Wednesday 11 October 2017 15:17, UK
Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal headline a stellar field who will take to the courts of Shanghai for the latest leg of the ATP Masters 1000 Series.
Along with Alexander Zverev, the legendary pair have dominated the season, and the three have all secured a place at the season-end World Tour Finals and will be keen to continue their superb 2107.
Federer is making his return to ATP action for the first time since his US Open quarter-final defeat to Juan Martin del Potro, while Nadal added a sixth title of the year to his collection by winning in Beijing.
Federer and Nadal have shared the year's four Grand Slam titles while Zverev has muscled in at Masters level to join them in picking up two 1000 titles each - Federer claimed Indian Wells and Miami, Nadal has taken Monte Carlo and Madrid, while Zverev was victorious in Rome and Montreal.
If the pattern of back-to-back Masters winner is to continue this year then Grigor Dimitrov can be expected to contend having won in Cincinnati to claim the biggest title of his career and join Federer, Nadal and Zverev at the O2 in November.
However with Novak Djokovic and Stan Wawrinka confirming their season is over through injury and Andy Murray's next appearance not yet known, the race for the other places is up for grabs and a strong week will help the likes of Marin Cilic and Dominic Thiem.
Chief among those chasing a spot in London is David Goffin, the Belgian who has claimed titles in Shenzhen and Tokyo over the last two weeks and he arrives as the hottest player on the tour with nine straight wins under his belt.
Pablo Carreno Busta and Sam Querrey are also jostling for position and will hope a return to the form they showed at the US Open is on the cards after a couple of disappointing weeks.
Nadal, a beaten finalist in 2009, tops the seedings as he chases a first Shanghai title and faces an awkward looking match with either Jared Donaldson or Pablo Cuevas in the second round before a possible last 16 reunion with Lucas Pouille.
The Frenchman had match points in Beijing to beat Nadal but the Spaniard gritted it out on his way to the title.
Another familiar face could lie in wait in the quarter-final with Dimitrov or Querrey his likely opponent and Cilic his seeded semi-final opponent, although the Croatian is in the same quarter as Nick Kyrgios, Kevin Anderson and in-form Adrian Mannarino, who beat Cilic in the Tokyo semi-final on Saturday.
In the bottom half, 2014 champion Federer also receives a bye and his likely second-round opponent is Diego Schwartzman who face a qualifier in the opening round, while it looks fairly routine until a possible quarter-final with in-form Goffin.
Federer has won all five of their previous matches but if Goffin makes it to the last eight his winning run will be into double figures and he will pose a threat.
A mouthwatering semi-final with Zverev is the seeded showdown for Federer and he will be keen to make amends, having been beaten in the Montreal final by the world No 3
With Murray still absent as he deals with his hip injury, British No 2 Kyle Edmund will again lead the British interest and he faces Czech Jiri Vesely in the first round. Should he come through then a meeting with fourth seed and world No 5 Marin Cilic awaits.
Also in action is Aljaz Bedene, he opens up against Italy's Paolo Lorenzi for the right to face Alexander Zverev in the second round.
Despite the headline names in attendance, the early focus will be on Canadian teenager Denis Shapovalov who has been handed a wildcard and faces Viktor Troicki in the first round, if he wins he will face Dominic Thiem in the second round.
The 18-year-old has thrilled throughout the season, capturing headlines for the all the wrong reasons in the Davis Cup tie with Great Britain earlier this year but going from strength to strength to rise to a career-high of 51 in the world rankings.
He came through qualifying to reach the last 16 of the US Open and also reached the semi-final of the Montreal Masters, and a good showing over the next few weeks will all but seal a place at the NextGen Finals.
The Masters Series continues on Sky Sports throughout next week with coverage from the Shanghai Masters on Sky Sports Arena and Sky Sports Main Event underway on Monday from 6am
The Next Gen ATP Finals in Milan and season-ending extravaganza World Tour Finals at London's O2 in November and another memorable year which will be covered via our website sky.mnosports.com/tennis with live blogs and updates as the season reaches its climax.
On the move? Head to our app for mobile devices and iPad, or follow our Twitter account @SkySportsTennis to join in the conversation. Who will win the World Tour Finals this year? Have your say...
