Marin Cilic benefitted from last year. A Grand Slam champion in the given calendar year will qualify for the World Tour Finals so long as they finish inside the Top 20 of the standings. With 2,000 points for a major title, this tends to go hand in hand.

Race Rankings

PlacePlayerNationPoints
1Novak DjokovicSRB11145
 2Andy MurrayGBR7370
 3Roger FedererSUI5705
 4Stan WawrinkaSUI4960
 5Tomas BerdychCZE3850
 6Kei NishikoriJPN3765
 7Rafael NadalESP3715
 8David FerrerESP3005
 9John IsnerUSA2180
 10Richard GasquetFRA2130
 11Kevin AndersonRSA2025
 12Milos RaonicCAN1830
 13Gilles SimonFRA1770
 14Jo Wilfried TsongaFRA1650
 15Marin CilicCRO1605
 16Feliciano LopezESP1485
 17David GoffinBEL1485
 18Dominic ThiemAUT1420
 19Gael MonfilsFRA1410
 20Bernard TomicAUS1385

The story that is unfolding at the top of the standings is that a couple of big players will miss out on the World Tour Finals, with their season ending prematurely. Whilst in previous years injuries and withdrawals have meant that no big names have failed to qualify from their own points tally, with a fresh bill of health in the Top 20 some are set to be disappointed.

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Chief amongst those is Milos Raonic, who really faces an uphill battle to qualify. Short of form, he will need to go some to rise up the standings in the closing months of the season, which is a surprise given his upward trajectory in the sport in recent years.

Three time participant Jo Wilfried Tsonga also looks to be struggling for points, as a total of in excess of 3,000 is normally required. Grigor Dimitrov continues an unusual trend of never having qualified and will likely have to wait until 2016 to mount a real challenge.

– What is wrong with Rafael Nadal? – 

As for players currently residing inside the Top 8, for men already mentioned are in the clear. Thomas Berdych, Kei Nishikori and Rafael Nadal all look to be in a relatively secure position, although they must remain consistent at the end of the year, as 4,150 points were required for qualification in 2014.

David Ferrer is the man who will be looking down rather than up in terms of his place at the World Tour Finals. A regular at the event, injuries have caused his place to be in more jeopardy than in previous seasons. John Isner, Richard Gasquet and Kevin Anderson are all candidates to take his place.

You have to say that Marin Cilic, Jo Wilfried Tsonga and Feliciano Lopez are still in the equation as they remain in the US Open. All six names would be surprise qualifiers, with only Frenchman Richard Gasquet having participated before, albeit as an alternate.

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Next: Wimbledon 2015: Top 5 Upsets in Men's Draw

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