Analysis of the ATP Race Rankings

There are two 500 tournaments being played this week, with a number of big names looking to boost their points total and gain some momentum heading into the Paris Masters and hopefully the World Tour Finals in London.

The points up for grabs at both 500 tournaments are as follows:

First Round: 0

Second Round: 45

Quarter-Finalist: 90

Semi-Finalist: 180

Finalist: 300

Winner: 500

The Valencia Open 500 tournament, won last year by Russian Mikhail Youzhny, has a host of big names in the draw, all of whom are hunting for vital points to help them in the Race:

Valencia Open 500: 1 – FERRER, 2 – BERDYCH, 3 – MURRAY, 4- LOPEZ, 5- ISNER, 6 – BAUTISTA AGUT, 7- ANDERSON, 8 – SIMON

The top half of the draw contains rivals Andy Murray and David Ferrer, who have been trading places in the Race in recent weeks. The Spaniard beat Murray at the Shanghai Masters two weeks ago, only for Murray to gain revenge in the Vienna Open final on Sunday. They are set for another crucial face-off in the semi-finals.

The bottom half of the Valencia draw is home to Thomas Berdych, the second seed taking a late wild card in a bid to secure his place at the World Tour Finals. He is in the same half as Feliciano Lopez, who has had an indifferent few weeks after beating Rafael Nadal in Shanghai. On recent form, expect Berdych to make a strong bid for a place in the final in Spain.

The Swiss Indoors Basel also gets underway this week, with champion from 2012 and 2013 Juan Martin Del Potro injured and therefore unable to defend his title. Nevertheless it is a strong field in Switzerland, with home favourites Federer and Wawrinka looking for a title on home soil:

Swiss Indoors Basel: 1 – FEDERER, 2 – NADAL, 3 – WAWRINKA, 4- RAONIC, 5- DIMITROV, 6 – GULBIS, 7- GOFFIN, 8 – KARLOVIC

Number 1 seed and local superstar Roger Federer heads up the strong top half of the draw in Basel. He is in the same quarter as World Tour Finals chaser Grigor Dimitrov, a player many people compare to Federer. Wawrinka is seeded to meet Federer in the semi-final, both men having already secured enough points in the Race to confirm qualification for the Tour Finals in London.

Rafael Nadal, still battling with appendicitis, continues to delay surgery as he plays in the bottom half. He hasn’t won a match since announcing his illness and it can be questioned why he is even playing in a non-mandatory event like Basel. He is in the same half as Milos Raonic, whose recent slump in form combined with flu in Asia, has seen him drop tantalisingly out of the Top 8 in the Race.