Race to the World Tour Championships

2010's Grand Slam action now complete, the ATP World Tour has entered its final phase, as the world's best compete in the overseas indoor hard-court season, which will culminate in London at the year-end championships next month. Only the top eight ranking-point-earners of the 2010 season will qualify to compete in the event, which will follow a unique round-robin format. Four of these eight spots have already been secured, going to Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray respectively. Robin Soderling looks poised to claim the fifth place, while Tomas Berdych, David Ferrer, and Andy Roddick are the leading candidates for the last three, with Spain's Fernando Verdasco close behind.

This week has seen the progression of the Shanghai Masters event, where Roger Federer and Andy Murray will meet in the final tomorrow. Shanghai was the site of the year-end championships from 2002 through 2008, before the event was moved to London last year, and the Shanghai venue opened this event as a replacement. Significant developments have included Rafael Nadal's shocking upset defeat at the hands of Austrian Jurgen Melzer and Andy Roddick's latest injury woes, which forced him to retire from a match he had been dominating against Guillermo Garcia-Lopez of Spain. One will scarcely be able to blame Roddick should he steer clear of Shanghai next season, as this marks the third consecutive season he has left the venue with a debilitating injury a severely-sprained ankle saw him withdraw during the 2008 year-end championships, a hyper-extended knee ejected him from last year's event, and this year, a thigh injury had the same effect, jeopardizing Roddick's place in London.

Federer and Murray have both shown strong form at this event, neither man dropping a set en route to the finals. Although Murray holds a 7-5 career head-to-head advantage over Federer, I am inclined to favor Federer to win the championship in what will likely be a three-set encounter.