Paris Masters 2018: Top 5 champions in the past
Setting its wheels into motion in 1968, the Rolex Paris Masters began as the French Covered Court Championships. Initially hosted in the Stade Pierre de Coubertin, the Paris Masters attracted a wide host of top-ranked players who wanted to unleash the wrath of bold attacking and fast tennis.
The event which takes place annually in the crux of October and November is the ninth and ultimate Masters 1000 event of the calendar which leads to the culmination of the tour with the Nitto ATP World Tour Finals in London following that.
Aside from Roland Garros throwing open its clay-clad courts in the summer months of May and June, the French capital city takes charge of playing host to the season-ending Masters' event of the year which also happens to be the only Masters 1000 tournament that is played indoors.
As the AccorHotels Arena gets busy with the best of tennis players flying into Paris to play, it is exciting times in the capital. The Paris Masters have perpetually been a coveted and prestigious tournament, with several legends of tennis having left their mark here!
As things get rolling in the 47th edition of the Paris Masters, it's time to look back at those invincible players who have won the tournament the most number of times!
Psst: Rafael Nadal, who boasts of 11 French Open titles, is yet to get his name on the Paris Masters trophy, having been a finalist only once in 2007!
#5 Andre Agassi
The one name to have done the rounds in the 90's is that of the controversial American Andre Agassi.
The winner of 8 Grand Slams which includes a four-time win at the Australian Open, Agassi conquered the indoor courts of Paris Masters in the years 1994 and 1999 and is one of the few players to have clinched the title twice.
In 1994, Agassi fought off Swissman Marc Rosset in a tight four-set match to win the Paris Masters for the first time. The 1999 clash between Agassi and Marat Safin, who himself has been a champion thrice at the same event, proved to be even more demanding.
But Agassi held his own ground in another four-set clash and got his second Paris Masters title in 1999!