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VIENNA, AUSTRIA: Dominic Thiem of Austria congratulates Andrey Rublev of Russia for winning the quarter finals match on day seven of the Erste Bank Open tennis tournament at Wiener Stadthalle in Vienna, Austria. (Photo by Thomas Kronsteiner/Getty Images)
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VIENNA, AUSTRIA: Dominic Thiem of Austria congratulates Andrey Rublev of Russia for winning the quarter finals match on day seven of the Erste Bank Open tennis tournament at Wiener Stadthalle in Vienna, Austria. (Photo by Thomas Kronsteiner/Getty Images)
As the Monte-Carlo Masters gears up for a fitting climax on Sunday, how do the players stack up in terms of qualification for the year-end ATP Finals in Turin?
According to the rankings at the minute, current World No.7 Andrey Rublev is leading the ‘ATP Race,’ as the race of sealing qualifying spots for the season-ending Finals is also called.
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The 23-year-old Russian reached his maiden Masters 1000 final with a win over Norwegian Casper Ruud in the semis on Saturday and will play World No.5 Stefanos Tsitsipas for the title.
Andrey Rublev overtook Roger Federer after reaching Monte-Carlo finals
In one of the biggest wins of his career, Rublev took down 11-time Monte-Carlo champion and the ‘King of Clay’ Rafael Nadal in the quarters.
His semi-final win saw him replace Roger Federer at No. 7 in the rankings, and should he lift his first Masters 1000 championship title on Sunday, he will take the No. 6 spot while German Alexander Zverev will drop to seventh.
Current World No.1 Novak Djokovic, and Greek player Tsitsipas trail Rublev at second and third in the ‘ATP Race.’
The reigning Australian Open champion returned from a two-month break since his record ninth title at Melbourne Park at Monte-Carlo. However, his comeback didn’t go as planned as he crashed out in the fourth round after losing in straight sets to British No.1 Dan Evans.
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LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 12: Roger Federer of Switzerland shakes hands with Rafael Nadal of Spain after defeating him in the Men’s Singles Semi Final at The Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championship at the All England Lawn and Tennis Club at Wimbledon on July 12, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Simon Bruty/Anychance/Getty Images)
Tsitsipas has played two quarters, one semis and one final since his last-four exit at the Australian Open and will play his third Masters 1000 final at Monte-Carlo.
Trailing the Greek are Australian Open runners-up Daniil Medvedev, Miami Open champion Hubert Hurkacz, Dubai champion Aslan Karatsev and Miami runners-up Jannik Sinner from fourth to seventh, respectively.
Rafael Nadal and Dominic Thiem at 18th and 47th, Roger Federer languishing at 222nd place
The most shocking bit with regard to the current standings in the ATP Race is that Rafael Nadal and Dominic Thiem lie at the 18th and 47th spots, respectively.
As for Roger Federer, a six-time champion at the Finals, he currently languishes at a lowly 222nd spot.
Read More: Andrey Rublev Overtakes Roger Federer in ATP Rankings After Reaching Monte-Carlo Masters 2021 Finals
Realistically one would expect the trio to win matches and titles on the road, eventually closing in on others in the race.
