Top-ranked Rafel Nadal is hurt, while Roger Federer, the defending champion is in ailing time. The first-timers have taken this as a chance to make up half the field for this year’s Masters Cup.
The ATP’s season-ending tournament is to open at Shanghai on Sunday.
The rumours and enthusiasm surrounding Roger Federer is still on. Last year, Tennis lovers were wondering at this time if the Swiss star’s game was starting to slip after the loss of two matches in a row for the first time in 4 1/2 years, including the opening round in Shanghai.

But Federer made a stupendous comeback by winning the next four matches in dominating fashion to grab his fourth Masters Cup crown.

This year too there are questions revolving in air as Federer battling with mononucleosis, failed to add to his Grand Slam total in the season’s first three majors and saw Nadal finally rise from No. 2 and end Federer’s record 237-week reign atop the rankings.

Federer has gone out and won his fifth consecutive U.S. Open to counter Pete Sampras’ record of 14 Grand Slam titles, which he will try to match at the Australian Open in January.

Nadal will miss the tournament this time. Thanks to tendinitis in his right knee. The injusry caused at Paris last week had kept him out of the Davis Cup final later this month.

With Federer and Nadal out of the race, many new comers are looking at this a big chance to show their talent. Second-seeded Nokvak Djokovic of Serbia will begin the game by facing Juan Martin Del Potro on Sunday. Djokovic had earlier grabbed his first Slam in Australia in the beginning of this year as is hoping to repeat that here. This is the last year that the competition will be held in Shanghai, as London will be hosting the tournament from 2009.

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