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Federer Skipping Paris Masters Keeping in Mind ATP Finals: Nadal

Rafael Nadal is now virtually guaranteed to end 2017 on top of the pile.

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Tennis
2 min read
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Spanish tennis star Rafael Nadal has said Swiss great Roger Federer pulled out of the Paris Masters so he could be in top form for the ATP Finals, which will be held in London.

"After winning Shanghai and winning Basel, he believes (missing Paris) will be better for his body and for his preparation for London," Nadal said in a press conference in Paris on Monday, Efe news reported.

Federer, winner of a record 19 Grand Slam titles, announced his withdrawal from Paris, the last Masters event of the year, after clinching his 8th Swiss Indoors title in his hometown of Basel on Sunday.

With his withdrawal, a hoped-for fight for the year-end number one ranking at next month’s ATP World Tour Finals in London will likely be a coronation for Rafa Nadal, who is virtually guaranteed ending 2017 top of the pile.
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Federer's Swiss Indoors win reduced the points gap on the Spaniard to 1,460 points, but his subsequent withdrawal from this week's Paris Masters means Nadal is poised to finish top for the fourth time in his career.

With 1,500 points available in London for winning the title, having won all three round-robin matches, the 31-year-old Nadal needs to win just one round in Paris to put himself out of reach of the 19-times grand slam champion.

"Let's see. I need to win a match. But I am here to try my best, as in every tournament," Nadal said of a tournament he has never won.

Of course, if that happens, it will be something important for me. But season is not over and this is not the moment to think much about that. I will just try to think about trying to have the right preparation for the tournament and then try to be ready for the first match.
Rafael Nadal
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After missing half of the 2016 season due to an injury, 36-year-old Federer has been planning his 2017 schedule more carefully.

Federer skipped the entire clay-court season in 2017, but he has won seven titles, including the Australian Open and Wimbledon.

Federer's decision paved the way for Nadal to end the year as world number 1 for first time since 2013 with just one win in the tournament.

Nadal regained top form in 2017 after an injury-plagued couple of seasons, winning six titles, including his 10th Roland Garros trophy and third US Open crown.

(With inputs from IANS and Reuters.)

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Topics:  roger federer   Rafael Nadal   ATP 

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