Paris Masters 2018: Potential route for the top contenders

The final ATP Masters 1000 tournament is about to commence which will be the penultimate competition before the Nitto ATP Finals in London.

World No. 1 Rafael Nadal is back after a near two-month injury layoff which forced him to retire from the US Open semi-final. The Spaniard is facing a threat from his arch-rival Novak Djokovic, who has a chance to topple Nadal from the No. 1 position this week. On the other hand, Juan Martin Del Porto has withdrawn from the tournament due to a right knee injury, which casts doubts on whether he will be able to make it for the ATP Tour Finals.

Here are the potential routes for the top players at the Paris Masters 2018:

Roger Federer

The World No. 3 Roger Federer is back in form after reaching the semis at the Shanghai Masters and winning his ninth Swiss Indoors title. The former champion is coming to the French capital after a hiatus of two years.

The Swiss maestro has been handed a tough draw with his opening round match against Jo-Wilfried Tsonga or Milos Raonic. His potential quarter-final clash might be against Kevin Anderson, who has been in terrific form lately. Federer's semi-final opponent might be Novak Djokovic, with his arch-nemesis Nadal looming in the final stage.

Rafael Nadal

The World No.1 Rafael Nadal will have to match Djokovic's result to prevent himself from relinquishing the No. 1 ranking. Nadal will struggle to find form considering his return from injury and also due to the tournament being indoor, which makes it tough for him to generate top spin.

His opening round match is against the hard-hitter Fernando Verdasco, with a possible quarter final clash against Dominic Thiem. The Spaniard's semi-final opponent could be Alexander Zverev and the final showdown will most likely be against his biggest rival Novak Djokovic.