Main draw action commences on Monday in Bercy, with eight of the world’s top 10 in the singles draw. That includes No.1-ranked Novak Djokovic, playing his first event since losing his bid for the Grand Slam two months ago in the US Open final. And he is in a race for the year-end No.1 ranking with the man who defeated him in New York, Daniil Medvedev, who currently trails Djokovic by 1,900 points.
And there are two spots remaining in the Race to Turin, the new site for the ATP Finals. Casper Ruud and Jannik Sinner are currently in qualifying position, but only hold a narrow lead over Hubi Hurkacz and Cam Norrie.
Court Central is headlined on Monday by former champions Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray in action.
Each day, this preview will analyze the most intriguing matchup, while highlighting other notable matches on the schedule. Monday’s play gets underway at 11:00am local time.
Jenson Brooksby (Q) vs. Andy Murray (WC) – Not Before 7:30pm on Court Central
This will be Murray’s first match in Bercy since he won this event in 2016, part of an epic end to that season in which the Brit captured the No.1 ranking for the first time. But that’s also a run he has never fully recovered from, as his body has not been the same. Andy is healthier than he’s been in over four years, which has enabled him to play a whole lot of tennis. This will be his tenth tournament since mid-August. During this span, he has participated in some epic encounters, and displayed some great form, though he’s only gone 10-9. 21-year-old Brooksby has put together a breakout season, with 49 wins at all levels. His mix of power and guile, combined with his dogged determination, has skyrocketed his ranking from outside the top 300 all the way up to the top 60. Jenson has accumulated six top 50 wins since August, and tested Novak Djokovic at the US Open by taking the first by a score of 6-1. Over the last two days, Brooksby spent nearly six hours on court, in a pair of long three-setters in qualifying. While Jenson has shown he’s not intimidated by competing with the sport’s biggest names, a well-rested Murray should be able to out-maneuver the young American.
Other Notable Matches on Monday:
Aslan Karatsev (13) vs. Sebastian Korda – Karatsev is another player who can still qualify for the ATP finals, but needs a strong result this week. He is coming off a title win in Moscow two weeks ago. Earlier this year in Miami, Korda soundly defeated Karatsev 6-3, 6-0, though Sebi has now lost five of his last seven matches.
Alex de Minaur and Luke Saville vs. Novak Djokovic and Filip Krajinovic (WC) – Novak’s return to competition will take place in doubles with his fellow Serbian Krajinovic, and it’s his first time playing doubles since losing in the mixed event at the Tokyo Olympics.
Pablo Carreno Busta (12) vs. Benoit Paire – Carreno Busta also has an outside chance to qualify for Turin, but he is 4-8 lifetime against the Frenchman at tour level, and has lost five of their last six meetings.
Monday’s full Order of Play is here.
