Race to London

With only a few weeks left on the calendar, it is time again to bring out the calculators and try and resolve who will be appearing at the World Tour Finals.

Nikolay Davydenko: Injury has seriously hampered the Russians' season and an early exit in Shanghai took him out of the top 16. A good run at home in the Kremlin Cup is much needed.

Realistically, other contenders for the top 8 spots include:

Tomas Berdych: Looked a sure bet but an early defeat in Shanghai means work is still to do.

David Ferrer: Another strong end to the season from the solid spaniard. On the up and should seal the deal.

Andy Roddick: Injury prevented him from playing in London last year, it seems ghosts from the past are back to haunt again.

Fernando Verdasco: It's all in his hands but that doesn't mean anything with the inconsistent lefty. No wins on the Asian tour haven't helped but he depends on his results on not that of others, always a good place to be.

Mikhail Youzhny: A good run at the US Open opened the door for the Russian. He is defending the title in Moscow this week so need another great week at home to not lose too many points.

Jurgen Melzer: Not defending too many points and playing infront of a home crowd in Vienna. The lefty could sneak in.

Some unexpected names could pop up during these last few weeks, but it is improbable that the eight names in London will feature anyone below this. An outside bet? Tsonga

The French Imposition

Although it's true that France boasts a vast number of talented players populating the top 100 - proof of this being the Davis Cup final showing later this year - there is a secret behind it all. On the ATP calendar you can spot tournaments played at Marseille (250), Nice (250), Metz (250), Montpellier (250), Paris (1000) and, of course, Roland Garros.

It's not merely the advantage of playing infront of a partisan crowd but also the fact that wild cards are handed out to local players, thus improving their chances of cracking into the tour.

Apart from the before mentioned tournaments, we must add the Monte Carlo Masters which basically classifies as France and where French players are gifted wild cards. Also the French Federation has reached an agreement with the Australian and American Federations to assure a wild card for French players at both the US and Australian Open.

With this sort of help who knows what other nations would achieve in the game. Nevertheless fair play to the French for imposing themselves so well.