Dunlop tennis balls being used at the 2020 Australian Open (Getty Images)
The eyes of the tennis world will be on the O2 Arena, London, from November 15-22 as the best tennis players in the world contest the prestigious ATP Finals.
The opening stage features eight players split into two groups of four, each of whom will compete in a round-robin format for a place in the semi-finals.
World number one Novak Djokovic is the favourite in the latest online betting odds to lift the trophy, despite failing to win the tournament since 2015.
Stefanos Tsitsipas lifted the trophy last time around, although he may find it challenging to repeat the trick as he is struggling with a leg injury.
Read on as we take a look at the eight players who will compete in the ATP Finals and predict who we think will claim the silverware.
Djokovic has been in excellent form this year, winning four titles to retain his place at the head of the world rankings.
His disqualification from the US Open was the undoubted low point of a season that has seen the Serbian star win 39 out of 42 matches.
The 33-year-old has won this event on five previous occasions and he is a worthy favourite to add to his tally this time around.
Nadal has been a permanent fixture in this event for the past 16 years, although two appearances in the final are scant reward for a player with his ability.
He has won the Mexican Open and French Open this term, but was recently beaten by Alexander Zverev in the semi-finals of the Paris Masters.
His form in that event was patchy, with two of his matches going the distance, and his previous record in the ATP Finals is unlikely to fill punters with confidence.
Medvedev recovered from a set down to beat Alexander Zverev in the final of the Paris Masters and looks the value bet to follow up in London.
He struggled during the early part of the season, before bouncing back to form to reach the semi-finals of the US Open.
Medvedev finished bottom of his group in the 2019 ATP Finals, but he is strongly fancied to be much more competitive this year.
Thiem broke his Grand Slam duck by winning the US Open in September, but his form has left a lot to be desired since then.
The Austrian progressed to the final of this event last year, before eventually losing out to Tsitsipas in a three-set thriller.
Thiem has been struggling with a foot injury in recent weeks and he doesn’t appeal as a likely winner of the ATP Finals.
Zverev has played in the Finals on three previous occasions, winning the event in 2018 and reaching the semi-finals last year.
He has had another solid year, progressing to the last four in the Australian Open and finishing as the runner-up in the US Open.
He recently won back-to-back hard court tournaments in Germany and will be dangerous in this event if he produces the same form.
Rublev has qualified for this event for the first time and could find it extremely difficult to progress beyond the group stage.
He was unable to progress beyond the last eight in any of this season’s Grand Slams and looks a little short of the quality needed to lift the trophy.
The last Russian to win the ATP Finals was Nikolay Davydenko in 2009, and it would be a major surprise if Rublev managed to add his name to the roll of honour.
The reigning champion won the title last year, and he will be eager to prove that the result wasn’t a fluke.
However, he has been below his best in recent tournaments and will need to up his game if he is to lift the trophy again.
Tsitsipas has been hampered by a leg problem over the past few weeks and has suggested he could withdraw from the event if it doesn’t improve.
Schwartzman was the final player to book his place in the Finals and will be eager to make an impression on his first appearance in the tournament.
The Argentinian reached the final of the Italian Open, beating Nadal along the way before losing to Djokovic.
He has since reached another final in Germany and may prove to be troublesome at the O2 Arena if he maintains the same level of form.
ATP Finals Prediction: Djokovic and Nadal predictably head the betting despite this event throwing up some surprise results over the past few years.
The pair are likely to be tough to beat but, at the current odds, Medvedev appeals as the value bet to lift the trophy.
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