Novak Djokovic on the official entry list of the 2021 Paris Masters
Five-time champion Novak Djokovic is on the entry list for the 2021 Paris Masters, which is scheduled to begin on 1 November. Djokovic, who skipped the ongoing Indian Wells Masters, is slated to lead the field in Paris as the top seed.
If the World No. 1 goes on to confirm his participation in the event, it would be the 15th time he enters it. The Paris Masters is one of Djokovic's most successful Masters 1000 tournaments, and he would be keen to add another title there this year.
Defending champion Daniil Medvedev is the second seed, going by the entry list, while Stefanos Tsitsipas and Alexander Zverev complete the top four seeds.
ATP1000 Paris Bercy entry list (main draw + alternates), @DartsTennis https://t.co/X4g5Nf8cOR
Former champion Roger Federer is missing in action this time around, making it the third straight year he will be skipping the event. Rafael Nadal, who is also recovering from an injury like Federer, will also miss the event this year.
If he goes ahead with his participation, Novak Djokovic would have an opportunity to strengthen his hold on the year-ending top spot. Daniil Medvedev is currently about 2000 points behind the Serb (the Race points will be considered for the year-ending No. 1, rather than the rolling rankings), and has an outside chance of dethroning the 34-year-old by the end of the year.
However, decent performances in Paris and Turin would make it easy for Djokovic to win a record seventh year-ending No. 1 title.
A look at some of Novak Djokovic's records at the Paris Masters
Novak Djokovic has won the Paris Masters five times in his career (2009, 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2019), which is the highest tally any player has ever achieved.
The 34-year-old also owns the record for most final appearances in Paris, having made the summit clash on six occasions. The only time Djokovic lost in the final was in 2018, when Karen Khachanov beat him 7-5, 6-4.
Novak Djokovic is the only player to win three Paris Masters titles in a row, having done that in 2013, 2014, and 2015. He has also played the highest number of matches at the event (45), and has the most match wins in the tournament's history (37).
The Serb won 17 matches in a row at the Paris Masters, which is also a tournament record. He won five matches each in 2013, 2014 and 2015, and won two matches in 2016, where he fell in the quarterfinals to Marin Cilic.