Paris Masters 2022: Men's draw, schedule, players, prize money breakdown and more
The ATP tour heads to the French capital this week as the Paris Masters is set to be held from October 31 to November 6, 2022.
Reigning US Open champion Carlos Alcaraz is the top seed here. The teen sensation has already won a couple of Masters 1000 titles this year and is gunning for a third one. Rafael Nadal returns to action after a brief hiatus to recover from an injury and the birth of his first child.
While the Spaniard has found considerable success at another tournament held in the city of love - the French Open - he has come up empty-handed every time at the Paris Masters. After an impressive start to the year, Nadal will be looking to end it on a positive note as well.
Defending champion Novak Djokovic has missed a good chunk of the season due to vaccine mandates but is in great form at the moment. With a host of top players assembled here, an exciting week of tennis is lined up. On that note, here's all the relevant information about the Paris Masters:
What is the Paris Masters?
The Paris Masters has been a part of the men's tour since 1969, when the first edition was held. It is classified as a Masters 1000 event and is the last tournament to be played before the ATP Finals. It is currently the only Masters tournament to be played indoors.
Novak Djokovic is the most successful player in the history of the tournament, winning six titles so far. He is the only one to defend his title here as well. Roger Federer, Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi and Boris Becker are some of the other notable former champions.
Venue
The tournament will take place at the Accor Arena in Bercy, Paris.
Players
The top eight seeds have received a first-round bye. Carlos Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev, Andrey Rublev and Felix Auger-Aliassime headline the top half of the draw. The teenager could face Matteo Berrettini in the third round, followed by a quarterfinal match against Rublev.
Medvedev could meet Sebastian Korda in the second round, with a third-round date with Frances Tiafoe on the horizon as well. The Russian could face the in-form Auger-Aliassime in the last eight, with a semifinal against Alcaraz lined up after that.
Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic were both drawn in the bottom half of the draw, but won't face each other before the semifinals. The Spaniard could begin his campaign against either Tommy Paul or Roberto Bautista Agut. He could then square off against Denis Shapovalov in the third round and Stefanos Tsitsipas is likely to await him in the quarterfinals.
THE 2022 DRAW IS OUT. 👀
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Djokovic's title defense includes a likely third-round match against Jannik Sinner and a quarterfinal bout with Casper Ruud, provided the Norwegian gets there.
Schedule
The qualifying rounds will take place on October 29 and 30, with first-round matches commencing on the day after that. The quarterfinals, semifinals and finals are to be contested on Friday, Saturday and Sunday respectively, from November 4-6.
The official tournament schedule for the 2022 Paris Masters can be accessed here.
Prize Money
The total prize money for this year's edition is €5,415,410. The winner will walk away with a cash prize of €836,355 along with 1000 ranking points. Here's a detailed breakdown of the prize money and ranking points:
Where to watch
Viewers in the US, UK, Australia and Canada can watch the Paris Masters live on the following channels and sites:
USA: All matches will be broadcast on Tennis Channel.
UK: Fans in the UK can watch the proceedings live on Amazon Prime Video.
Australia: All matches will be telecast on beIN Sports.
Canada: Viewers in Canada can watch all the matches on TSN.
For more information regarding the broadcast of matches, click here.