Published 19:30 IST, October 7th 2019
Andy Murray climbs over 200 spots in the latest ATP world rankings
Former World Number 1, Andy Murray, witnessed a big jump in the latest ATP rankings that was released while Noval Djokovic cemented his place at the top
Three-times Grand Slam winner and former World Number 1, Andy Murray, witnessed a big jump in the latest ATP rankings that was released while Noval Djokovic cemented his spot at the top by extending his lead against second-placed Rafael Nadal.
2019 is the Scottish player's comeback year as a hip surgery saved his tennis career, reached the quarter-finals of the China Open where he eventually lost to World No. 5 Dominic Thiem.
A chance to climb into the top 250
With wins over Matteo Berrettini and fellow Britisher, Cam Norrie, saw Andy Murray move into the last eight in Beijing and he could very well move into the top 250 with a win over Argentina's Juan Ignacio Londero later on October 7 in Shanghai.
While there were no significant changes in the top 10 of the ATP rankings, there was huge development in the Race To London – the rankings framework that only considers points earned in a single year.
Novak Djokovic, who will face Denis Shapovalov in the second round in Shanghai after the Canadian defeated Frances Tiafoe on October 7, edged 500 points closer to Rafael Nadal, slicing the gap between them to under 1,500 points with the fight to claim the top spot heating up as the season is coming to an end.
A race to the finish line
Alexander Zverev stepped up his game in order to qualify for the ATP Finals tournament, where he is also the defending champion, climbing three spots into the eighth position and the last qualifying spot.
Dominic Thiem affirmed his capability after he won China Open, while finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas will likewise join Nadal, Djokovic, Roger Federer and Daniil Medvedev in the eight-man ATP sanctioned tournament.
While Roberto Bautista Agut is at the seventh position, however his and Zverev's places in the tournament are a long way from confirmed at this particular point of time. In Shanghai, Cam Norrie crushed Gilles Simon in the first round, having come through the qualifying stages and will now take on US Open finalist Medvedev, in his next match. Meanwhile, Kyle Edmund faces Jeremy Chardy, while Murray meets Londero later on October 7.
Updated 19:44 IST, October 7th 2019