Rafael Nadal and six-time winner Novak Djokovic are in the same half of the draw, it was established after the draw’s release on Friday. The final ATP Masters 1000 competition of the year will be challenging for Nadal, who will play at the Rolex Paris Masters for the first time since the Laver Cup.
As he looks for his first triumph at the indoor hard-court competition, Roberto Bautista Agut, a former player who was ranked in the Top 10, or Tommy Paul, an American who is coming off of his finest season ever, will be Nadal’s opening opponents. The first seeded opponent Nadal might face is the 14th seed Pablo Carreno Busta, who took first place in this year’s Montreal tournament. The fifth seed, Stefanos Tsitsipas, is also in his quarter. The left-handed Nadal has progressed at least as far as the quarterfinals in each of his previous eight tournament appearances. He’s currently 22-6 in the competition.
Djokovic will face either former Top 10 player Diego Schwartzman or American serve-and-volleyer Maxime Cressy in the opening round. After winning competitions in Tel Aviv and Astana, both of which were played on indoor hard courts, the Serbian enters the contest on a nine-match winning streak. Djokovic currently holds the Masters 1000 record with 38 victories.
